PLANSPONSOR - April/May 2020 - 40

AWARDS 2020 PLANSPONSOR SERVICE STARS
Team Service Stars
John Hancock Retirement
Transamerica
Mark Dehmel, Ted Pirrera, Bill
Southworth and Gina Vallee
(clockwise from top left) supplied
an enhanced solution for a rapidly
expanding global client.
CLIENT: Gensler
INDUSTRY: Architecture and design
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: San Francisco
PLAN ASSETS / PARTICIPANTS: $1b / 5,000
BIOS: Mark Dehmel is vice president, strategic relationship management.
Ted Pirrera, senior ERISA consultant, gives fiduciary support
and does compliance testing. Bill Southworth is a senior client service
manager, administrative services. Gina Vallee, strategic communication
consultant, Pacific and Central Division, helps with crafting
communications. All positions are with John Hancock Retirement.
MARK DEHMEL says he learned about Gensler's international
expansion after asking executives about their corporate strategy.
" We proposed an enhanced solution for them in China, Hong
Kong and Canada by transitioning them to our parent company,
Manulife. They've seen the value of having just one provider. "
Securian Financial
Amy Kirkwood (left) and Chandra
Nippoldt helped Forte Automation
Systems shut down its plan as it
went through bankruptcy.
CLIENT: Forte Automation Systems
INDUSTRY: Manufacturing
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Machesney Park, Illinois
PLAN ASSETS/PARTICIPANTS: $3.5mm/28
BIOS: Amy Kirkwood is a customer operations specialist with
Securian Financial, where she has worked for 12 years. Chandra
Nippoldt, a senior account manager, has been with Securian for
21 years.
FORTE Automation Systems went through an Article 9 bankruptcy
after 33 years in business. Chandra Nippoldt of Securian
Financial says, " When a company goes bankrupt, we talk with
the client to determine how the plan termination is going to
work and then provide a plan termination package detailing
the process. I tried to make the process as seamless as possible
and provide the plan administrator all the necessary information
to communicate with participants. "
40 PLANSPONSOR.COM April - May 2020
Jacque Clouser, Melissa Rietveld
and Suzanne Sweet (clockwise
from top left) helped St. Luke's
University Health Network
navigate acquisitions, without
participants missing a beat.
CLIENT: St. Luke's University Health Network
INDUSTRY: Health care
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Allentown, Pennsylvania
PLAN ASSETS / PARTICIPANTS: $1.2b / 15,000
BIOS: Jacque Clouser is a client executive with Transamerica, where
she has worked for 20 years. Melissa Rietveld, an account manager,
has worked for the company for 15 years. Suzanne Sweet has been a
senior client consultant there for five years.
" IN 2018, St. Luke's acquired two hospitals, and Transamerica
helped us with these two new entities, " says Sharon Cavanaugh,
assistant vice president of pension administration for this
nonprofit regional health network. " Transamerica assisted with
the termination of the plans and the seamless transition of their
participants joining our plans. "
Voya Financial
Kelly Luther (left) and Heidi
Schiller communicate the value
of Michigan's state-sponsored
retirement plans to the state's
public school districts.
CLIENT: State of Michigan - State Employee and Public School
Employee retirement plans
INDUSTRY: Government
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Lansing, Michigan
PLAN ASSETS/PARTICIPANTS: $941mm/126,000
BIOS: Kelly Luther is a senior marketing specialist who has been
with Voya Financial since 2014. Heidi Schiller, a plan manager,
has been with Voya since 2002.
IN 2010, Michigan's Office of Retirement Services began enrolling
public school workers in the state's 457 and 401(k) plans, says a
departmental analyst (DA) for the office. Yet, districts were still
offering participants other provider plans. " This made it hard
for Voya to initiate relationships with districts, to explain that
its intent was only to educate participants on existing benefits, "
the DA says. Voya has facilitated relationships with 67 districts.
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