2020 Broker of the Year finalist: Ben Conner
When it comes to employee benefits and health insurance, Ben Conner goes his own way.
If you’re part of the Conner clan in Indianapolis, insurance is in your blood. Of the 33 company employees of Conner Insurance, 10 are Conners. And it can all be traced directly back to Henry Clay Conner, Jr.
Henry passed away six months before Ben was born, but the current CEO of Indianapolis-based Conner Insurance feels his presence everywhere. A World War II veteran, Henry was a larger-than-life character whose values continue to guide Conner Insurance.
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“My grandfather and his partner, Frank Govay, led a group of American soldiers to safety through the jungles in the Philippines during World War II,” Conner says. “His was a legend of stories and experiences that has shaped four generations of our family: my dad, myself, my kids and my cousins’ kids. He passed on what he learned through his experiences, the personal relationships and strategic guidance that kept him alive.”
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Ben, a candidate for BenefitsPRO’s Broker of the Year, pretty much goes his own way in the insurance game. When he looks for guidance, it’s to the past, from those who broke ground and did it their way.
“When I look at some of the things I’ve been able to do, it has been standing on the shoulders of giants like my dad and my uncles and grandfather. That man scratched the company out of the surface of the earth. Today, the times we do really well is when we listen to experience. And when we think we know all the answers, that’s been when we don’t do so well.”
Most of the time, though, Conner Insurance does well.
The firm has built a solid book of business over the years, with a special place in its heart for the small-to-mid-sized employer. Many clients employ minimum or low-wage workers, often workers for whom English is a second language. “The hardest organizations to work with are the ones we do really well with,” Conner said.
He explained that his role is often to take the client from a health plan that does not really protect worker health, and move them into a plan design that encourages workers to visit their physicians, fill their prescriptions and make sure their families are being taken care of. “You have to empathize with the people you are truly serving: the employees. What we have found is sometimes the people who are making the health plan decisions are not reflective of people using the program. That’s where the education piece comes in. Traditional strategies need to be turned upside down.”
Conner introduced the upside-down to Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis when leadership was looking for a different plan to cover its 110 employees. CEO Jeff Freeman says Conner has been “a trusted advisor and business confidant” who is “continually looking for new and innovative ways to maximize our plans, both to benefit employees and always with an eye to the bottom line.”
What does that bottom line look like? “Our five-year cost trend for our health care package has been virtually flat, which is both remarkable and almost unheard of,” Freeman says. Among recent innovations: “A move to exclude specialty drug coverage in our plan while maintaining the ability for the few employees impacted to still get their drug in the secondary market.” Another shift occurred when Conner “put together a new consortium of employers to enhance our layer of stop-loss coverage.”
“In addition to serving our school, he has forged a relationship with our accreditation body (ACSI). I’m excited to see what new things he can bring to the table for them and their member schools,” Freeman says. “On top of all that, he runs and manages his agency and employee group in a very progressive and effective way. They are always rolling out new approaches and methods for their own wellness needs.”
Ben Conner, like his forebearers, plays an active role in his community. Big Brothers Big Sisters and The Wheeler Mission, which provides services for the homeless, are two nonprofits that rate high on his list. He’s also deeply involved in a mentoring program that pairs recent college graduates with business executives. “I was a significant benefactor of mentoring, especially through my dad,” he says. “I want to carry that forward.”
His giving back extends to the national level as well. He serves on U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s health care advisory council as a representative for both employers and brokers.
For professional growth, he’s active in the Next Generation Mastermind group, a wellspring of innovative ideas that his clients ultimately benefit from.
But his true passion—apart from family, of course—is for serving his clients. The COVID-19 outbreak was an opportunity for his team to shine, he said, and he believes they have done so.
“This could just be a blip. We don’t know. But people will remember how we responded. We see a lot of fear of the unknown and, from our team’s perspective, we really have to respond with poise. Our society needs someone to respond by being calm and having a plan and mental toughness.”