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10 Hartford Business Journal • December 7, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com estimates, including nearly 14 percent who relo- cated to Florida. Overall, Connecticut lost 13,285 more residents than it gained last year. "We reached the conclusion we needed to be down there [in Florida] in a more formal way,'' said Hayes, partner and chair of Day Pitney's Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Stamford law firm Cummings & Lock- wood four decades ago opened the first of its three Florida offices. Hartford law firm Robinson & Cole, too, has had an expanding Florida presence, now in Miami, since 2003. "One of the draws for clients,'' said Cum- mings Chairman and Managing Partner Jon- athan B. Mills, "is that Florida has no state income tax and no state estate tax. That's becoming an increasing draw to people who live in high-tax states such as Connecticut." But once they land, Connecticut law firms aren't shy about expanding their existing client rosters, into delivering their trust-estate advi- sory and transactional services to the locals. "This isn't about just serving existing cli- ents,'' Hayes said. "It's about growing the prac- tice in a geographic location where the num- ber of high net worth clients is increasing.'' As of Jan. 1, seven Chapin, Ballerano & Cheslack lawyers and 13 support staff will officially join Day Pitney. Both firms will share the same Boca Raton and Delray Beach offices, but will retain their respective firm names for an unspecified period, Hayes said. It's not only the law firms that benefit, Hayes said. Relocated clients, he said, wel- come the opportunity to retain their lawyer relationships. For many, choosing another lawyer, Hayes said, is analogous to having to find another doctor to replace one they lost. "Clients are enthusiastic about keeping their relationship with their lawyer,'' he said. "The reason this works is that we know them so well and they know us well.'' The general pro- file of relocated cli- ents is that nearly all are age 50 and older, and almost evenly split between men and women, Hayes said. Hayes said he personally expects to visit Flor- ida two to three times this winter, meeting with trust and estate clients and overseeing office operations there. He won't be alone, he says. "We will find more partners spending time in Florida, meeting with clients and, hopeful- ly, finding new client relationships,'' he said. Day Pitney, too, has a general corporate practice in Florida that also can benefit from its expanded presence, Hayes said. He noted that Connecticut-based hedge funds and equi- ty-investment firms are ongoing targets for Florida's business-development recruiters. Indeed, the homepage for the County Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Fla., claims 130 hedge funds and pri- vate-equity firms are based there. It also lists charts comparing Florida's zero tax rate to Connecticut's and New York's respective 6.7 percent and 12.7 percent top marginal income- tax rates, and their respective 12 percent and 16 percent top marginal estate-tax rates. In 2012, shortly after Connecticut raised income and other taxes, investor Edward Lampert made national headlines when he announced his multi-billion-dollar hedge fund, ESL Invest- ments, was moving from Greenwich to Florida. Sunshine State competition Scott Beach is Day Pitney's part- ner and chair of its transactions prac- tice group, handling such matters as realty sales, transfers and development, and business mergers and acquisitions. Beach said the firm has pursued in Florida family and closely held business clients, or so-called "family offices'' — enterprises set up to manage family real estate holdings and personal investments — that want to shield as much wealth as they can from states' tax collectors. "That's an area where we have a very deep and sophisticated practice in,'' Beach said. "Having a practice in Florida makes it easier to attract those family offices located there.'' But the extra legal competition has raised eyebrows among Florida's