2026 Advisor of the Year Finalist: Dennis Hartin

"Don't wait for the relationship to be perfect before you show up," he says. "Clients don't need advisors who have all the answers; they need advisors who are honest about what they know, transparent about what they are working to find out and reliable about following through."

In February, this can-do attitude led Hartin to his new role of executive vice president, Mid-South market, for HUB International in Nashville.

"I have been with this organization since January 2018, originally as a producer, and when we were acquired by HUB International in October 2022, I continued in that production capacity before moving into this leadership role," he says. "So, while the title is new, the relationships, the market and the mission are ones I have been invested in for years. I am not leading from a distance — I am still in the field."

Hartin's areas of focus include self-funding and level-funding health plan strategy; prevention through mental health and behavioral health benefit design; charter school and public sector benefits; and advising about employee benefits in private equity transactions. "It's a wide lane," he says, "but that breadth is also what makes the work interesting every single day."

'A moral reckoning'

Hartin spent the first 25 years of his career in the ancillary benefits space.

"I led one of the largest teams in the country, but around 2017, something shifted that I can only describe as a moral reckoning," he says. "I came to realize that real solutions existed for the health care cost crisis that employers and employees were drowning in. My role at the time was not part of the solution; it was part of the problem. My moral compass would not let me stay comfortable with that, so I made a big pivot. I walked away from what I knew and threw myself into learning health care: self-funded strategies, stop-loss, pharmacy, plan design, fiduciary responsibility."

Tripp Amos, a consultant for AFLAC in Columbus, Ga., has known and worked with Hartin in various capacities for a quarter century. He admires his commitment to not just talking about problems, but rolling up his sleeves and seeking solutions.

"His decision to transition into the advisor market was largely based on an ethical decision to be part of the solution and not the problem," Amos says. "Financially, it was not the move most people would make; however, he felt it was right, knowing that the solutions that help consumers were often hidden. He enjoys helping clients spend their money wisely, with a positive return on their investment."

In an uncertain and sometimes volatile economy, that positive ROI is critical.

"A charter school, a growing small business, a nonprofit with a mission — these are organizations where every dollar has a purpose," Hartin says. "When we can redirect premium dollars back toward that mission, it changes everything. We worked with a small charter school and saved them $1.6 million over five years while improving teacher retention from 18% turnover down to 5%. That's not just a financial win, that is stability in a classroom, continuity for students and a culture that tells employees they are valued. When you see results like that, you know without a doubt that you are doing the right work."

Ashok Bagdy, cofounder of Patel High School Tampa, appreciates this approach.

"Giving us options that worked well with other schools was an important step Dennis took," he says. "He went above and beyond to help us, unlike our previous advisor. Customizing the network without big changes to the plan design was fantastic. We have not had any complaints from employees since implementation. Dennis's approach is unique. He showed genuine care and regard for our organization and our teachers and did not come across as if he was just trying to make a sale. That is what differentiates Dennis from others."

This partnership approach is intentional.

"Employers who still view their broker as a vendor — someone who shows up once a year with a renewal and a golf outing — are leaving enormous value on the table," Hartin says. "The clients who get the most from this relationship treat us like a member of their internal team. They include us in strategic planning conversations. They call us when they are considering an acquisition and want to understand the benefits implications. They ask us to help onboard their HR staff when they have turnover. This is a fundamentally different relationship than transaction-based brokerages, and it produces fundamentally different outcomes."

He is also committed to serving the benefits industry as well as his clients through various roles with NABIP and SHRM.

"I believe that kind of long-term commitment to advocacy is one of the most important things a broker can do, not just for their own business, but for the employers and employees we collectively serve," Hartin says. "These organizations shape the legislative and regulatory environment we all operate in, and if advisors are not in those rooms, other interests will fill the space."

And there is certainly no shortage of issues to monitor and respond to today.

"The CAA has had the single biggest impact on our practice over the last several years," he says. "The transparency requirements, the pharmacy benefit manager reporting obligations and the mental health parity comparative analysis requirements have fundamentally changed what it means to be a fiduciary-aware advisor. Clients who did not previously understand that they could face real legal exposure are now paying attention in ways they were not before, and that creates both responsibility and opportunity for advisors who are prepared."

