News from American Portfolios FinancialServices, Benefitexpress, CFB Board, Figo PetInsurance, MetLife, OneDigital and more. (Photo:Shutterstock)

People are on the move in the employee benefits and retirementindustry, and company names are changing, deals and awards arebeing won, and more. Here's the latest:

Applications are soon to close for the second annual401(k)Champions  Award, honoring individuals who advocatefor the importance of retirement saving and help others optimizetheir 401(k) plans. Sponsored by Jackson, Grant InvestmentAdvisers, Inc. and its founder, JulieJason, three $1,000 prizes will be awarded to 401(k)participants who complete an application and essay about their401(k) experiences.

American Portfolios Financial Services announced thatTim O'Grady has officially assumed the role ofpresident. O'Grady began his tenure at AP as a consultant. Heinitially refused payment for his services to prove that his methodof recruiting new talent was the right direction in which the firmshould move. He helped AP grow to more than $30 billion in AUM. Hisleadership has also contributed to one of the firm's proudestrecognitions—being named Broker-Dealer of the Year by InvestmentAdvisor magazine for five consecutive years.

The financial services company formerly knownas AXA Equitable Life, announced it will operate asEquitable.Founded in 1859 as The Equitable Life Assurance Society of theUnited States, the company was a mutual firm serving individuals,families and businesses for more than a century. It was acquired byParis-based AXA S.A. in 1992.

Elite Insurance Partners received an SB100 ranking(#54) at the 2nd Annual Best of Small Business Awards, presented bySmall Business Expo. The Best of Small Business Awards recognizesthe top visionary small to mid-sized business leaders in the UnitedStates. The SB100 distinguishes the top 100 small businesses thathave proven success through risk-taking during the past year.

Benefitexpress, a provider of cloud-based technologysoftware and services for fully-outsourced employee benefitsadministration, announced that Melanie Hallenbeckjoins its leadership team as Chief Growth Officer. In her new role,Hallenbeck will lead all areas of benefitexpress' salesorganization including employer-direct, broker/reseller andconsultant/advisor relationships. In addition, a new role has beenestablished within her organization. AllenNiemynski is now Broker and Advisor RelationshipExecutive, reporting to Hallenbeck. Niemynski will champion thegrowth and expansion of new and existing benefits brokerrelationships and serve as firm's steward for SourcingAdvisors.

LifeMark Partners and BRAMCO Financial Resources are officiallyoperating as LIBRA Insurance Partners. Key businessresources that LIBRA's 62 partner agencies now have exclusiveaccess to include Vive, a digital new business platform; TheAdvisor Value Program, and more. LIBRA's inaugural annual meetingfor agency principals and carriers will take place March 1-4 inMiami.

MetLife,Inc. announced that Toby Srihiran Brown willbecome executive vice president and Chief Auditor, effective March1. Brown will have a direct and independent reporting relationshipwith the Audit Committee of the MetLife, Inc. Board of Directorsand report to MetLife President and CEO Michel Khalaf on anadministrative basis. Brown will lead the team responsible forproviding assurance over MetLife's risk management, control andgovernance processes across MetLife's global businessoperations.

Figo PetInsurance recently received a $5 million investment for a 4%equity stake from underwriting partner Independence AmericanInsurance Company (IAIC), a member of the IHC Group, placing Figo'svaluation at $125 million. Figo is also named the Top InsurTechLeader by A.M. Best's Review, leveraging advanced technology toreshape the pet insurance experience.

OneDigital acquired Resources Investment Advisors, LLClocated in Overland Park, Kansas. The acquisition represents thelargest assemblage of deals in the company's history–13 in all.Founded in 1987, Resources Investment Advisors encompasses anindependent hybrid registered investment adviser  firmregistered with the SEC, as well as a Super-OSJ group, thatspecializes in supporting independent financial advisors across thecountry who are focused on the corporate retirement plan space. Theinitial collection of deals, in addition to Resources, includesBukaty Companies Financial Services, 401k  AIM, CafaroGreenleaf, Capstone Advisory Group, Chepenik Financial, SHARetirement Group, Strategic Retirement Group and Teros Advisors.The deal also includes the San Diego, CA operation of FulcrumPartners, and the Irvine, CA and two San Diego, CA operations ofRetirement Benefits Group.

Roundstone, an insurance provider specializing inself-funded group captive solutions, reported a $2,200,000distribution to participating business owners across the nation inunused stop-loss premium to close out 2019.

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath (Faegre Drinker)launched global operations, effective Feb. 1, 2020. Faegre Drinkeris the combination of Faegre Baker Daniels, an international lawfirm with roots in the Midwest, and Drinker Biddle & Reath, afull-service national law firm with East Coast origins. With morethan 1,300 attorneys, consultants and professionals in 22 locationsacross the U.S., U.K. and China, Faegre Drinker is one of thenation's 50 largest law firms based on both size and projectedgross revenue of nearly $1 billion.

TheWagner Law Group announced that partner, Thomas E.Clark Jr., has been appointed as the firm's ChiefOperating Officer. One of our firm's widely renowned ERISA andemployee benefits attorneys, Clark has led the St. Louis office forthe past five years. In his new role as the firm's COO, Clark willwork closely with Managing Director Marcia Wagner, as a seniorleader of the firm.

Interim HealthCare, provider of homecare, senior care,hospice and healthcare staffing services, was ranked No. 1 in theSenior Care category of Entrepreneur Magazine's 2020Franchise 500. The Franchise 500 recognizes companies foroutstanding performance in key areas that include unit growth,financial strength, stability and brand power.

 TheBoard of Directors of Certified Financial Planner Board ofStandards, Inc. (CFP Board) welcomed Jack Brod,CFP as 2020 Chair. Brod has served on CFP Board's Board ofDirectors since 2017. Retired from a senior executive role atVanguard, he now teaches, consults, mentors, serves on the Board ofDirectors of Savant Capital Management and advises financialtechnology companies.

Don Cahalan has joined Paychex as the newvice president of insurance services. He will focus on maximizingclient value through insurance services in both the PaychexInsurance Agency and the organization's PEO. In his new role, Donreports to John Gibson, senior vice president of service.

Paychex announced that its enhanced RetirementServices Participant Portal was recognized as a winner in the2020 BIG Innovation Awards presented by theBusiness Intelligence Group. Organizations from across the globesubmitted their recent innovations for consideration in the BIGInnovation Awards. Nominations were then judged by a select groupof business leaders and executives who volunteer their time andexpertise to score submissions.

Pentegraannounced three executive promotions: PeterSprague has been promoted to Senior Vice President,Information Technology and Chief Technology Officer; LarsErnst has been promoted to Vice President, RegulatoryCompliance; and Kelly Casella has been promoted toAssistant Vice President, Plan Documents.

Wellbeatsannounced entrepreneur Kyle Rolfing will join thecompany's Board of Directors effective immediately. Rolfing has anextensive history of innovation in health care, includingco-founding Definity Health, RedBrick Health, and most recently,Bright Health.

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