statewide legal community. According to the Florida Bar Asso- ciation, its members cited "too many lawyers'' among their top three frets in surveys in 2011 and 2013, although any specific concern about out-of-state firms penetrating their market wasn't raised, a spokeswoman said. Some Connecticut lawyers don't under- stand the fuss. They note that, unlike most states, Florida lacks a reciprocal licensing agreement that allows attorneys licensed in another state to legally practice there. So all practicing Florida attorneys must pass its bar exam to be licensed there. That's the reason, Beach said, it was simpler for Day Pitney to team up with Florida's Chapin, Ballerano & Cheslack to serve its Connecticut clients there. "It's not as if we're opening up a new firm or office down there,'' he said. "We're combining with a firm that has been in that market 40-plus years.'' It's been about that long since Cummings & Lockwood opened its first Florida office in Naples, in 1977, said Mills, the managing partner. Cummings also has a West Hartford office. "We had a number of clients at the time who were moving to Florida, and switching domiciles,'' Mills said. "We grew from there and found that Florida is a strong market- place for us.'' Later, Cummings opened offices in Bonita Springs, on the southwest coast, and in North Palm Beach, on the southeast coast. A total 25 attorneys, plus an equal number of parale- gals and other support staff, enable the firm to serve the nearby pools of wealthy Florida natives, Mills said. As a result, Cummings & Lockwood's Flori- da experience has been a "very happy'' one, he said. Mills added that the advent of wireless and mobile communications technology, plus email and the Internet, have made it easier and cheaper for law firms and others to operate remote offices. Downsides for such expansions are few, firms say. Hayes admits Day Pitney risks squan- dering its opportunity if it fails to cultivate new relationships, or doesn't retain clients as its lawyers retire or move to other firms. "That's not our model,'' he said. n from page 1 Southward push yields more law clients, too Gregory Hayes, trusts and estates chair, Day Pitney Scott Beach, transactions group chair, Day Pitney THE LIST To view the full list, please visit HartfordBusiness.com Largest employee-benefits consultants in the Hartford region (Ranked by number of local licensed employee benefits consultants as of Oct. 2015) Rank Company Licensed consultants: local/ total Employees: local/ total Sell: insurance/ investment services Services offered Top local executive(s) Year founded 1 USI Consulting Group 95 Glastonbury Blvd. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-633-5283; www.usicg.com 76 136 212 4,400 Y Y 401(k) and defined contribution, defined benefit and actuarial, health and welfare administration, consulting and brokerage, underwriting analytical, wellness, investment strategies, regulatory and compliance, employee communications and enrollment Bill Tremko President 1975 2 Ovation (1) 5 Batterson Park Road, Ste. 1 Farmington, CT 06032 860-409-7200; www.ovationbenefits.com 31 405 45 670 Y N Plan management, risk management, regulatory compliance, plan design, medical management evaluations, financial analysis and reporting, benchmarking, technology solutions, customized workforce health programs, eligibility and enrollment Brian Driscoll Managing principal 2002 3 Milliman Inc. 80 Lamberton Road Windsor, CT 06095 860-687-2110; www.milliman.com 28 38 75 3,000 N N Consulting services for employee benefits, investment, compensation, health, life, financial, property and casualty Althea A. Schwartz Principal, consulting actuary 1947 4 PASI LLC 231 Farmington Ave. Farmington, CT 06032 860-284-6880; www.pasiusa.com 25 25 28 28 N Y Consulting, design and administration of 401(k), 403(b), 457, non- qualified, cash balance and defined benefit, plan benchmarking services, education and communication, record-keeping support and payroll services Ron Fishman David Wetsman Randy Bliss Principals 1996 4 Willis of CT LLC 185 Asylum St., Floor 25 Hartford, CT 