Deals & People January 4, 2011

MMA Acquires Ga. Benefits Brokerage

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), a subsidiary of insurance broker Marsh Inc., has acquired Strategic Benefit Solutions, Inc. (SBS).
Reported by

A news release said terms of the deal for the $4 million benefits brokerage and consulting firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia, were not disclosed.

According to the announcement, SBS offers employee benefit services to middle market clients, with an emphasis on helping clients manage their health care costs through health improvement and productivity initiatives. SBS will operate within the Rutherfoord division of MMA, expanding Rutherfoord’s Atlanta market position. All of SBS’s leadership and employees will join MMA.

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The transaction marks the first in a series of planned “spoke” acquisitions that MMA will make to enhance the resources and capabilities of its regional hub operations, the announcement said.

“The addition of Strategic Benefit Solutions is part of MMA’s strategy to add high-quality local talent and expertise to complement and expand the resources available to our clients,” said David Eslick, chairman and CEO of MMA, in the announcement.

Deals & People January 3, 2011

Vieth and Zients Join RPAG

Charlie Vieth and Steve Zients of Act2 Retirement Consulting have affiliated with practice management firm Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG).
Reported by

Act2 also moved to Financial Telesis, Inc. for broker/dealer support.

The firm, which provides full-service retirement plan consulting to mid- to large-sized plans, with an emphasis on optimizing plan design and administrative procedures, was briefly affiliated with National Retirement Partners before moving to RPAG and Financial Telesis last month.

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Vieth and Zients both held senior positions with T. Rowe Price for a number of years before co-founding Act2 Retirement Consulting in late 2009. Vieth, served as President of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services for 15 years, and Zients served 23 years as Senior Vice President of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, managing the Client Services department.

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