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Laurus Strategies Selected As One of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in Illinois for the Second Consecutive Year — June 4, 2008
Laurus Strategies is thrilled to announce that it has once again been selected as one of the top 10 Best Places to Work in Illinois for 2008.
Ten large companies and 20 small- to mid-sized companies were recognized (Laurus Strategies was included in the "small- to mid-sized" category). The top-to-bottom rankings were revealed at an evening reception on June 4, 2008.
Rankings for the competition are determined through a criteria developed by Best Companies Group of Harrisburg, PA, following employee surveys and interviews. The organization researches the dynamics and characteristics of great workplaces, analyzes the data and produces a "Best Places to Work" distinction that recognizes organizations that are leading the way in defining the employee experience of the 21st century.
Sponsors of the program include the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); Illinois State Council; the Illinois Chamber of Commerce; Central Illinois Business Publishers; and the Springfield Business Journal.
The Business Ledger will publish a supplement to its August 4 edition profiling the recognized companies.
Burton Consulting Ltd. Adopts Laurus Strategies Brand — February 1, 2008
Burton Consulting has announced that it will officially adopt the Laurus Strategies brand effective February 1, 2008. The Employee Benefits and Financial Services firm of Burton Consulting Ltd. was founded by George Burton in 1981. His daughter, Becki Olesen, joined him in business in 1984 and became a partner in 1995. George retired after 50 years in the insurance business and sold his shares to Laurus Strategies in 2005 to expand Burton Consulting's portfolio of products and services to include Human Resource Solutions and Property and Casualty. Our Morton, IL office continues to operate both a branch of Health & Welfare (employee benefits), managed by Becki Olesen, and a branch of Financial Services, managed by Mike Witzig.
Along with the name change, the company is adopting Laurus Strategies' corporate identity, including the logo and visual identity, as well as the website. The changes are effective February 1, 2008, and all future business activity from that date forward will be undertaken with the new name.
Laurus Strategies Sponsors Thresholds' 13th Annual Young At Heart Benefit — January 1, 2008
Laurus Strategies is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of Thresholds' 13th Annual Young at Heart Benefit which is being held Saturday, February 9, 2008 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago! This family-friendly, one-of-a-kind event is a fundraiser for Thresholds' Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers, and over 800 guests — including adults and children — are expected to attend.
About Thresholds
Thresholds assists and inspires people with severe mental illnesses to reclaim their lives by providing the support, skills, and the respectful encouragement that they need to achieve hopeful and successful futures. They strive to be the provider of choice, employer of choice, and a world leader in the development and evaluation of rehabilitation and recovery services.
The agency manages more than 30 program locations and 75 residential programs in the Chicagoland area, and is Illinois' oldest and largest psychiatric rehabilitation center. In 2007 almost 7,000 people were served at Thresholds' various locations and through outreach efforts on Chicago's city streets.
Thresholds has been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2007, Thresholds was honored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association, and the Illinois Rehabilitation Association.
About Mental Illness
Mental illness is a disease that affects us all. One in four Americans — people of all races, incomes and social strata — will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime. The most serious and disabling mental illnesses affect 8-15 million Americans. Thresholds serves those with the most severe mental illnesses. Those diagnoses include: schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder.
To learn more about the great work Thresholds is doing, visit www.thresholds.org. Also, if you happen to be in the Chicagoland area in early February, we strongly encourage you to consider attending the Young at Heart Benefit with your family. You can download an electronic copy of the invitation here.
Mark Kendall Joins Laurus Strategies — September 24, 2007
In business, momentum is more than just staying afloat - it's about continuing to make waves. You build momentum when you accumulate a series of successes, one after another. Once you achieve a goal, you move to the next right away. Our first impulse may be to take a break between successes to enjoy the rewards ' but we must resist the urge. We need to continue to think about growing our business and expanding our horizons.
