At the Results Travel National Meeting in Palm Beach Gardens on Sunday, agents learned how to recruit, attract and retain quality employees and how to get a handle on the employee benefit dilemma. The workshop was conducted by the Lewer Agency, a firm that Results Travel is currently partnering with to offer health insurance plans designed for Results Travel members. Why the partnership? Recent feedback from member agencies has shown that health insurance is a big need and concern, said John Risner, general manager, Results Travel. Next to payroll, health insurance is the second most expensive cost item for a business. Some small business owners cannot provide these plans and then find themselves at a competitive disadvantage when trying to attract and retain strong employees. Risner said that the Lewer Agency would work on behalf of Results Travel members to offer them flexible insurance plans that aren't one-size-fits-all. Instead, the program will include different products to meet the needs of the individual agency, whether that be a one-person office, a large agency, or an agency with multiple employees in different locations. While Results Travel has not publicly announced the new insurance initiative as yet, it told members about preliminary plans back in February. But last week's meeting was the first time many members were able to meet face-to-face with the Lewer Agency to discuss their needs. Barney Kaminsky, Sojourn Travel Service, Mequon, WI, did not attend the conference, but immediately signed up for the insurance when he heard about it a few months ago. "Our insurance payments kept going up and up and we do provide insurance for everyone who is eligible," says Kaminsky, who notes that now his agency is on a Humana plan "that saves us almost half the premium of what the other policy was."