In a landscape featuring growing complexity, Amos commends Hartin for not shying away from issues that have no easy solutions.

"His focus on solving for mental health is a monumental task, but I have no doubt he will be successful," Amos says. "He has even garnered the interest of U.S. senators and congressmen to help on federal policy. Directing people's focus away from reaction and toward prevention will be part of a solution that very few seem to be aware of."

Hartin is also closely watching the continued evolution of PBM reform, the GLP-1 coverage debate and the fate of ACA market regulations as the political environment shifts. To stay current, he relies on a combination of HUB's internal specialty resources, industry publications, NABIP and other association participation, as well as a network of colleagues around the country who call each other when something comes across their desk that they have not seen before.

You cannot manage what you cannot measure

Hartin also believes it is important to proactively address what has become a prevalent buzzword, especially in this election year.

"Affordability is one of those words that risks becoming meaningless if we are not careful," he says. "For most of my clients, the conversation is not really about whether benefits are `affordable' in the abstract — it's about controlling a trend line that, left unaddressed, will force them to make choices that hurt their employees and their culture."

His office is actively deploying self-funded and level-funded plan designs for employers who historically have assumed that being fully insured was their only option. Other key strategies include direct primary care partnerships that reduce ER utilization and improve chronic condition management; pharmacy carve-out strategies; and prevention in mental health benefit redesign to address both workforce productivity and the cost of untreated behavioral health conditions that eventually shows up on a medical claim

"The common thread in all of these strategies is data," Hartin says. "You cannot manage what you cannot measure, and one of the most important things we do is help clients understand their own claims data at a level of granularity that most have never had before."

Hartin is also intentional about maintaining a human touch in an increasingly high-tech business.

"Technology has fundamentally changed how we deliver value, and it has raised the bar for what clients expect from us," he says. "Benefits administration platforms, data analytics tools, real-time claims reporting, telehealth integration — these are no longer differentiators, they are table stakes. Clients want to see the data, and they want us to tell them what it means and what to do about it. Consumers expect a better experience and we still have a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction. "

But what technology cannot do is sit across the table from an HR director whose renewal just came in 28% higher and explain why.

"That conversation requires a person, and it requires one who has done enough work to have real answers and a credible path forward," Hartin says. That is where I think we are finally gaining traction. When we can walk into that room and say, `Here is exactly what drove your increase, here is where the waste is hiding and here is what we can do about it,' that changes the entire dynamic."

Rahul Mehra, Ph.D., creator and founder of Emotional Vaccines in Tampa, appreciates the fact that Hartin tailors solutions to the specific needs of each client.

"Dennis is a highly respected individual who puts the needs of others ahead of his own," he says. "He has the dedication to look beyond the usual 'shiny objects' offered to brokers as solutions. Dennis takes the time and effort to analyze the options available for his clients. He rejects the cookie-cutter approach and customizes meaningful solutions for clients. Further, his moral and ethical compass sets him apart from others."

A well-rounded life

Being the leader of a large organization can become all-consuming, which is why Hartin unwinds by spending time with his wife, Brandy, and enjoying the outdoors around his home near Nashville.

"I am a firm believer that a well-rounded life makes you a better advisor," he says. "When you spend time with people outside of a business context — whether that is in the community, through faith, through service, or through whatever fills you up — you develop the kind of genuine empathy and curiosity about people that clients can feel."

Although Hartin never expected to be nominated for Advisor of the Year, he feels honored to be recognized for putting his clients and team members first.

"This one genuinely caught me off guard, and I mean that," he says. "After more than three decades in this business, you develop a certain rhythm. You show up, you do the work, you try to do right by your clients and your team, and you do not spend much time looking up to see if anyone noticed. The fact that someone took the time to think of me for this honor, and then put that thought into writing, is meaningful in a way that is hard to articulate.

"I am genuinely honored. And I hope it is an encouragement to others who are pouring themselves into this work with the same sincerity. Keep going. It is noticed."