Montana firm chosen for coveted honor among 140 Partner Firms
Indianapolis, IN, [July 31, 2013] ⎯ United Benefit Advisors (UBA), one of the nation’s leading independent employee benefits advisory organizations, has announced the results of its annual ‘Ubbie Awards’ with Montana-based advisory firm Mountain West Benefits receiving the ‘Partner of the Year’ award for 2012.
The Ubbie Awards are in recognition of innovation, quality of work, professionalism and contributions to programs that enhance business practices for the greater good of the entire organization. Award recipients must contribute to the development of resources and education necessary to help employers effectively manage their employee benefits, and also assist in the recruitment and retention of the best people.
Thomas Mangan, CEO of UBA says, “Those recognized with a Ubbie Award this year – Mountain West included – have served the organization greatly through their knowledge, talents, and willingness to help at every turn. It is because of members, staff and Partners like these that UBA has become a leader in the industry. We’re proud to call Mountain West a Partner, and they are more than deserving of this award.”
Mountain West Benefits serves as an advisory arm for a myriad of benefits disciplines, including analytical services, renewal negotiations, benefit benchmarking, compliance management and much more. Much of the firm’s success can be credited to its dedication to becoming an extension of client HR departments through a focus on cost management, innovation and enhanced employee education.
Honored to accept the firm’s Ubbie Award, Mountain West President Jim Edwards commented, “In the benefits consulting business there are very limited resources available to firms like ours that create opportunities to receive the training needed to serve clients in the way they deserve. Couple that with the complexity brought on by the passage, and now implementation, of health care reform, and UBA has filled a great training and networking niche for our staff and advisors. Our clients have benefitted tremendously, and in many important, cost-saving ways.”
In 2012, Edwards and Mountain West introduced DataSmart Solutions (DSS), an analysis tool that provides health care data integration and more importantly, recommendations and solutions. The novelty of the product lies in its ability to capture and integrate a wide spectrum of health-related data; rather than simply depending on eligibility, prescription and medical claims datasets, DataSmart adds vision, health risk questionnaire answers, biometric and lab data into its analysis. The result: a threefold greater accuracy in predicting next year’s health care cost drivers.
Keeping in the UBA spirit of “shared wisdom,” Edwards has offered the DataSmart product to other UBA Partner Firms, taking its success beyond the walls of Mountain West alone.
Edwards continues, “Being named UBA Partner Firm of the Year is a great honor, and validates for me that the investment we made in DataSmart and the consulting advice we are providing to our clients is recognized by our peers across the country as being best-in-class.”
About Mountain West Benefits
Mountain West Benefits is a premier benefits consulting firm serving employers in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. It provides comprehensive, timely and insightful analysis and advice regarding employee benefit plans and the design and management of those plans. Learn more at www.mountainwestbenefits.com.
About United Benefit Advisors
United Benefit Advisors(R) (UBA) is the nation’s leading independent employee benefits advisory organization with more than 200 Partner offices in 46 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. Learn more at www.UBAbenefits.com.
Carina Sammartino
Fisher Vista
(650) 477-4839
csammartino@fishervista.com