06103 860-278-1320; www.willis.com 25 25 110 18,000 Y Y Brokerage and consulting services John Lyon Managing partner 1828 6 Pension Consultants Inc. 74 Batterson Park Road Farmington, CT 06032 860-676-8000; www.mypensionconsultants.com 23 NA 31 31 N N Administration and consulting for 401(k) and all types of defined- contribution plans, in-house actuarial for defined-benefit and cash- balance plans Michael J. Roach William J. Anastasiades Frank P. Rossi Partners 1971 7 The Segal Group 30 Waterside Dr., Ste. 300 Farmington, CT 06032 860-678-3000; www.segalco.com 20 731 26 975 Y Y Actuarial, benefits, compensation and human resources consulting John Flynn Senior Vice President and East regional manager 1939 8 Smith Brothers Insurance LLC 68 National Dr. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-652-3235; www.smithbrothersusa.com 17 17 140 144 Y Y Independent insurance and financial services agency offering business and personal insurance, employee benefits, surety, 401(k), risk management Kimberley S. Connolly Executive vice president 1971 9 C.M. Smith Agency Inc. 100 Pearl St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-990-6400; www.cmsmith.com 15 17 26 26 Y Y Employee benefits and insurance services John F. O'Connell President 1974 9 eBenefits Group Northeast LLC 30 Mill St. Unionville, CT 06085 860-675-4227; www.ebenefitsgroup.com 15 15 16 16 Y Y Full-service employee benefits Stephen J. Repka II Managing principal 1995 9 Mercer Health and Benefits 20 Church St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-723-5770; www.mercer.com 15 15 20 6,360 Y Y Brokerage, consulting, outsourcing, investments, strategic program development and implementation, private active and retiree exchange solutions Brian Hirko Principal 1937 Fiduciary Investment Advisors LLC Largest employee-benefits consultants in the Hartford region (Ranked by number of local licensed employee benefits consultants as of Oct. 2015) Rank Company Licensed consultants: local/ total Employees: local/ total Sell: insurance/ investment services Services offered Top local executive(s) Year founded 1 USI Consulting Group 95 Glastonbury Blvd. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-633-5283; www.usicg.com 76 136 212 4,400 Y Y 401(k) and defined contribution, defined benefit and actuarial, health and welfare administration, consulting and brokerage, underwriting analytical, wellness, investment strategies, regulatory and compliance, employee communications and enrollment Bill Tremko President 1975 2 Ovation (1) 5 Batterson Park Road, Ste. 1 Farmington, CT 06032 860-409-7200; www.ovationbenefits.com 31 405 45 670 Y N Plan management, risk management, regulatory compliance, plan design, medical management evaluations, financial analysis and reporting, benchmarking, technology solutions, customized workforce health programs, eligibility and enrollment Brian Driscoll Managing principal 2002 3 Milliman Inc. 80 Lamberton Road Windsor, CT 06095 860-687-2110; www.milliman.com 28 38 75 3,000 N N Consulting services for employee benefits, investment, compensation, health, life, financial, property and casualty Althea A. Schwartz Principal, consulting actuary 1947 4 PASI LLC 231 Farmington Ave. Farmington, CT 06032 860-284-6880; www.pasiusa.com 25 25 28 28 N Y Consulting, design and administration of 401(k), 403(b), 457, non- qualified, cash balance and defined benefit, plan benchmarking services, education and communication, record-keeping support and payroll services Ron Fishman David Wetsman Randy Bliss Principals 1996 4 Willis of CT LLC 185 Asylum St., Floor 25 Hartford, CT 06103 860-278-1320; www.willis.com 25 25 110 18,000 Y Y Brokerage and consulting services John Lyon Managing partner 1828 6 Pension Consultants Inc. 74 Batterson Park Road Farmington, CT 06032 860-676-8000; www.mypensionconsultants.com 23 NA 31 31 N N Administration and consulting for 401(k) and all types of defined- contribution plans, in-house actuarial for defined-benefit and cash- balance plans Michael J. Roach William J. Anastasiades Frank P. Rossi Partners 1971 7 The Segal Group 30 Waterside Dr., Ste. 300 Farmington, CT 06032 860-678-3000; www.segalco.com 20 731 26 975 Y Y Actuarial, benefits, compensation and human resources consulting John Flynn Senior Vice President and East regional manager 1939 8 Smith Brothers Insurance LLC 68 National Dr. