Your Single Source for EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

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1 Your Single Source for EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Higginbotham & Associates, Inc. SINCE 1948

2 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS Higginbotham & Associates offers a comprehensive portfolio of benefits support services in addition to our broad menu of health and welfare plans. Our partnership with you does not end after plan design and implementation; we assist with plan administration and compliance from enrollment to renewal. Our relationships with reputable national insurance carriers enable us to design an attractive benefits package with competitive rates that will help you recruit, retain and reward professional talent. We partner with you to achieve the best mix of plans for your unique employee demographics. Higginbotham has developed in-house expertise in numerous practice areas to enhance your human resource capabilities without exhausting your HR staff or depleting your budget. We supplement your core benefits plan with professional support in the key areas of plan communications, corporate wellness programs, voluntary worksite benefits, Section 125 Plan administration, retirement plans and Internet-driven workflows, many of which are included in our standard service package. Professional services of this caliber were once only available through multiple vendors, but Higginbotham s extraordinary team of practice-area experts perform all these functions in a seamless, coordinated effort with your own human resource initiatives. We invite you to experience for yourself how innovations like these help make The Higginbotham DIFFERENCE.

3 FOUNDED IN 1948 Higginbotham & Associates has a long tradition of exemplary customer service: a practice reflected in our single source approach to the client relationship. To accommodate the spectrum of your service requirements, we have developed in-house capabilities for commercial and personal insurance, risk management, employee benefits, executive compensation, life insurance and retirement plan ning. And we continually expand our services to meet the evolving needs of our clientele. Clients from across the nation have entrusted their financial futures to our single source solution, ranking Higginbotham among the largest insurance agencies in the United States. Underwriters welcome the opportunity to partner with Higginbotham, and we have preferred status with many reputable insurance carriers. The breadth of our market representation ensures clients of every scope and size have access to competitive coverage options. With more than 200 professionals in multiple office locations, you can expect the abundant resources of a premier company with the personalized services of a local firm. After returning from military service in World War II, Paul C. Higginbotham opens a small personal insurance agency in his Riverside neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas. Nephew Bill Stroud takes over management of the agency. The agency relocates to an office suite in the Riverside State Bank Building. After three years at the agency, broker Rusty Reid assumes leadership, be coming president and CEO. The Employee Benefits Department is created when brokers Jim Hubbard and Michael Parks join the agency. The Life Insurance Department is established. The acquisition of Denton Insurance Center gives the agency its second office. The agency s Web site is launched

4 The foundation of Higginbotham s single source strategy is our people, all of whom have concentrated experience in their practice areas within the agency. From business liability to group benefits to personal coverage, the administration of your insurance program is a synchronized endeavor by experts in their respective disciplines. The support team dedicated to your account is comprised of insurance and customer service professionals who have frequently collaborated on account services for several consecutive years. This teamwork has served clients well, giving them a trusted sounding board through which we have gained thorough knowledge of our client population s service needs in order to produce the best in customer satisfaction. Higginbotham enjoys client and employee retention rates higher than the industry and state averages. Whether client or employee people come to Higginbotham because they seek an environment in which professionalism, teamwork and ingenuity flourish. Customized solutions. A single source approach. And total commitment to customer satisfaction. These make The Higginbotham DIFFERENCE. The Retirement Plan Services Department is created. A third office is opened in Dallas. The agency s annual revenue surpasses $10 million for the first time since its founding. The agency s Fort Worth headquarters moves to its current downtown location at 500 West 13th Street. The agency acquires Bergman, Grogan & Rothrock Insurance Agency in Weatherford, Texas. The agency is National Underwriter s inaugural Commercial Agency of the Year. The agency s revenue in excess of $16 million lands it on Business Insurance s annual ranking of 100 Largest Brokers of U.S. Business. The agency acquires B. Barfield Group in McKinney, Texas. The agency opens its sixth office in Austin. Rusty Reid is honored as one of the 25 Most Innovative Agents In America by Rough Notes and The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Texas Monthly ranks the agency 10th among the Best Companies to Work for in Texas. The agency s number of employees surpasses 200. The agency initiates an aggressive statewide growth strategy to cement its reputation as Best in Texas

5 24-Hour Bilingual Account Manager Availability. Our account managers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist your organization with eligibility, claims and billing issues in both English and Spanish. Credit Card Program. Insurance carriers typically require plan participants who have yet to be entered into their eligibility systems to pay up-front for medical services. We use a Higginbotham credit card during the transitional period to eliminate this financial burden for your employees. Single Source Administration. Our in-house administrative services group facilitates your benefits administration through Internet technology and expert human resources. Online Enrollment and Administration. Secure automated systems designed and maintained by leading benefits administrators let you combine plan enrollment and selection, employee communication, data transfer and consolidated billing workflows to maximize your productivity. Call Response Center. Our trained benefits administrators answer your employees phone calls, giving them a vehicle for benefits support without draining your human resource staff. Section 125 Plan Administration. We guarantee administration of your reimbursement plan with a 24- to 72-hour turnaround on claim checks via direct deposit as well as online access to account balances. Web-Based Benefits Portal. Our client-branded benefits portal provides your employees with information such as plan design, contribu tions and enrollment forms. Zywave Benefits Management System. Zywave enables us to provide an actuarial analysis of your claims data. The Internet-driven system also gives you access to legislation, customized HR documents, your own benefits Web site and the ability to send private information through a secure HIPAA compliant portal. Employee Communications. Our communications experts enhance your enrollment campaign and plan election process with customized benefit overviews, payroll stuffers, newsletters, enrollment guides and other employee communiqué. Corporate Wellness Programs. Our on-staff consultant develops results-driven wellness initiatives and incentive programs that engage your employees in adopting healthy behaviors to enhance productivity, boost morale and improve your bottom line. Retirement Plan Services. We have a department solely dedicated to implementing and supporting your employee retirement plan, e.g. 401(k), Profit Sharing, Money Purchase, Defined Benefit and 403(b). Our securities licensed representatives also help you design an employee education program. Voluntary Worksite Benefits. We enable your employees to purchase multiple supplemental insurance plans in addition to their group ben efits. Our worksite specialists will research, evaluate and compare the numerous plans available in the market to select the best mix for your employees. Life and Executive Compensation. We help reduce your premiums and increase your death benefits with low-load life insurance products, thereby maximizing the dollars paid into your policy. We also help you determine efficient ways to reward your executives with performance-based benefits.