BIP Summer 2025

Ongoing Education

From coursework to client conversations: How the REBC paid off fast

When Jon Peiffer and Reid Torgersen committed to earning their Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) designation, they had different motivations, but found the same result: immediate, practical value and deeper professional confidence. Peiffer, chief operating officer at Administrative Concepts, Inc., took the REBC to better understand the broker perspective and strengthen his ability to advise clients. “I’ve been in administration for over 25 years, but the REBC really refined my knowledge,” he says. “Within two months of finishing, I referenced the coursework to help business partners navigate compliance questions.” Peiffer completed the program in just three months, crediting the winter season, strong course

Jon Peiffer (L) and Reid Torgersen (R). “You’re not just checking a box,” says Torgersen. “You’re building something that makes you better.”

design and a genuine interest in the material. “The education has impacted our business directly. If you’re in insurance, it’s absolutely worth it,” he says. Torgersen, president of Torgersen Causey in Pensacola, Florida, took about a year to complete the designation, fitting coursework in around running a business and preparing to become a first time dad. “It’s definitely a commitment, but you can take it in chunks,” he says. “You can choose courses

relevant to your business.” For Torgersen, that included pharmacy benefits, funding strategies like level funding and self-insurance and compliance. “Our clients don’t want fluff. They want real advisory expertise,” he says. “The REBC gave me the confidence to say, ‘I’m an expert in the field,’ with the credentials to back it up.” Both emphasized that the REBC delivers real-world applicability. Their advice to others considering it? Don’t be intimidated by the commitment. Start with the areas that matter most to your work. And know that the investment pays off faster than you might expect. “There were things I learned in the course that came up in real conversations just weeks later,” Peiffer says. “We would’ve had to go digging for answers, but now I had them.”

JAN-APRIL 2025 REBC GRADS Kelley Anderson Jared Blaudow Andre Brown Steve Gustke Addison Harris Hannah Henry James Huskey

Teresa Sakowski Lisa Sanchez Jake Swanson Alyssa Tonsager Reid Torgersen Frank Vivolo Kasey Walukones Sara Welch Christine Wilkins Valeria Ybarra

Abigail Meseberg Monique Monreal Connor Nemmert Christopher Noffke Jon Peiffer Cole Pearce Toni Raynes Sunitha Vijaya Ragavan

Monica Costello Joseph DiBella

Manuela Intriago Lisa Johnson Lauren Knight Logan Kuehl Cindy Kurilla Jeaneen Maglietto

Justin Elliott Greg Fanelli

Celina Feldhake Elizabeth Flores Dana Garber Kathleen Glick

46 bip magazine Summer 2025