NEWS

Thursday, July 29, 2010

On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Laurus Strategies will be hosting a roundtable discussion on global benefits management and financing, global health care trends and more. Speakers will include leading industry experts from multinational companies such as DHL and Coca-Cola. They’ll address global companies’ strategic approaches to benefit management and global health and wellness initiatives.

The expert panel will include :

• Bill Fitzpatrick, VP of Corporate Risk Benefits, DHL GBC (UK) Ltd.
• Stacy Apter, Senior Global Benefits Consultant, Coca-Cola
• Tom Emerick, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Laurus Strategies (former VP of Global Benefit Design at Walmart)
• Mark Kendall, Senior Managing Partner, Laurus Strategies
• Scott Carter, Managing Partner, Employee Benefits Consulting, Laurus Strategies
• Pat Gallagher, Principal, Global Workforce Strategies, Laurus Strategies
• Renee Mattaliano, Principal, Global Workforce Strategies, Laurus Strategies

Laurus Strategies has invited clients, business partners and key contacts alike. The event will take place at Laurus Strategies’ headquarters in Chicago. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Pat Gallagher for more information.

June 2010

What She Does : Pam will be developing a consulting silo for Laurus Strategies in Lean Six Sigma, specifically drawing on her specialty in improving productivity in call centers.

Why We Hired Her : Pam’s a lean, mean productivity generating machine. With 25+ years’ experience in both the public and private sectors, Pam has delivered high caliber results during the past 18 years for two of the top five companies on the Fortune 100, 2009 list. She’s a highly accomplished, pioneering top Lean Six Sigma training and development executive with a proven track record of success in sponsoring programs and initiatives to improve adaptability as well as continuous learning capabilities within organizations.

Pam’s background includes leading the General Electric Medical Call Center where she was responsible for a $5.6 million call center business with 139 FTEs which she reduced to 94 FTEs while increasing call productivity by 3% by implementing skills-based routing; reducing overtime usage by 57%; and generating $60,000 savings. Positions held prior to that include Director of Quality and Training for the medical call center and Six Sigma Leader for the General Electric Factory Service, Warranty, and Parts call center in Memphis, TN. There, Pam merged call centers of other medical companies GE purchased and transitioned other GE national and international call centers to the Memphis center. Pam was also the Senior Director of Global Continuous Improvement for Walmart where she implemented Lean Six Sigma certification training that resulted in $515 million of documented savings in 2009. In the private sector, Pam spent several years at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in product marketing, telephone sales, field sales and field sales training where she won many sales awards.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Laurus Strategies will be co-hosting a health care seminar with leading global law firm Baker & McKenzie on Friday, June 25, 2010. The seminar, entitled "Health Care Reform and Other New Realities Facing Healthcare Employers," is designed to be a one-day program for in-house counsel, human resources and hospital management.

Laurus Strategies’ featured speakers include Tom Emerick, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer (former VP of Global Benefit Design at Walmart); Mark Kendall, Partner, Global Workforce Strategies; and Renee Mattaliano, Principal. Topics will include "Current Risks and Challenges to Health Care Providers," "Health Care Reform: How It Will Affect Health Care Providers" and "Effectively Managing Employee Absence, Illness, Injuries and Time Off While Delivering The Highest Quality Patient Care."

Laurus Strategies has invited clients, business partners and key contacts alike. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Renee Mattaliano for more information.

Monday, May 3, 2010

What He Does : Based out of our Chicago, IL office, Zeb utilizes his extensive public policy, business and philanthropic experiences to bring value to Laurus Strategies’ health care, strategy and non-profit areas of expertise. As a business owner, investor and someone who sits on multiple boards, Zeb is no stranger to analyzing complex data, making tough decisions and utilizing his relationships to add value for Laurus Strategies clients. Recently, the majority of his time has been focused on providing significant health care savings for companies via direct contracts and Laurus Strategies’ MedTravel program.

