News Updates
Our January 2010 e newsletter…
First of all, I hope that everyone had a very joyous Holiday Season! I want to welcome our new “members” of our email group. Those of you who have been on this chain for a while realize that it is our goal at The RCSi Group to guarantee that we reduce our clients risk associated with their employee benefits program. A large part of that process is providing information concerning issues that effect both large and small employers. Just as with your benefits program, communication is vital!
I have attached an Associated Press story released today on the progress on the health care bill. As I know many of you are aware, it is the intention of the administration to have passage complete prior to the Presidents State of the Union address in early February. Obviously, it is still too early to make any determination as to the financial impact of this legislation, but we should have a much clearer picture very soon.
Best Wishes for a great 2010 and thank you again for your consideration.
Mike Martens
Our February 2010 e newsletter…
I waited until the very end of the month to send out the “February Wire” because I felt there may be some information of value to share with you concerning the Health Care Summit that was held on the 25th. I was able to catch bits and pieces of the webcast on MSN, but feel that no real concrete results were offered by anyone in attendance. There certainly was plenty of politics and I am sure most of you caught the exchange between President Obama and Senator McCain. We shall see what comes in the future on health care reform, however it appears right now to remain as a deep dividing point between Republicans and Democrats.
There were some issues this month I felt were worth mentioning. The Department of Labor released a final rule on the safe harbor period pertaining to pension and welfare plans. I am sure most or you have heard from your pension plan manager, but as of January 14, 2010 employers with fewer than 100 participants can now deposit employee contributions to the plans within seven business days upon receiving or withholding the funds. This final rule was not expanded to plans with more than 100 participants. Let me know if you would like a copy of the CFR and I will forward it to you in a PDF format. It is certainly great stuff to read if you can’t sleep!
Around the 9th of February, a report was released by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). The Leading Indicators of National Employment survey found a net of 30.3% of companies in the manufacturing industry intended to hire in February, which is a slight gain from a year ago. In the service sector, a net of 23.5% will add jobs. That compares with a net of 4% hired a year ago. This survey consisted of 500 manufacturing and 500 service sector companies. The better news for those looking for work was the report also indicated the trend of offering lower wages and benefits to new hires may be reversing somewhat. There are certainly plenty of interesting factors currently pulling on our economy and we share the optimism with those of you who have seen an upturn.
I want to welcome two new companies to our “family”. Our new clients are Schultz Insurance Group in Davie, FL and Central Food Equipment in Lakeland, FL. We deeply appreciate your business and welcome you aboard!
Stay Healthy, Everybody!
Mike Martens
Upcoming Press Releases…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Employee Benefits firm announces a major strategic relationship with local Human Resources expert.
March 23, 2010// Lakeland, Florida – Lakeland Florida based The RCSi Group, an employee benefits consulting firm, announced today the company has entered into a unique and key strategic alliance with Sandy Wotring SPHR, of Best Human Resource Solutions, also of Lakeland.
Mike Martens, President and CEO of The RCSi Group commented, “This is a very key strategic relationship for our company. It makes us truly unique in the area and the country.” Martens went on to say, “Employers, both large and small, in Central Florida have reduced their internal HR departments due to the economy. Many employers need and are looking for HR help to simply reduce their risk. With this partnership, we have now answered that concern.”
The RCSi Group guarantees their clients a significant reduction in their risk associated with their employee benefits plan. Mr. Martens stated “It’s simple - we deliver to our clients’ affordable employee benefit plans and now we are also providing them with affordable HR outsourcing.” The RCSi Group is now strategically positioned to provide to all of their current and new customers a no cost initial consultation from Ms. Wotring.
Ms. Wotring noted “I really enjoy working with the smaller employer. I’ve seen companies of all sizes have Human Resource issues – but it’s the smaller companies that generally don’t have the budget and/or manpower to address them.” She added, “It’s about gaining the greatest competitive advantage. A good, solid HR program that covers everything from pre-hire to termination and all points in between will give a company a real competitive edge, making it the one to do business with and the one people want to work for.” Ms. Wotring concluded, “This relationship with The RCSi Group is important to me as it provides value to my current and future clients as well”.
Sandy Wotring is founder and president of Best Human Resource Solutions. She has over 15 years of broad-based human resource experience. She has an MBA from Mercer University and has maintained an SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) designation from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) for the past 11 years. She is a board member of Mid-Florida Society of Human Resource Management (MFSHRM), HR Plant City and has been a member of SHRM for over 10 years.
Mike Martens is the founder and President of The RCSi Group. Mike brings over 26 years of insurance experience in the employee benefits marketplace. The RCSi Group is an Associate Member of the American Staffing Association. Mike is a member of the National Ethics Bureau and National Association of Health Underwriters. Mike is the only insurance broker in Polk County FL with four consecutive years at the Leading Producers Round Table.
For additional information, please contact Mike Martens at The RCSi Group at 863-603-7369 or by e-mail at mikem@thercsigroup.com. Sandy Wotring can be reached at 863-397-9283 or at sandy@besthrsolutions.cc.