United Benefit Advisors Introduces New Partners; Continues Steady Growth

INDIANAPOLIS and CHICAGO, September 29, 2003 -- United Benefit Advisors (UBA) (http://unitedbenefitadvisors.com ), a partnership of the nation's premier independent benefit advisory firms, introduced 14 new partner firms, an array of new resources, and expanded strategic alliances at its recent meeting in Chicago. Founded in July 2002, UBA has experienced phenomenal growth during its fourteen-month history. Its annual employee benefits revenues rank it as one of the five largest employee benefits brokerage organizations in the United States.

"Our partnership in UBA allows us to combine our unique expertise with other best-in-class consulting firms across the nation to compete effectively with the other national houses," said Michael R. Johnson, CEO of Johnson & Dugan Insurance Services Corporation in San Bruno, CA. "Our firm and our clients now have the best of all worlds: national coverage, unique regional knowledge, and access to true, top-notch expertise in all fields related to employee benefits."

To further realize its vision, UBA announced a number of new strategic alliances which provide its partner firms with preferred product and service delivery from some of the nation's leading insurers, a best-in-class Benefits Modeling tool, and three integrated Client Relationship Management/Commission Tracking solutions to serve the varied needs of individual UBA partner firms.

Joining approximately 160 participants at its Chicago meeting were sponsors: Jefferson Pilot Financial, Employers Reinsurance Corp., United Healthcare, Colonial Supplemental, Humana, Pharmacare, and Trustmark Insurance. "It's easy to see why United Benefit Advisors has grown so quickly as an organization," said Joel Suarez, Senior Vice President, National Sales & Account Management for United Healthcare. "When so many of the nation's leading employee benefits firms work together, the customer wins."

Partnership in UBA is limited to 150 of the nation's top independent employee benefit firms. Currently, 67 firms who have met stringent financial and professional credentialing requirements and who commit to abide by the most thorough code of ethics in the benefits industry comprise UBA's partner roster.

Welcomed as UBA's newest partner firms were:

• Lawson, Marino & Bertera Insurance Agency, Inc., (Springfield, MA)
• Schwendeman Agency, Inc., (Marietta, OH)
• John D. Becker & Associates, (Mandeville, LA)
• First Harbor Group, LLC, (Houston, TX)
• Johnson & Dugan Insurance Services Corporation, (San Bruno, CA)
• Lehigh Valley Benefits Group, Inc., (Allentown, PA)
• Managed Benefits, Inc., (Richmond, VA)
• JRW Associates, (Raleigh, NC)
• AMCORP Insurance & Financial Services, (San Antonio, TX)
• Horstmann Financial and Insurance Services, (Fresno, CA)
• CCI Benefit Solutions, (Columbus, OH)
• Brinson Benefits, (Dallas, TX)
• The Kane Agency, Inc., (Little Rock, AR)
• Ferguson Employee Benefit Agency, (Greenville, SC)

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