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-652-3235; www.smithbrothersusa.com 17 17 140 144 Y Y Independent insurance and financial services agency offering business and personal insurance, employee benefits, surety, 401(k), risk management Kimberley S. Connolly Executive vice president 1971 9 C.M. Smith Agency Inc. 100 Pearl St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-990-6400; www.cmsmith.com 15 17 26 26 Y Y Employee benefits and insurance services John F. O'Connell President 1974 9 eBenefits Group Northeast LLC 30 Mill St. Unionville, CT 06085 860-675-4227; www.ebenefitsgroup.com 15 15 16 16 Y Y Full-service employee benefits Stephen J. Repka II Managing principal 1995 9 Mercer Health and Benefits 20 Church St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-723-5770; www.mercer.com 15 15 20 6,360 Y Y Brokerage, consulting, outsourcing, investments, strategic program development and implementation, private active and retiree exchange solutions Brian Hirko Principal 1937 12 Fiduciary Investment Advisors LLC 100 Northfield Dr., 4th Floor Windsor, CT 06095 860-683-1187; www.fiallc.com 14 16 52 54 N Y Institutional investment advisory and co-fiduciary services for 401(k), 403(b), and defined-benefit plan sponsors, nonprofits and private clients Mark Wetzel President 2006 13 Robert Hensley & Associates 10 Avon Meadow Lane, Suite 1 Avon, CT 06001 860-678-1090; www.hensleyassociates.com 13 13 14 14 Y Y Employee benefits including medical, dental, life, short- and long-term disability and long-term care insurance, 401(k), retirement plans, asset management and individual insurance Robert S. Hensley Managing member 1991 14 May, Bonee & Walsh 180 Glastonbury Blvd. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-430-3700; www.mayboneewalsh.com 10 10 14 14 Y Y Independent insurance and financial planning agency offering employee and executive benefits including medical, dental, life, long- and short-term disability, long-term care and 401(k) employee retirement plans Edwin H. May, III Philip M. Bonee Partners 1985 14 Schuster Driscoll LLC 135 South Road Farmington, CT 06032 860-409-7520; www.schusterdriscoll.com 10 11 19 20 Y Y Employee benefits, HR consulting services, retirement services, insurance Rollin G. Schuster President 1989 16 Hooker & Holcombe Inc. 65 LaSalle Road West Hartford, CT 06107 860-521-8400; www.hhconsultants.com 8 8 60 61 N Y (2) Comprehensive actuarial, retirement plan, and investment advisory consulting services for corporations, nonprofits and municipalities in the Northeast region; wealth management services are also available Richard S. Sych President 1956 17 Benefit Resource Group LLC 930 Meriden Waterbury Tpke., Ste. 2A Plantsville, CT 06479 860-426-1602; www.benefit-resource- group.com 7 7 11 11 Y Y Independent employee-benefits broker and consultant offering health, dental, life, group disability and retirement services Edward J. Rapacky III President 1991 17 The Health Consultants Group 40 Corporate Ave. Plainville, CT 06062 860-351-0100; www.myhcg.com 7 10 27 32 Y N Designs for group medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, voluntary, long-term care, employee-assistance programs, business travel accident, association programs, Health Reimbursement Arrangements and wellness programs Brien F. Beakey President 1996 19 Professional Business Insurers 62 LaSalle Road West Hartford, CT 06107 860-233-1171; www.pbiins.com 6 6 10 11 Y Y Employee-benefit plans, financial services Richard Gutcheon President 1987 20 Benefits Plus Inc. 20 Tower Lane Avon, CT 06001 860-321-7964; www.benefitsplus.com 4 10 3 13 Y Y Design, sell and service medical, dental, life, disability pension, 401(k), 403(b) plans, enrollment services for worksite benefits and human resource outsourcing James W. Weiss President 1985 21 First Insure Inc. 