America's Benefit Specialist January-February 2023

fessionals will join the Hilb Group’s New England regional operations. ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO. CONTINUES GROWTH Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. continues to grow. Among its latest acquisitions are: • Gallagher has reached an agreement to acquire the partnership interests of BCHR Holdings L.P., dba Buck. The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2023, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Buck is a provider of retirement, HR and employee benefits consulting and administration services. The organization has a long history, dating back more than 100 years, with a diverse client base by both size and industry. With over 2,300 employees, including more than 220 credentialed actuaries, Buck primar ily serves customers throughout the US, Canada and the UK. • Gallagher also announced the acqui sition of St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Mahowald Insurance LLC. Founded in 1930, Mahowald is a retail insurance agency offering commercial and personal products, employee benefit packages and risk management ser vices for clients across the Midwest. Bob Mahowald, Jr., and his team will remain in their current location under the direction of Sean Gallagher, head of Gallagher’s Great Lakes region retail property/casualty brokerage operations, and Tom Lannen, head of Gallagher’s Midwest region employee benefits consulting operations. • Gallagher acquired Chicago-based ROC Group. Founded in 1998, ROC Group is an employee communica tion agency specializing in human resources and enterprise change solutions for clients across the United States. Jan Burnham and her team will join Gallagher’s employee ben

wellness needs; each person has differ ent wants, which are always changing based on time, circumstance, and even learning styles. But this doesn’t mean we throw in the towel,” said Amanda Lannert, CEO of Jellyvision. “Now, our joint technology offering will make con nections between increasingly complex wellness benefits and the people who need them. We’re striving to eliminate waste, complexity, and confusion so em ployees can finally understand, appreci ate and effectively use their benefits.” “Health insurance selections are more complex decisions than most people realize,” said Brian Morgan, president of Picwell. “We see that without proper education and guid ance, people make costly mistakes, both when choosing health plans and using benefits throughout the year. This is why we’re thrilled to join forces with Jellyvision to continue working towards our shared vision to simplify the healthcare benefits experience and empower everyone to make informed health benefits decisions.” ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES EXPANDS PRESENCE IN SACRAMENTO Alliant Insurance Services has acquired Polley Insurance and Risk Manage ment, expanding its reach in the Sacra mento region. Focused on commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and personal insurance, Polley creates customized programs that address the unique risks and exposures organizations and individuals encoun ter in today’s rapidly changing business landscape. Founded in 2001, Polley was named one of the Sacramento Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2022. Polley Insurance and Risk Management and its team will join the Alliant family of companies and continue to service clients from its Gold River, California headquarters.

efits consulting and brokerage op erations under the direction of Ben Reynolds, global managing director, employee experience and communi cation practice. • Gallagher announced the acqui sition of Abilene, Texas-based CBS Insurance LLP. Founded in 1992, CBS Insurance is a retail insurance agency providing property/casualty and health/benefits coverages to clients throughout Texas and the surrounding region. Peter Lauve, Steve Senter and their partners and associates will remain in their current location under the direction of Bret VanderVoort, head of Gallagher’s South Central retail property/casualty brokerage operations. • Finally, Gallagher has acquired Cor porate Insurance Analysts Inc., dba MGC Group, and The Agents Asso ciation of FB Companies (AAFBC). Founded in 2004, MGC Group and AAFBC provide association guaran teed issue group insurance benefits to captive independent contractors under the direction of Kevin Garvin, head of Affinity North America for Gallagher’s retail property/casualty brokerage operations. JELLYVISION ACQUIRES PICWELL Jellyvision, the company behind ALEX, an employee benefits engagement technology, has acquired Picwell, a healthcare technology company focused on AI-generated benefits de cision support. Together, the two SaaS companies will offer a benefits experi ence for employees, leveraging behav ioral science and predictive analytics to deliver personalized benefits recom mendations and ongoing engagement. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to meet employees’ unique health and across multiple states. John Mat thews and his team will operate

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