Our People

The Principals

Kay M. Griffin, kgriffin@benecomllc.com  

Kay, Principal and co-founder of BeneCom Associates, LLC, has been in and around employee benefits for most of her professional life, including stints with two of the country’s major health insurance carriers.

At BeneCom, Kay brings her Midwest background and work ethic to bear on her main responsibility: Heading up the “Keep Clients Happy” department. She sets the exacting — some might call them fanatical — quality standards for which we’re known, with special emphasis on attention-to-detail and timeliness. She’s also one of the first to go out on a press check, spend weekends proofreading copy, inspect potential vendors’ facilities and jump in during a crisis. And when pressed, she’s even been known to go on a sales call – although she’ll never call them that.

Away from the office, Kay is a voracious reader of mystery novels, and in the summer time you can find her toting two or three of them to one of her favorite beaches. And despite her Midwestern upbringing, she’s a devoted (do we want to use the term “fanatical” again?) fan of University of Connecticut basketball, both Men’s and Women’s teams.

William E. Griffin, wgriffin@benecomllc.com

Bill is a BeneCom Principal and co-founder with overall responsibility for sales, marketing and finance. He’s also our “big picture” strategy guy with a background in group insurance sales, consulting, marketing and underwriting that spans more than two decades, Bill’s experience is vital when we have to put our arms around the ever-changing challenges the benefits world presents us.

Bill has also published articles on benefits communication issues that have appeared in national publications, such as Employee Benefit Plan Review, LIMRA’s Market Facts and CCH’s Employee Benefits Communication Toolkit. (See this site’s Download section for copies of some of these articles). He’s also been interviewed for articles that appeared in Fidelity Insight and Fidelity’s Connections.

Bill’s out-of-office passion is sailing his 28-foot Newport, Over Budget, on Long Island Sound, but he’s recently added fly fishing on Connecticut’s famed Farmington River to his list of water-related activities (so far the fish don’t have a thing to fear).

 

The People Who Do the Work

Marilyn (Lyn) Jones, Office Manager, ljones@benecomllc.com

If you ever need innumerable tasks juggled at one time, find yourself a Lyn Jones!  As BeneCom’s Office Manager, Lyn is the go-to person for all of our logistical, payroll, benefits, accounting, tax, legal, insurance and environmental (meaning getting the landlord on the horn when the HV/AC is on the fritz) and budgetary issues. Then, in her spare time, Lyn has also been known to act as the office confidant and go-between when “delicate” matters (aka, time off) need to be brought to the attention of the Principals, plus rumor control (“No. Salaries are not going to double next year.”) and morale.

Lyn does manage to sneak away to enjoy some personal time. More often than not she can be found giving of herself by helping others, and, just occasionally, flying to some faraway place to enjoy a different culture and scenery.

Meghan Ward, Senior Account Manager, mward@benecomllc.com

Every organization needs someone who seems to be able to make the impossible…well, possible! We first “discovered” Meghan when she came to us as a temp, but we soon discovered her value by experiencing first-hand her extraordinary attention to detail, her willingness to take on difficult assignments and her can-do attitude. Clients love her organization, follow-up and timely delivery, and so do we!

Needless to say, Meghan is a valuable member of the organization. She is also the second member of our systems “department,” even chipping in to help when the more technologically challenged members of the team (i.e., the Principals) are at their wits end.

Something else you should know about Meghan: if she tells you to go take a hike, it’s really a good thing. After all, she is an avid hiker, having tackled trails in the Rockies, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Our feet hurt just thinking about it! 

And in keeping with her spirit of adventure, Meghan and her husband  moved to the San Francisco area a few years ago, but, true-to-form, she continues to keep our clients happy via telecommuting no matter where they’re located (full disclosure:  our clients in the Pacific and Mountain time zones really love the new set-up!).   

Lori Barger, Customer Service Associate, lbarger@benecomllc.com

Lori’s background spans the country: Indiana, Pennsylvania, Nevada, California and now Connecticut.  And at every stop, she’s always managed to find varied and exciting opportunities with organizations, including a number of non-profits, who benefited from her endless levels of energy, dedication and creativity.

Lori’s experience enabled her to hit the ground running when she came to BeneCom.  Circumstances allowed us to test all her skills and experience almost immediately, and she eagerly rose to the challenge by taking on a number of very exciting assignments for high visibility clients, and then ask for more, which we gladly gave her.  She’s shown an ability to handle it all and meet our clients’ most perplexing problems with unique and cost effective solutions … and those clients are delighted!

Aside from being a “closet interior designer” (we hear she’s constantly rearranging the furniture and adding new pieces) Lori loves to write.  She also has a soft spot in her heart for charitable causes, especially those involving children.  Oh, did we mention she also has a great sense of humor?  

Christie Widman, Communication Coordinator, cwidman@benecomllc.com

Christie came to us after spending time with a couple of major companies where she held responsibilities in operations and customer service areas. 

Prior to joining the workforce full time, Christie attended the University of Connecticut where she distinguished herself by earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing — in 2 ½ years with a 3.8 overall GPA (3.9 in her major), honors distinctions and an impressive list of volunteer activities! 

At BeneCom, Christie’s main mission as Communication Coordinator is to support her colleagues in their media production efforts. She also supports the Principals and Office Manager in their day-to-day activities and is our resident systems expert, proofreader, production tracker and logistics expert.  In short, Christie is responsible for just about everything.

Out of the office we suspect Christie cultivates an interest in writing. She’s taken a number of courses in writing, editing and writing research, so maybe there’s a book in the offing? 

In the time she’s been with us, Christie’s work ethic, organization and attention to detail have made a positive impression on the entire staff and our clients. She’s proactive, thorough, focused and committed — all the characteristics any organization would like to see in a colleague.