Why We Hired Him : Zeb’s health care roots dig deep. His family has been involved in health care for generations, so he knows the business well. In addition to working on health care policy for a United States Congresswoman, which included the drafting of policies for seniors’ benefits and insurance eligibility, Zeb received his masters degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and was given the task of briefing Dr. David Ellwood, Kennedy School Dean, on health care reform in America. His policy analysis on health care in America enabled him to be selected for two consecutive years as a regional finalist for the White House Fellows Program, arguably our country’s most prestigious award for public service. In 2006, Zeb volunteered an entire year of his life working full time, pro bono, to enhance the mission of a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Florida, where he went on to manage 30 employees as Executive Director. After being elected to the board of directors, he served two terms as their youngest Chairman of the Board in history.

Zeb currently serves on the board of directors for a foundation that donates over $2 million annually throughout the State of Indiana. In addition to his health care and philanthropic achievements, Zeb lived through the rise and fall of a $1 billion real estate project in Florida and learned first-hand what it means to be the "last man standing." Zeb brings significant business knowledge and an extreme work ethic to the Laurus Strategies team. And if that wasn’t enough, he has a black belt in Shotokan Karate, which further demonstrates that "giving up" is not in his dictionary.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Laurus Strategies tackled Health Care Reform with a webinar today entitled "Health Care Reform: Navigating the Road to 2014." Nancy Scola Lombaer, Partner and Health Care Reform Strategist, led the webinar and was joined by Tom Emerick, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Laurus Strategies (former VP of Global Benefit Design at Walmart, Inc.) and Marlene Frank, Partner, Jones Day. The concise 30-minute webinar provided clients with a high-level overview of Health Care Reform, educating employers on what they need to know immediately, giving them insight as to what their employees want to know, as well as addressing the short - and long - term decisions employers are facing.

Laurus Strategies also announced today that a Health Care Reform Task Force has been established to field client questions, review new legislation, and provide answers/information based on trusted resources and their own knowledge of the new legislation. They will also be providing public access to a regularly updated list of FAQs. More details are forthcoming.

Many Health Care Reform resources are currently in development and will be posted online. Check out our Health Care Reform page for the latest information.

Monday, March 1, 2010

We are pleased to announce that our newest Partner and Chief Strategy officer, Tom Emerick, who developed groundbreaking employee benefit plans for the world’s largest employer, has joined Laurus Strategies. Tom brings decades of experience in designing and managing employee benefits, as well as in-depth knowledge of health care reform.

Previously, Tom served as Vice President of Global Benefit Design at Walmart, Inc, where he designed and managed benefits for more than one million employees in the U.S. and 300,000 internationally. After leaving Walmart Inc., he was President of Emerick Consulting, LLC. Prior to Walmart Inc., Tom held positions with Burger King Corporation, British Petroleum and American Fidelity Assurance Company.

Tom pioneered the development of "medical travel" for Walmart Inc.’s health plans by partnering with the Mayo Clinic. The program resulted in more ethical and better quality care for employees and significant cost savings on plans. Today, the program is regarded as one of the best examples of medical travel and serves as a model for many other companies. He also spearheaded its Lean Six Sigma and process improvement initiatives.

Emerick joined Laurus Strategies’s Global Workforce Strategies practice on March 1, 2010. He works with companies that promote the wellness of their employees, seek the most appropriate benefits plans and select the best places for treatment dependent on ethical, quality and cost standards.

"Today, CFOs and senior human resource executives are faced with a highly complex healthcare dilemma, which in turn, is creating a monumental financial strain to their healthcare spending," said Emerick, a 2009 Healthspottr Future Health 100 Innovator. "Employers of any size will be hard pressed to solve today’s issues with the same strategy of yesteryear. The employer’s senior executives have to be more open to attacking the root causes of year after year cost increases. If they don’t, it will be like ignoring a tornado by closing your drapes."

Laurus Strategies is humbled to have Tom’s expertise and numerous years in HR strategy and global benefits as part of the Laurus Strategies team. The experience he offers our clients will strengthen our innovative approach to helping employers implement leading-edge strategies in health care benefits management.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Today, Laurus Strategies launched our "Laurus Miles" program where colleagues can recognize one another for "going the extra mile." The program is designed to give miles to those colleagues that go above and beyond our normal work activities and jobs to help out those that need it most! It represents a simple "Thank You" to recognize someone else in the company for doing a good deed. For each mile an employee earns, he/she is entered in a drawing for a gift card. The more miles they accrue, the greater their chances are of winning. Winners are selected at random once every two months and announced at regular company-wide meetings.