270 Farmington Ave. Farmington, CT 06032-1909 860-677-5400; NA 1 4 1 2 Y N Providing all services relating to supplemental-benefit programs through the worksite via payroll deduction; professional counselors assist with benefit explanations, appropriate elections and personal Q and A Douglas W. Clark President 1983 21 Odyssey Advisors Inc. 11 Hayward Ave., Bldg. 4 Colchester, CT 06415 860-537-9080; www.odysseyadvisors.com 1 1 6 7 Y N Actuarial and pension consulting, GASB 45 valuation and consulting, third-party administration for 401(k) plans, defined-benefit and contribution plans, health and welfare brokerage, administration and more Parker Elmore President, CEO and actuary 1998 Source: Individual companies, websites and news reports. (1) A Digital Benefit Advisors company. (2) Institutional investment advisory and individual financial planning. —Compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher. Largest employee-benefits consultants in the Hartford region (Ranked by number of local licensed employee benefits consultants as of Oct. 2015) Rank Company Licensed consultants: local/ total Employees: local/ total Sell: insurance/ investment services Services offered Top local executive(s) Year founded 1 USI Consulting Group 95 Glastonbury Blvd. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-633-5283; www.usicg.com 76 136 212 4,400 Y Y 401(k) and defined contribution, defined benefit and actuarial, health and welfare administration, consulting and brokerage, underwriting analytical, wellness, investment strategies, regulatory and compliance, employee communications and enrollment Bill Tremko President 1975 2 Ovation (1) 5 Batterson Park Road, Ste. 1 Farmington, CT 06032 860-409-7200; www.ovationbenefits.com 31 405 45 670 Y N Plan management, risk management, regulatory compliance, plan design, medical management evaluations, financial analysis and reporting, benchmarking, technology solutions, customized workforce health programs, eligibility and enrollment Brian Driscoll Managing principal 2002 3 Milliman Inc. 80 Lamberton Road Windsor, CT 06095 860-687-2110; www.milliman.com 28 38 75 3,000 N N Consulting services for employee benefits, investment, compensation, health, life, financial, property and casualty Althea A. Schwartz Principal, consulting actuary 1947 4 PASI LLC 231 Farmington Ave. Farmington, CT 06032 860-284-6880; www.pasiusa.com 25 25 28 28 N Y Consulting, design and administration of 401(k), 403(b), 457, non- qualified, cash balance and defined benefit, plan benchmarking services, education and communication, record-keeping support and payroll services Ron Fishman David Wetsman Randy Bliss Principals 1996 4 Willis of CT LLC 185 Asylum St., Floor 25 Hartford, CT 06103 860-278-1320; www.willis.com 25 25 110 18,000 Y Y Brokerage and consulting services John Lyon Managing partner 1828 6 Pension Consultants Inc. 74 Batterson Park Road Farmington, CT 06032 860-676-8000; www.mypensionconsultants.com 23 NA 31 31 N N Administration and consulting for 401(k) and all types of defined- contribution plans, in-house actuarial for defined-benefit and cash- balance plans Michael J. Roach William J. Anastasiades Frank P. Rossi Partners 1971 7 The Segal Group 30 Waterside Dr., Ste. 300 Farmington, CT 06032 860-678-3000; www.segalco.com 20 731 26 975 Y Y Actuarial, benefits, compensation and human resources consulting John Flynn Senior Vice President and East regional manager 1939 8 Smith Brothers Insurance LLC 68 National Dr. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-652-3235; www.smithbrothersusa.com 17 17 140 144 Y Y Independent insurance and financial services agency offering business and personal insurance, employee benefits, surety, 401(k), risk management Kimberley S. Connolly Executive vice president 1971 9 C.M. Smith Agency Inc. 100 Pearl St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-990-6400; www.cmsmith.com 15 17 26 26 Y Y Employee benefits and insurance services John F. O'Connell President 1974 9 eBenefits Group Northeast LLC 30 Mill St. Unionville, CT 06085 860-675-4227; www.ebenefitsgroup.com 15 15 16 16 