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Victoria J. Braden is President/CEO of a consulting company that specializes in providing employee benefit solutions to larger businesses.  Braden Benefit Strategies, Inc. realizes that developing long-term strategies for its clients to maintain cost controls and assure competitive employee benefit offerings is a key part of theservices needed in today’s environment.  Emphasis is placed on creating the most efficient operating procedures for businesses in the effort to curb the amount of work put forth by the human resource person, CFO, and business owner while complying with the rules set forth by the insurance carriers and the laws that govern the benefits arena.

Businesses have responded to this pro-active employee benefits company, leaning heavily on the knowledge and consulting services BBSI Provides.  The agency has grown phenomenally since its inception in 1996 with an average growth rate of 28% per year. Clients generally have a 3:1 or 4:1 return in the first year.  In fact, Braden touts the three CEO’s whose companies have saved more than $100,000 each of the past three years on their health insurance premium.  On average, these three companies have 100 employees. Other clients include high tech firms, manufacturing, CPA firms, churches and non-profit organizations, construction industry and related companies.

The Health Insurance Agency system is in great transition.  The NEW agency, as defined recently by an HR Manager, will realize that benefits is an “outsourced” function within the Human Resources department.  This will require new standards and a new skill set.  To be successful, the broker will need to become a part of the Human Resources team and form a “true” partnership with each of the companies that they consult and represent.  Victoria is leading the industry in creating this type of insurance agency.

In this leadership role, Health Insurance Underwriter a national monthly magazine publication has asked Victoria to write a column explaining the transition the industry is in.  Victoria has been asked to share with her peers nationally the changes she sees as well as the changes that need to be made by agents to keep up with this new environment.

Passion:

• To create an environment where business owners and their employees can excel at what they do best, trusting that their employee benefits are what they think they are and perform in the manner they expect should they need to use them
• To build the best employee benefit insurance agency and become a role model for other Christian business people
• God, Family, Entrepreneurs, Politics

Strengths:

• High Energy, Visionary, Passionate, Able to take a complicated subject and boil it down to simplistic terms and explain to others, Creative, Ethical

Recognition:

• Recognized by the National Association of Health Underwriters as a producer at the GOLDEN EAGLE CLUB Production level in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 the highest production recognized
• Featured in the recently published book, MAGNIFICENT MASTERS IN FINANCIAL SERVICES, Amazing Women – Sensational Stories, Ginger Cockerham, MCC and Diane Dixon, CLU
• Selected as the featured agent and introduced on the cover of Benefits Selling Magazine, November 2007       
• Awarded national CEO Council Leadership Award by the SBE Council (Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council), Washington, DC, September 2007                                                                                                                                
• One of the Top Ten Business Women in the United States as selected by the American Business Women’s Association in 1999
• Recognized by Women in Insurance and Financial Services:  Platinum Producer--2002, 2000 & 1999; Gold--1998, 1997, 1996;  and Silver--1995
• National Leadership Award 2003, President George W. Bush
• Stevie Award Finalist 2004, Best New Service of the Year; Benefits Road Map

Professional Activities:

• Testified before Congress, House Small Business Committee, “The Benefits of Health Savings Accounts” March 2004
• Vistage member 2005 to present
• National Health Insurance Chair, WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy) 2001-2005
• President, National Association of Women Business Owners, NAWBO-Atlanta 2001-2002
• National Board Member, Women in Insurance & Financial Services 1998-2001
• Local Board Member, Women in Insurance & Financial Services 1997-2001
• President, American Business Women’s Association, Gwinnett Charter Chapter 1997-1998
• Leadership Gwinnett Graduate 1994-1995

Speaking Engagements:

• Containing Rising Health Insurance Costs, CEO Summit, Nova Southeastern University, April 2007
• HSA’s – If This is Such a Good Thing, How Come my Company can’t Seem to Make it Work? Georgia Society of CPA’s Decision Makers Conference, April 2006
• Healthy Employees – An Expensive but Essential Part of Your Business, Columbia University, Women in Business Conference, February 2006
• Containing Rising Health Insurance Costs, National Payroll Association, Georgia State Convention, September 2004
• Health Insurance, What’s an Employer To Do?  British American Association, Spring, 2004
• What Will Group Health Insurance Look Like in 2010? Calling all CFOs & CEOs, Georgia Society of CPAs Decision Makers Conference, April 2004
• Keeping America’s Workforce Healthy:  Is Affordable Health Care Possible?  Washington, DC 2002