In keeping with this philosophy, Laurus Strategies is proud to announce that effective immediately, Mark Kendall has joined our firm as a partner. One of Laurus Strategies' greatest strengths is our depth and breadth of experience, and we believe Mark is a strong addition to the Laurus Strategies team.
With 23 years' experience in the corporate employee benefit industry, Mark has a proven record in consultative sales and marketing. His core competencies include alignment of strategic and tactical objectives of Fortune 1000 corporations to enhance their future financial position with the insurance carrier. Starting his seventh year in consulting, Mark has created over $120 million in documented savings for large corporations and their employees relative to their Life, Accident, Disability, Voluntary Benefits and International coverages.
Laurus Strategies is a professional services firm that focuses its expansive vision and national reach on the disciplines of Health and Welfare Consulting (Employee Benefits), Human Resource Solutions, Property and Casualty Services and Financial Services. Our current roster includes over 300 clients ranging from 10 to well over 5,000 employees. We serve their needs both domestically and internationally from our Chicago, Peoria, Detroit and Milwaukee offices and will continue to expand as their business needs grow globally.
Mark's long standing personal and professional relationship with the current Partner team at Laurus Strategies inspires confidence in a successful partnership moving forward. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team.
Laurus Strategies Logo Wins Graphic Design Award — September 17, 2007
Laurus Strategies is pleased to announce that our logo, which was unveiled on October 1, 2006, has won an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design:USA magazine for excellence in communication and graphic design.Laurus Strategies Ranked #4 on the List of Best Places to Work in Illinois — June 13, 2007
Excerpt from the The Business Ledger: This three-year-old company is a professional services firm that focuses a national reach on four different practice areas, namely, health and welfare consulting, human resources solutions, property and casualty services, and financial services.
Experiencing dramatic growth in the wake of a three-company merger last year, Laurus Strategies can deliver consulting expertise with a wide range of products and services for its clients. Its 41 employees in Illinois join others in Michigan and Wisconsin offices.
Laurus Strategies publishes an in-depth corporate newsletter that keeps employees abreast of developments and issues in the field and in the industry. It also includes tips and suggestions for making work more productive. The Chicago office has an on-site fitness center and flexible scheduling allows some employees to work from home two or three days per week, according to communications manager Kate Holm.
Like many other best places to work these days, Laurus Strategies is also attentive to the personal and family need of its employees.
Laurus Strategies Hosts UCP Ramp Up Benefit — May 15, 2007
On May 15, 2007, Laurus Strategies hosted a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago's (UCP's) Ramp Up Program in our Chicago office, and we are thrilled to announce that we were able to raise a grand total of $113,340!
United Cerebral Palsy's "Ramp Up Program" provides home access to eligible people with disabilities who own their residences, but are otherwise unable to afford the cost of needed modifications. Ramp Up's success has been built on the power of partnerships and the strength of sharing. Believing that no one should ever be just a few steps away from independence, the Ramp Up Program was created in 2001 with a grant from the Coleman Foundation.
Since its inception, Ramp Up has completed over 55 ramps, 8 stair lifts, 2 overhead track transfer systems, 22 vertical platform lifts and 17 accessible bathrooms. As of today, there is a waiting list of over 323 individuals!
Unfortunately, this year, funding for the Ramp Up Program was substantially cut. In response to these cuts, Laurus Strategies hosted a fundraiser for the Ramp Up Program. Our objective was to work with our business partners and UCP to cover this shortfall. It turned out to be a great night, and we were all delighted to be able to accomplish such a wonderful thing for a deserving organization in such good company.
Many of us had the same sentiments after the event - not only the realization that we'd accomplished something great, but also the realization of how much more needs to be done. However, with the group we assembled that evening and the tangible feeling of inspiration that filled the room, we are confident that there's a bright future because of that group and their willingness to help.
Thank you to everyone who has risen to the occasion and shown support in various ways, and many thanks to Dr. Paul Dulle, President and CEO, and the rest of the UCP/Ramp Up group for allowing us to be a part of such a great organization. We are honored.
UCP is a client of Laurus Strategies.