Employee benefits newsmakers: PayScale, PSCA, Welltok, WebTPA

Benefits industry news makers include new hires, new actions, new partnerships, and more. Here is a sample of what we’re seeing.

Cloud compensation solution provider PayScale has announced that it will close for the week of the Fourth of July holiday. Inspired by the book, Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, company executives decided to have employees fully unplug from work during the entire Fourth of July week.

FPS Group has hired Troy Dryer and Darlene Dailey to support the growth of its newly updated platform in the 401(b) and 457(b) markets, Investment Provider Xchange. Both Dailey and Dryer will assume the role of Vice President of Business Development.

PridePlanners will be integrating with the Financial Planning Association. Before it dissolved as a legal entity, PridePlanners was an organization that served the needs of financial planners who assist LGBTQ individuals and families. Former members of PridePlanners who are not yet members of the FPA are invited to join the association with a discounted first-year membership.

Investment manager TSW announced a planned succession process. Frank Reichel, its president, will succeed Horace Whitworth as CEO, effective September 30. Whitworth will continue to serve as CFO until TSW concludes its national search for a new CFO, after which he will work in a senior advisory capacity until retirement. Managing director John Reifsnider will become president.

Alight Solutions, a provider of technology-enabled health, wealth, HR, and finance solutions announced it will acquire Compass Professional Health services, a health care technology company. Compass president Adam Johnson will lead Compass, which will become a fully integrated part of Alight’s Health and Wealth Solutions business led by Michael Sigmund.

HR Certification Institute has earned global accreditation for its Professional in Human Resources – International designation and its Senior Professional in Human Resources –International designation. The PHRi and SPHRi credentials are the first and only certifications to meet the requirements of the International Accreditation Service and the ISO/IEC 17024.

The Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA), a part of the American Retirement Association (ARA), has opened its 61st Annual Survey of Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plans for plan sponsor participation until July 13, 2018. Participating sponsors will receive a copy of the full results.  Advisors and providers that successfully refer clients to the survey will also receive a free copy of the survey report.

International health plan provider Integra Global announced a partnership with French insurer MGEN. It also chose Medical Administrators International (MAI) as its global claims administrator and Northcott Global Solutions (NGS) to offer enhanced medical emergency and evacuation capabilities.

Consumer health software-as-a-service provider Welltok announced new partners in its Connect Partner Program. They include Compass Professional Health Services, Krowdfit, Kurbo Health, Optisom, Telespine and Vivante Health.

Global asset manager Russell Investments announced that Robert “Bob” Hostetter has joined the firm. As Global Head of Product, he leads the development and honing of investment solutions that draw from expertise and strategies across Russell Investments’ global operations.

Risk Strategies, a privately held national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, announced the acquisition of Craford Benefit Consultants, a full-service employee consulting and benefits brokerage firm headquartered in San Rafael, CA with offices in Portland, OR and Charlotte, NC. It also recently acquired Costello Benefits Group and Corporate Benefit Audits.

WebTPA, an independent health benefits administrator, announced that Dwight Mankin has been named president of the company. Mankin previously served as president of WebTPA’s sister company, Communitas, Inc., which provides care management solutions to stop-loss carriers, TPAs and self-funded employer plans.