Benefits industry newsmakers: Nuveen, Humana, ParcelShield, FinFit, GoCo, Turbo

Here’s news from the employee benefits industry. On the list: Who was recently hired, a new 401(k), which companies have been acquired, which company changed its name; award winners, investment funds, a campaign taking aim at financial shame —  okay, you get it. Here we go:

Globoforce has been renamed Workhuman. Workhuman’s technology, Workhuman Cloud, is a social recognition and continuous performance management platform. In conjunction with its name change and 20th anniversary milestone, Workhuman also announced a major expansion of its operations with the creation of 150 new jobs and the opening of its newly expanded headquarters in Dublin. The company operates in Framingham, Mass. as well.

WellSky announced it has acquired HCS. The HCS Interactant solution is an enterprise health care information technology platform, serving patients with complex needs. HCS CEO Tom Fahey will continue to lead in theWall Township, New Jersey location. The company will be gradually integrated into the WellSky brand over time.

Turbo, from Intuit Inc., launched a new financial empowerment campaign, Turbo #RealMoneyTalk. The campaign was designed to encourage people to talk about money, with the aim of helping them overcome shame in order to begin setting financial goals. Turbo partnered with actress Chrissy Metz as a spokesperson, who shares her story about past money struggles in a series of videos; a webpage and social media tags aim to encourage people to share their stories.

The Travelers Companies, Inc. announced a new benefit for its employees. With The Travelers Paying It Forward Savings Program, payments by eligible U.S. employees toward their student loans will qualify for the company’s 401(k) plan matching program. The company already has an existing 401(k). The program will begin in January 2020.

Pentegra announced that it will partner with Social(k) and LeafHouse Financial to introduce the Big Green Retirement Plan. The Plan is an aggregate 401(k) retirement program with a focus on socially responsible investing. Pentegra will provide recordkeeping and 3(16) fiduciary administrator services. LeafHouse Financial will provide 3(38) discretionary investment fiduciary services. LeafHouse will evaluate, select, monitor and manage the Plan’s SRI/ESG investment platform.

Nuveen announced the closing of a $10 million impact investment in Revolution Foods. The investment was made as part of Nuveen’s global impact investing private equity strategy. Revolution Foods designs, produces and delivers meals to school and community sites across 15 states, offering meals within the reimbursement level of multiple youth health programs, such as the National School Lunch Program.

Humana Pharmacy, the mail-delivery pharmacy service of Humana Inc. and ParcelShield, a technology-driven critical package protection solution, are partnering. Using ParcelShield’s platform, Humana Pharmacy’s specialty dispensing team will be able to proactively detect when there might be a problem with a specialty medication package’s delivery to a Humana member.

GoCo all-in-one HR and benefits platform announced a $7 million Series A funding round led by ATX Seed Ventures alongside the investment arm of UpCurve, among other strategic investors. The new capital will be allocated to hiring across all departments, further platform development to extend the breadth of offerings and to broadly expand the company’s customer base.

FinFit announced that it has hired Matthew Fahy as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will be responsible for leading FinFit’s finance strategy and overseeing the company’s financial operations. Fahey will be based out of the Virginia Beach office.

Envestnet | Tamarac announced that Tamarac has agreed to acquire PortfolioCenter, Schwab Performance Technologies’ portfolio management and reporting technology solution for independent registered investment advisers.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP announced the addition of a team of trial and class action lawyers led by lawyer James Jorden. Jorden is one of 14 new litigation partners and three associates, all previously with Carlton Fields Jorden Burt P.A. Most members of the team are based in Drinker Biddle’s Washington, D.C., office, with several establishing the new Hartford office.

• In Washington, D.C., the full roster of incoming partners includes Frank G. Burt, Josephine Cicchetti, James F. Jorden, Roland C. Goss, W. Glenn Merten, Shaunda Patterson-Strachan, Brian P. Perryman, Waldemar J. Pflepsen Jr., Kristen Reilly, Kristin Ann Shepard and Dawn B. Williams.
• The Drinker Biddle Hartford location launches with new partners Stephen J. Jorden, Ben V. Seessel and Michael A. Valerio, with Jorden serving as the office’s regional partner in charge.

The firm plans to open a new office in Miami, Florida, in the near future to accommodate several members of the Jorden group.

Carolyn Ewing-Turner has taken on the role of vice president of marketing at Colonial Life. In her new role, Ewing-Turner will drive Colonial Life marketing strategy to address business needs and deliver profitable growth.

Carillon Tower Advisers announced its plan to increase its ownership stake in ClariVest Asset Management LLC.  ClariVest has $7.3 billion in AUM and provides investment services to clients including mutual funds and other pooled vehicles, corporate and public pensions, foundations, and multiemployer defined benefit plans. Effective in April, ClariVest will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Carillon Tower’s affiliate, Eagle Asset Management.

The transaction coincides with a long-planned management succession at ClariVest. Tiffany Ayres, who serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, will assume the role of President. Ms. Ayres, along with David Vaughn, Chief Investment Officer – Non-U.S. and Global Strategies, and Todd Wolter, Chief Investment Officer – U.S. and Alternatives Strategies, will be responsible for day-to-day management at ClariVest.

Breathe Life, an InsurTech startup, announced initial funding. It aims to bridge the insurance gap by modernizing how companies distribute their products – both directly and through their advisor networks. Breathe Life provides insurance companies with a white-label, digital solution and distribution network designed to target and convert broader audiences, faster.

BerniePortal was presented with a Bronze Stevie Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software (Up to 100 Employees) category at the 13th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. More than 2,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations, were evaluated in this year’s competition.

Allianz Global Assistance USA  announced it has been awarded seven Stevie Awards, including five for customer service excellence:  two Silver awards for Contact Center of the Year in financial services and Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year in the financial services industry, a Bronze award for Customer Service Department of the Year in financial services (100 or more employees) and two Bronze awards for its sales department, which was recognized as a National Sales Team of the Year and for Sales Growth Achievement of the Year.

Atlanta-based benefits and wellness consultant Scott Parker has joined the Employee Benefits Group of Alliant. Serving as First Vice President, Parker will design and deliver integrated employee benefits solutions engineered to reduce healthcare costs and increase organizational productivity.

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