America's Benefit Specialist November 2022

RECENT MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

to Warner Pacific’s proprietary quoting and enrollment technology tools and ongoing client service. “Mike and Colleen Stephens through Tallgrass have excellent reputations and we are proud to welcome them to our family of employees,” said Nelson. “This acquisition will enable us to expand our offerings in Oklahoma and deliver a broader range of products to agents there.” BENEZON JOINS MEDXOOM Medxoom, an enterprise health benefits and payments platform, has acquired Benezon, a benefits-navigation solution. Medxoom’s expanding reach across the health benefits ecosystem will now include additional virtual care, compliance, care-coordination and advocacy offerings. “We’re excited to be joining forces with Medxoom,” said Julian Lago, Benezon founder. “Together with Medxoom’s bene fits-integration and fintech capabilities, we now have a market-leading, comprehensive offering for our clients. Employers demand more of their healthcare benefits offering, and Medxoom unifies and provides all such capabilities.” Lago joins Medxoom as presi dent, group solutions. “We welcome the Benezon team to the Medxoom family. Julian and Benezon’s offerings have built a great reputation while serving the health benefits space; we are for tunate to be joining forces,” said Jeff Toewe, Medxoom founder/CEO. Medxoom licenses a white-label platform to TPAs, health plans and brokers. It unifies the healthcare benefits and payments expe rience, and is a solution for enterprise bene fits administrators seeking to reduce OPEX, deliver cost savings and offer a customized experience to their employer clients.

Medxoom, based in Atlanta, is backed by well-known fintech and healthtech inves tors, including TTV Capital, Las Olas VC and Castellan Group.

WARNER PACIFIC GROWS Warner Pacific, an employee benefits-fo cused general agency with locations in Texas, Colorado and California, recently announced its acquisition of Professional Insurance Concepts Inc., a Houston-based GA that has served the area for more than 40 years. Kirk Templin, PIC’s executive vice president, and his team will be joining the Warner Pacific family of employees. PIC broker partners will have access to Warner Pacific’s proprietary quoting and enrollment technology tools and its client service. TJ Templin, PIC’s vice president of administration said, “Warner has great tools and enrollment technology. We can’t wait to introduce and train our brokers on it.” PIC primarily offers Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. When coupled with Warner Pacific’s new partnership with the health plan, the acquisition further supports Warner Pacific brokers in building their business. “Professional Insurance Concepts is well known for their excellent service and strong reputation in the Houston market,” said Warner Pacific co-CEO John Nelson. “They are a great bunch of people who are well in-tune with the market. We are proud to be joining forces.” In late September, Warner Pacific also acquired Tallgrass Benefit Solutions, an Oklahoma-based GA. Through the acqui sition of Tallgrass and its sister company, Scissortail, Warner Pacific is now able to offer Oklahoma brokers small-group, large-group, level-funded, individual and Medicare options. These additions build on Warner Pacific’s portfolio of products already available to brokers. Tallgrass owners Mike and Colleen Stephens will be joining the Warner Pacific team. Tallgrass’ broker partners will eventually have access

SENIOR MARKET SALES ACQUIRES OHIO FAMILY OF BUSINESSES

Senior Market Sales has acquired a family of full-service insurance businesses in Ohio spanning three generations of the Vic Ger ber Sr. family. SMS President Jim Summers said the acquisition preserves the legacy of Gerber and Associates founder Vic Gerber Sr. and allows for his son, Vic Gerber Jr., and Vic Jr.’s sons, Kyle Gerber, Victor (Max) Gerber and Clayton Gerber, to expand on their success serving Doylestown, Ohio, cli ents with annuities and life, long-term care and Medicare Supplement health insurance. Vic Gerber Sr. started his agency when Medicare first became available in 1965, building strong Medicare Supplement health insurance sales through customer service that fueled referrals. Vic Gerber Jr. has run the business in Doylestown for more than 40 years, leveraging SMS’ back-office support, marketing systems, and health and wealth carrier product portfolio. Kyle Gerber joined the insurance agency in 2009 and, with KJ Gerber & Company LLC in 2015, added investment and financial planning services, working as Gerber Advis ers, also in the family’s Doylestown office. Vic Gerber Jr. said being able to add com pany-provided benefits, including health insurance and 401(k) plans, drove the Gerbers’ decision to join SMS and Alliant Insurance Services, which acquired SMS in 2020. The family also liked that additional resources such as payroll administration and advertising support could free them

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