PLANSPONSOR - November - December 2023 - 25

Individual Service Stars
Jacquelyn Clouser
RECORDKEEPER: Transamerica
CLIENT COMPANY: Bryn Mawr College
COMPANY INDUSTRY: Education - higher ed
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
PLAN ASSETS/PARTICIPANTS: $200mm - $500mm/Not reported
W
hen asked about Transamerica Client Executive Jacquelyn
Clouser, Martin Mastascusa, director of human resources
at Bryn Mawr College, praises her supportiveness. He has worked
with Clouser on the 403(b) plan for the six years Bryn Mawr has
been her client.
" Jacque monitors events related to our policy and gave me
a heads-up that was beyond the call of duty, " he says. In 2020,
Clouser had noticed an abnormally high number of Coronavirus
Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act withdrawals, all at once,
even though the school had had no pandemic-related layoffs.
" Suddenly, we had 20 people in the dining hall take money
out, " Mastascusa says. Clouser alerted him, as she was concerned
the employees did not know the consequences of that action.
Mastascusa, with Clouser and colleagues' help, ramped up education
to explain the tax rules and the downside of the withdrawals.
She also alerted him when a hacker tried to set up online
access to 13 participants' accounts in one day. Transamerica
thwarted the potential fraud, and Mastascusa says he appreciated
being notified quickly.
Clouser, with Transamerica for 22 years, was once a benefits
administrator at a bank. " I had some bad experiences with some
401(k) vendors, so I knew exactly what I needed to do to make my
clients happy. My role as a relationship manager is to support the
plan administrator. " -Kimberly Lankford
Gisella La Delfa
RECORDKEEPER: John Hancock
CLIENT COMPANY: Automated Retirement Plans Inc.
COMPANY INDUSTRY: Financial services
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Fairfax, Virginia
PLAN ASSETS/PARTICIPANTS: $10mm - $25mm/Not reported
A
utomated Retirement Plans Inc. provides third-party administration
and/or pension consulting services to about 100
401(k) plans. When a client service issue arises at one, Diane
Kelley, a TPA specializing in compliance and administration,
knows whom to call. Senior Client Account Representative Gisella
La Delfa at John Hancock has worked with her for more than 15
years. " [Gisella] really goes the extra mile to help the client and the
Frank Pepe
RECORDKEEPER: Sentinel Benefits & Consulting Group
CLIENT COMPANY: Quality Temporary Services Inc.
COMPANY INDUSTRY: Business services/staffing
CLIENT HEADQUARTERS: Flint, Michigan
PLAN ASSETS/PARTICIPANTS: $1mm - $5mm/100 - 499
" I
didn't know what great customer service was until Frank
became our representative, " says Anne McKown, controller
of Quality Temporary Services Inc., which places temporary
workers, primarily in light industrial and school nutrition jobs,
as well as substitute teachers.
Frank Pepe, senior plan consultant with Sentinel Benefits
& Consulting Group, has served her company's plan for his twoand-a-half
years with Sentinel.
" My goal is to make her life easier as the plan sponsor, and
it's our responsibility to make sure our reporting can assist her, "
he says.
Reporting can be complicated because the staffing company
has about 15,000 employees on payroll each year, but only a small
number work long enough to be eligible for the plan.
" Not many hit the year-of-service requirements to participate, "
Pepe says. " It's a lot of tracking, and accuracy of data is
very important. I have an amazing relationship with Anne-we
work together to make sure our records are accurate, and she's
able to work with her employees and troubleshoot any issues in
the enrollment process. "
McKown appreciates his knowledge and responsiveness. " It's
as if he's part of our team, just at a different location. " -KL
PLANSPONSOR.COM November - December 2023 25
TPA resolve the [problem], " Kelley says.
" If a client puts the wrong amount of money in the wrong
category, which is kind of a typical problem, your average account
rep will send you a form, " Kelley says. " But Gisella will go into an
explanation of what has to be done, and minor issues get resolved
completely, correctly and promptly. She's very respectful of the
TPA's time and the client's time. "
Of the plans ARPI serves, John Hancock recordkeeps for
about 40%. " We feel [it] delivers the best overall client experience
of the recordkeepers out there, and Gisella is probably the best
client account rep they have. She really stands out, " Kelley says.
La Delfa, with John Hancock for 23 years, describes her
role as working with TPAs and sponsors to make sure plans run
smoothly and help answer question. " We're all working for the
participants, " she says, " to help them make the most of the plan
and save for retirement. " -KL
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PLANSPONSOR - November - December 2023

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