PLANSPONSOR - April/May 2020 - 39

AWARDS 2020 PLANSPONSOR SERVICE STARS
Six teams and
4 individuals from
the plan provider
community are
this year's honorees
E
ach year, hundreds of plan sponsor
respondents to the PLANSPONSOR
Defined Contribution (DC) Survey: Plan
Benchmarking call out their service representatives
by name and give examples of how they
excelled in their role over the last 12 months.
DC plans have evolved and become increasingly
complex to manage since being established
by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
(ERISA) 46 years ago. And the ultimate responsibility
for well how they work, and whether
they are cost-effective, resides with the sponsor.
Further, each of the fiduciaries-the sponsor, plan
committee and ERISA lawyer-wants the plan to
be fully compliant with regulation and law, and the
participants want their accounts to grow.
That said, having a partner at your recordkeeper
who knows your plan and plan committee,
and provides the necessary support to keep the
plan running smoothly, in accord with the above
demands, is extremely valuable.
" Many of this year's nominees stood out
because they always made time for their clients, "
says Angela Marinakis, senior manager, research,
at PLANSPONSOR in New York City. " They
were extremely knowledgeable and went above
and beyond in ensuring participants were wellinformed
and that plan changes were implemented
successfully. "
The six teams and four individuals profiled
in the next few pages were selected by the
PLANSPONSOR Surveys and Research team, who
reviewed the nominations and sponsor comments.
As you will read, these reps were chosen for distinction
in a range of service areas. -PS
Team Service Stars
BOK Financial
Hannah Morton (left) and Katie Krapff
helped U.S. Nursing Corporation clear up
a discrimination testing issue it was facing.
CLIENT: U.S. Nursing Corporation
INDUSTRY: Health care
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Greenwood Village, Colorado
PLAN ASSETS / PARTICIPANTS: $17mm / 235
BIOS: Katie Krapff has been a relationship manager at BOK Financial since
graduating from college. Hannah Morton, also a relationship manager at
BOK, has served the firm since graduating from college 10 years ago.
U.S. NURSING faced a discrimination testing issue when a highly
compensated employee left and rolled his money over to an individual
retirement account (IRA), says Marjorie Wheeler, the company's human
resources manager. " We found he'd been allowed to contribute too
much to the 401(k). [Hannah Morton from BOK Financial] got on a call
with the employee and the investment manager for his IRA and got it all
sorted out, " Wheeler says.
Charles Schwab
Bobbye Gresh (left) and Staci Probst
created a unique way to engage Humana
employees through Schwab Live! and
Schwab Coffee Talks.
CLIENT: Humana Inc.
CLIENT INDUSTRY: Health insurance
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Louisville, Kentucky
PLAN ASSETS / PARTICIPANTS: $5.34b / 50,000
BIOS: Bobbye Gresh, director of communication consulting at Charles
Schwab, has been with the firm for the past five years and has worked in
the industry for 23 years. Staci Probst is a relationship manager at Schwab,
where she has worked for 23 years.
CHARLES SCHWAB hosted a live panel to help Humana's employees get
over their hesitation to seek financial guidance. " The associates had an
opportunity to ask questions and be part of the conversation about 401(k)
plans, " says Bobbye Gresh of Schwab. The recordkeeper then used the
employees' feedback to develop Schwab Coffee Talks, 10-minute videos
on topics such as Social Security and Roth 401(k)s that workers can
watch during a break.
PLANSPONSOR.COM April - May 2020 39
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PLANSPONSOR - April/May 2020

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