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Companies Across State Assessing Selves, Eying Competition in Benefits Survey

GREENVILLE, SC – July 7, 2008 – Upstate-based Rosenfeld Einstein, a major regional insurance agent/broker, has announced that nearly 100 businesses from 35 cities across South Carolina have already submitted their information to participate in the bi-annual 2008 South Carolina Employer Benefits Survey since its launch in June.

The confidential survey, which debuted in 2004, is designed to help business owners and company leaders benchmark their health benefit programs against peers and competitors, evaluate their competitive position, and determine if their organizations are providing competitive packages – or if they are at risk of losing valued talent.

Conducted in partnership with numerous chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, statewide businesses and human resource associations, the detailed survey provides businesses with qualitative and quantitative data on employee benefit programs at no cost for participation, notes Howard Einstein, a principal in Rosenfeld Einstein. Among the many notable organizations supporting the initiative are the Upstate Alliance, Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, Greenville Area Development Corporation, South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and others.

“The tremendous response from across the state validates our belief that businesses want actionable information to help them grow and succeed,” said Einstein. “To date, businesses from across South Carolina representing more than 23,000 jobs and dozens of industries have entered their data, and companies continue to come to the website and participate.”

To date, 33% of companies contributing data represent the manufacturing/distribution industry in South Carolina, followed by construction (13 %), healthcare (14 %), government/municipalities (8%),and financial services, technology and professional services (7 % each). Nearly a dozen other industry sectors, from aviation and hospitality to real estate and telecommunications, also have participated thus far.

“We believe this diverse make-up is very representative of today’s economic base in South Carolina,” said Einstein. “Manufacturing is still hugely important to our
state, yet we continue to see growth and evolution from the manufacturing base of years past to more of a knowledge-economy base. These numbers, and the diversity of these participating companies, really bears out this transition in our state.”

Rosenfeld Einstein has sourced data from a national consulting firm to append to the statewide survey, allowing it to benchmark participants both statewide and nationally, and will provide each participating company across South Carolina with its own custom report and data.

While ideal for midsized and larger businesses, Rosenfeld Einstein is making the program available to any business with 20 or more full-time employees, noted Einstein. “That’s a sweet spot for South Carolina organizations, since we tend to have many smaller companies in the 20+ employee range across the state. We want to make this critically important information available to as many as possible.”

Containing over 200 data points, the Rosenfeld Einstein survey will help businesses compare their benefits package offerings to competitors in such areas as:

 Deductibles
 Office Visit Co-payments
 Prescription Drug Co-payments
 Medical Plan Increases
 Monthly Premiums (Single/Family)
 Monthly Employee Contributions
 Implementation of wellness programs

Every participating organization receives a customized analysis comparing their plan to others locally and nationally. All information is held in confidence, and participating company information is only shared with that company. At the completion of the survey, Rosenfeld Einstein will present aggregated data from across the state to survey participants at a seminar in Greenville in late September, at which time attendees will receive the individual benchmark reports for their organization. Participants unable to attend the seminar will have their reports mailed to them.

“The real value of this one-of-a-kind initiative is in helping companies understand where they are competitively, both locally and nationally, in recruiting and retaining their best associates,” noted Einstein. “The survey is quick, easy, customized – and it helps organizations make better informed decisions about their benefit plans based on real-time market data.”

“For South Carolina to continue to advance in the global economy, this type of benchmark information is essential to every forward-thinking organization, and we’re pleased to make it available,” Einstein added.

Organizations wishing to participate in the survey can enter their data confidentially online. Go to www.RosenfeldEinstein.com and click on 2008 SC Employer Benefits Survey to complete the survey. The deadline for organizations to complete the online survey is July 18, 2008.

For additional information on Rosenfeld Einstein or the 2008 South Carolina Employer Benefits Survey, contact David Slade at (864) 255-4512 or via email at info@rosenfeldeinstein.com.

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Rosenfeld Einstein is a regional, full-service insurance agent/brokerage and consulting firm. Areas of specialty range from employee benefits to personal and commercial property and casualty, financial services, professional liability, risk management, claims management, workplace safety and wellness. Visit them on the web at www.RosenfeldEinstein.com.