Press & Interviews

Transparency and Health Care Consumerism
by Jordan Shields

Ask anyone who has suffered a serious injury or illness, or is living with a chronic condition necessitating continual and considerable expense, how they feel about the state of health care in the U.S. The inner workings of our health-care delivery system remain a mystery. Transparency is helpful, but like all such legislation, it spawns additional questions. For example, what does the terminology mean? Does this include any contract or cash discounts? Are there alternative therapies or procedures available, and what do they cost?

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Philanthropy: COVID-19’s Silver Lining
by Mariah Shields

While COVID-19 doesn’t conjure positive images, there is something to be said about the constructive ripple effects of this pandemic. With every emergency or natural disaster, there’s always an optimistic side to the distress. This crisis is no exception. The concept of company culture and giving back to the community is stronger than ever before—the pandemic has opened-up an entirely new conversation about what it means to be civic minded.

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Corporate Culture
Interview with Andrew McNeil & Rosario Avila

“Every company has one, whether [it’s] good or bad,” says Andrew McNeil, principal and senior benefits advisor at Arrow Benefits Group in Petaluma, which provides benefit programs for more than 1,400 employer clients in California. “If you have two people, you have a culture. How you live and work in it defines it.

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Let’s Talk Benefits in English or Español!

Did you know that many employees don’t fully understand their benefit plans? According to a recent study by VOYA Financial, Inc., 66% of employees say they need their employer to help them better understand their employee benefits…54% of Millennials say they don’t understand their benefit offerings.

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Enhancing Company Benefits for a Better Employee Experience
by A. McNeil & R. Avila

Lets start with three questions: How did you develop your company benefits program? Was it built with the employee in mind, or was it to mirror what your competitors are offering? And how do you know if your benefits program is truly meeting the needs of your employees and their families? When we ask employers these questions, the answer we most often get is: “I don’t know.”

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The Art of Attracting and Retaining Employees
by Andrew McNeil and Rosario Avila

As the workforce gets younger and demographics change, companies across all industries are looking for new ways to attract and retain their labor force. In Napa and Sonoma counties, wineries and other businesses are currently competing with the cannabis and construction industries for local workers. Along with competitive wages, many companies now offer new, more meaningful benefits to their employees beyond the traditional, run-of-the-mill medical plans and benefits package.

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Growth: Now is the Time to Be Bold
by Joe Genovese

Multiple studies indicate that the U.S. economy is going to experience a strong recovery as we rise out of the pandemic. In a new Forbes.com article, titled “The New Face of Growth in 2021” by Frank Sorrentino, chairman and CEO of ConnectOne Bank, wrote, “Looking ahead, businesses will have to plan for future growth in a much different way than they were accustomed to…one of the biggest trends emerging from the last year has been consolidation.” I couldn’t agree more: The business landscape has indeed changed forever, and now it’s up to us all to adapt and shift.

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“A Night in Tuscany” and the North Coast Wine Industry Expo Gallery

“A Night in Tuscany,” hosted by Arrow Benefits Group at its 33rd annual event in November for the North Bay Children’s Center, raised more than $420,000. About 160 guests visited the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in Sonoma to enjoy fine wines and tasty treats. Senator Mike McGuire served as emcee and auctioneer. [Photos by Stuart Lirette]

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Sonoma County-based Arrow Benefits Group receives a North Bay GIVES award
Interview with CEO & Managing Principal Joe Genovese

We keep our eyes and ears open to all nonprofits because we believe that they are essential part of this community. We know we can’t give to everyone, but our team members have become a resource to bring attention to organizations that need help. We communicate with our people to find out who they want to support and are inspired by their passions for these organizations to assist them.

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Small and large businesses must deal with employee vaccination issue
North Bay Business Journal Monthly Featured Column
By Andrew McNeil & Rosario Avila
We appreciate that there are people who feel differently about the vaccine, be it for medical, religious or other personal reasons.
So, for employers (no matter the size) that simply want to require that everyone to be vaccinated, we pose the question: Does that decision really make sense for the company?

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Photo credit: Rohnert Park, Calif – Jim Wilson/The New York Times