Y Y Full-service employee benefits Stephen J. Repka II Managing principal 1995 9 Mercer Health and Benefits 20 Church St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-723-5770; www.mercer.com 15 15 20 6,360 Y Y Brokerage, consulting, outsourcing, investments, strategic program development and implementation, private active and retiree exchange solutions Brian Hirko Principal 1937 12 Fiduciary Investment Advisors LLC 100 Northfield Dr., 4th Floor Windsor, CT 06095 860-683-1187; www.fiallc.com 14 16 52 54 N Y Institutional investment advisory and co-fiduciary services for 401(k), 403(b), and defined-benefit plan sponsors, nonprofits and private clients Mark Wetzel President 2006 13 Robert Hensley & Associates 10 Avon Meadow Lane, Suite 1 Avon, CT 06001 860-678-1090; www.hensleyassociates.com 13 13 14 14 Y Y Employee benefits including medical, dental, life, short- and long-term disability and long-term care insurance, 401(k), retirement plans, asset management and individual insurance Robert S. Hensley Managing member 1991 14 May, Bonee & Walsh 180 Glastonbury Blvd. Glastonbury, CT 06033 860-430-3700; www.mayboneewalsh.com 10 10 14 14 Y Y Independent insurance and financial planning agency offering employee and executive benefits including medical, dental, life, long- and short-term disability, long-term care and 401(k) employee retirement plans Edwin H. May, III Philip M. Bonee Partners 1985 14 Schuster Driscoll LLC 135 South Road Farmington, CT 06032 860-409-7520; www.schusterdriscoll.com 10 11 19 20 Y Y Employee benefits, HR consulting services, retirement services, insurance Rollin G. Schuster President 1989 16 Hooker & Holcombe Inc. 65 LaSalle Road West Hartford, CT 06107 860-521-8400; www.hhconsultants.com 8 8 60 61 N Y (2) Comprehensive actuarial, retirement plan, and investment advisory consulting services for corporations, nonprofits and municipalities in the Northeast region; wealth management services are also available Richard S. Sych President 1956 17 Benefit Resource Group LLC 930 Meriden Waterbury Tpke., Ste. 2A Plantsville, CT 06479 860-426-1602; www.benefit-resource- group.com 7 7 11 11 Y Y Independent employee-benefits broker and consultant offering health, dental, life, group disability and retirement services Edward J. Rapacky III President 1991 17 The Health Consultants Group 40 Corporate Ave. Plainville, CT 06062 860-351-0100; www.myhcg.com 7 10 27 32 Y N Designs for group medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, voluntary, long-term care, employee-assistance programs, business travel accident, association programs, Health Reimbursement Arrangements and wellness programs Brien F. Beakey President 1996 19 Professional Business Insurers 62 LaSalle Road West Hartford, CT 06107 860-233-1171; www.pbiins.com 6 6 10 11 Y Y Employee-benefit plans, financial services Richard Gutcheon President 1987 20 Benefits Plus Inc. 20 Tower Lane Avon, CT 06001 860-321-7964; www.benefitsplus.com 4 10 3 13 Y Y Design, sell and service medical, dental, life, disability pension, 401(k), 403(b) plans, enrollment services for worksite benefits and human resource outsourcing James W. Weiss President 1985 21 First Insure Inc. 270 Farmington Ave. Farmington, CT 06032-1909 860-677-5400; NA 1 4 1 2 Y N Providing all services relating to supplemental-benefit programs through the worksite via payroll deduction; professional counselors assist with benefit explanations, appropriate elections and personal Q and A Douglas W. Clark President 1983 21 Odyssey Advisors Inc. 11 Hayward Ave., Bldg. 4 Colchester, CT 06415 860-537-9080; www.odysseyadvisors.com 1 1 6 7 Y N Actuarial and pension consulting, GASB 45 valuation and consulting, third-party administration for 401(k) plans, defined-benefit and contribution plans, health and welfare brokerage, administration and more Parker Elmore President, CEO and actuary 1998 Source: Individual companies, websites and news reports. (1) A Digital Benefit Advisors company. (2) Institutional investment advisory and individual financial planning. —Compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher.