Valerie Stremsterfer is president of Intrepid, an employee benefits consulting firm that fully integrates benefits knowledge with a comprehensive understanding of legislation, taxes and subsidies.

Paul Wilson: How did you get started in the benefits industry?

I started in Albuquerque back in 1996. I have a finance degree and was working for a financial company running Morningstar reports all day. I was incredibly bored. I went for a hike with my dad one day and told him I was miserable, and he recommended that I talk to a friend of his who owned a TPA. I set an appointment, went to an interview and ended up getting hired as a marketing assistant.

At the time, I had no idea what a TPA did or what I would even be marketing. When they said I'd be working with self-funded plans and cafeteria plans, I thought a cafeteria plan was a lunch program for the employees. It took me quite a while to truly grasp what we did there, but I ended up really loving it. Within a few months, I was traveling and conducting employee meetings in front of hundreds of people. I was absolutely terrified, but I was no longer bored.

I ended up working there for three years, and then I moved to Denver in 1999. I switched to the broker side and I've run the same agency for 20 years. I was able to buy the agency five years ago ,and then just recently, I came together with 16 other independent agencies and we formed a large national insurance agency.

PW: What prompted you to move over to the broker side of the business?

When I was in a U-Haul moving all my belongings to Denver, I got a phone call from a gentleman who was running a brokerage firm for a national financial company. He said he had received my name from an MGU partner that he worked with who said I did a great job, was moving to Denver and didn't have any employment. He told me they really wanted to grow the benefits side of this financial house and they needed help. I said, “OK” and he hired me on the spot over a breakfast burrito.

PW: How has your journey so far helped shape your mindset as a broker?

When I moved to the broker side I was truly on my own and I had to figure out how I was to grow this agency and who I was going to partner with. I was really struggling on my own, but I quickly came to realize the importance of collaboration with other brokers.

I love compliance and I've become the go-to person for other agencies around the country. In return, many of them have shared their best practices with me. When health care reform passed, I had a little panic attack, as most brokers did. So I flew out to Dallas to meet with my friend Jackie and to see how her operation was run. When everyone started looking at technology solutions and I needed guidance, I relied on my friend Liz in Atlanta.

Throughout the years, I've never had to do anything on my own. I've always had this great group of broker friends and agency owners who I can collaborate with. We all have different strengths and I would say that has been the single most important thing to me as I've grown my agency.

PW: How did compliance become a passion? I can't say a lot of people tell me that.

I love detail. I love doing research. And this is the perfect industry for me because of all the shifting legislation and changes that take place. Anytime there's something new, I love to dive in and not only research it, but figure out how we can use change to enhance our services.

When I started in 1996, HIPAA was brand new. The TPA I worked for had a whole unit that was studying HIPAA and what needed to be changed and I loved it. I wanted every article they had on HIPAA and wanted to read about it and teach everyone else. So I think it really started there. Then I had a client who went through a DOL audit. I realized I never again want to sit through a DOL audit with a client who doesn't have the solutions they need, so I created a compliance checklist that every one of our clients now uses so they're 100 percent compliant in every area.

PW: As a female advisor, how have you seen the industry change in the last 20 years?

When I first started on the broker side, I was 27 or 28. I would go out on appointment with one of my teammates, an older male, and clients would look at him and ask him a question. He would look to me to answer it. When they asked their next question, they would again look at him, he would look at me and I would answer it. They would direct all of their questions to him as the “expert” or “leader” even though I was the one who was answering.

I think that has changed. I've watch my young, female consultants and producers go out and I think they are more respected. I don't think what I dealt with back then exists anymore, at least with most of the industry and most employers.

PW: What challenges or opportunities are you experiencing?

I think one of the big opportunities right now is the amazing things we can do with cost containment. I'd also say that it's not something we're necessarily leading with right now because we do a really great job at it, but employers are hearing the same message from a lot of different people. I recently spoke with someone I follow on social media and who is often talking about a lot of innovative strategies. I asked him, “How many groups do you have who are using reference-based pricing?” And he said, “one.” He had just written a big article about it and I was thinking, “I have a lot more than he does!” I had to laugh.

I've recently been focused on growing our team and focusing on our culture. With a lot of the consolidation happening with agencies now, I have a lot of people calling me and asking for a job, saying, “We were just bought and our culture is changing.” So maintaining our company culture is really important. Our team truly is different. Carrier reps can see it, our vendor partners can see it and our clients can see it. For 2019, I'm focusing on how to maintain a collaborative company culture, especially after we just went through this consolidation.

PW: What are your favorite parts of your job? What gets you of bed every morning?

I do love compliance but that's not what gets me out of bed. My favorite part is watching my team as they learn, grow their careers and enjoy what they do. This is an industry that isn't always enjoyable and I love when I see that they're having a good time.

Every Thursday morning, I start our weekly team meeting by reading emails that I have received personally from clients or vendor partners giving kudos to our team members. A week has never gone by when I didn't have emails to read. It's a time to celebrate each other, but you can also see how much they enjoy their jobs. You wouldn't get that kind of feedback if they didn't truly care.

PW: Any thoughts or predictions on what will happen with single-payer?

I think it's a true possibility, for sure. Some brokers say it's never going to happen but I think it could. Here in Colorado, it's already been on our ballot and it's not going to go away. Our new governor's number-one priority is a single-payer system. It's actually one of the reasons I was interested in merging with some other entities. Being able to branch out into other areas and locations is a smart thing to consider. I wanted to maintain my independence, but I also wanted to make sure I was protected.

PW: If it does happen, how do you see your brokerage working?

I think it's hard to know. I've read so many different perspectives on what could happen and what could change that I don't think there's any way to predict what we'll have to do. When my employees ask me about it, I say, “You know, there really is no way to predict this one.” With the ACA, you could kind of look at it and say “Here's what we're going to need to do.” But with this, I think it will take a while. Even if something is passed, it could take 10 years.

PW: Does surviving all the changes over the past few decades give you confidence that there's still a place for brokers?

Absolutely. I think there's always opportunity; sometimes you may have to shift your practices.

PW: Finish this sentence: The key to success in this industry going forward is…

Being empathetic. Seeing from the perspective of others and truly understanding how you can help.

Read more from our Face of Change series:

Instant Insights /

Culture of collaboration: A Q&A with Valerie Stremsterfer

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