The "Laurus Miles" program complements the "Heart of Laurus" program which is designed to reward employees who truly embody our internal motto of "Dream big, have courage, take initiative and be accountable."

Friday, January 1, 2010

Laurus Strategies is pleased to announce that Mike Bruni, formerly co-founder and partner of LatzBruni Partners, has joined Laurus Strategies as a Partner responsible for forming the company’s Non-Profit & Public Affairs Consulting Practice. Effective January 1, 2010, this new division offers non-profit agencies expert fundraising guidance, as well as assistance enhancing their relations with local, state and federal government agencies. Execution and management services and will operate from Laurus Strategies’ Chicago headquarters.

Bruni says he was attracted to Laurus Strategies because of its steadfast commitment to combining best practices with close, customized client relationships, an approach he has used to help his clients raise more than $265 million. "Our shared philosophies make this partnership extremely desirable. More importantly, our synergies enhance the benefits made available to clients," Bruni said.

Dan Hughes, President of Laurus Strategies, said, "The partnership with Mike and his team of dedicated development experts fully equips Laurus Strategies to extend services essential for the success of non-profit agencies, including fundraising and government relations. Mike’s passion and proven skills empower Laurus to advance our mission to lead our clients to greater success."

The Non-Profit & Public Affairs Consulting Practice will specifically assist clients with:

• Leadership & Strategy Development—specifically, providing board development and training, strategic planning and case development, as well as assistance in building relationships with local and state legislators
• Fund Development—comprehensive services ranging from readiness assessments and development audits to annual fund enhancement, as well as capital campaign development, execution and management
• Communications and Marketing (in concert with Laurus Strategies’ Communications & Design Practice)—full-service communications and marketing planning, from branding and copywriting to marketing and organizational outreach strategies
• Corporate Philanthropy Solutions—assist in designing corporate giving, employee engagement, and volunteer programming, enhancing/assessing existing relationships, with special focus on providing value to the employees as well as to non-profit partners

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Laurus Strategies strongly believes that giving back to the community benefits everyone—and during the holiday season, our thoughts turn to the communities surrounding each of our locations. In 2009, in lieu of client gifts, Laurus Strategies has decided to make charitable donations to local non-profit organizations. Following is a brief description of the organizations we are fortunate enough to support and the extraordinary work they do.

Kids Hope United, Chicago, IL. KHU is a private, nonprofit human service organization dedicated to protecting children and strengthening families. They serve more than 15,000 children and families throughout Florida, Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. Their vision is to have a safe and nurturing home for each and every child. Kids Hope United provides a wide array of prevention, intervention, and community-based support programs to vulnerable, high-risk populations. For more information on Kids Hope United, please visit www.kidshopeunited.org.

Buckner Children’s Home, Dallas, TX. Buckner Children’s Home is a diverse global ministry to children. Their mission is to be a multi-service agency dedicated to the restoration and healing of individuals and families. Buckner’s services include a global humanitarian aid program, volunteer missions opportunities, community enrichment and prevention programs, an international network of residential, foster care and transitional housing services, as well as domestic and international adoption and support programs for children living in orphanages in other countries. For more information on Buckner Children’s Home, please visit www.bucknerchildren.org.

Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center, Morton, IL. This center serves the needs of abused children in Tazewell, Woodford and Mason counties of Illinois. Their mission is to provide a coordinated approach to the investigation, prosecution and treatment of child sexual abuse and serious abuse cases, which is sensitive to the child victim’s needs and holds offenders accountable. For more information on Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center, please visit www.tazewellcac.org.

United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) is a private, non-profit corporation established in 1965 to advocate for and provide services to Hispanic migrant and seasonal farm workers in Wisconsin. Their mission is to provide programs and services which improve the employment, education, health and housing opportunities of underserved populations. UMOS’s corporate offices are located in Milwaukee, WI. For more information on United Migrant Opportunity Services, please visit www.umos.org.

Active Faith Community Services is a faith-based, licensed, non-denominational, non-discriminating, non-profit organization offering services for those who qualify and live in the South Lyon School District in Michigan. For over two decades, Active Faith Community Services has worked to improve the quality of life for low-income households residing within the school district. Their mission is to help their clients become self-sufficient. For more information on Active Faith Community Services, please visit www.activefaithcs.org.