A recap of Omnify’s first Employee Benefits Forum

On March 28, Omnify hosted its first annual Benefit Solutions Forum at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. CEOs and HR directors from businesses across Nebraska and Kansas were in attendance to deepen their knowledge of employee benefits. The audience was filled with many new and familiar faces.

Washington D.C.’s Roy Ramthun — who was President George W. Bush’s expert consult on the creation of HSAs — discussed what the future holds for HSAs over the next 20 years. It was a fascinating overview of health savings accounts and their utilization. The audience asked many interesting questions that will yield further discussion and opportunities for our relationship managers and educators to assist our current and future partners when crafting their employee benefits packages.

Jeremy Christensen, an ERISA lawyer and partner at Baird Holm, and Omnify’s Katie Davis shared with the audience all the nuances of COBRA administration. COBRA administration is often looked at as intimidating because it’s not just a right, it’s a federal requirement. Jeremy and Katie’s conversational approach to the topic took the “bite” out of COBRA for the audience.

To round out our discussion, we turned our attention to the question on employer’s minds: “How do we retain and attract top-tier talent?” Nebraska Safety Council’s Wellness Manager Kelsey Pruss delivered the answer: by taking care of an employee’s overall wellness. Omnify’s Andrea Howard expanded on this by presenting an engaging look at how lifestyle spending accounts help employers attract and retain their valued employees.

Following the discussion, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce arrived to host a ribbon cutting in honor of the first ever LSA Day. In his speech, the Chamber’s Nate Ehmke said “This week, you have heard about our efforts to ‘Grow the Great Life’ here in Lincoln and throughout Nebraska, drawing and retaining talent in our community. We believe the great life includes employees who are both physically and mentally healthy and have a quality work/life balance.” Omnify’s Vice President Tanya Martin-Dick cut the ribbon in front of an uproarious audience in celebration of LSA Day. We look forward to seeing the direct impact including an LSA has on Lincoln’s employment rate and employee retention data in the future.

The forum presentations are available for educational viewing on our Omnify YouTube channel, thanks to Altitude Motion Media. We look forward to next year’s Benefit Solutions Forum and hope to see you there!