About Us
Since 1999, Champion Benefits has been a trusted partner for our clients. Led by Neil Phillips, who has been consistently recognized as a Top Employee Benefit Advisor by Atlanta Business Chronicle/NAIFA, our mission is to transform the client experience by providing a greater depth and breadth of cutting-edge tools and resources, personalized solutions, innovative thinking, and top tier collaboration.
Our highly vetted and experienced benefits team has become known as a leading curator of advanced benefit solutions. The founding aspirational vision was reflected in “Champion” being part of our name, which means “to work for or fight for the cause of another; to contend for another’s rights.” This continues to undergird our approach and commitment to our clients.
In 2018, Champion Benefits joined Alera Group as the first firm based in Georgia. Since then, Alera Group has grown to become the 11th largest independent insurance and financial services firm in the nation with over 4,200 employees, 180 firms, and thousands of clients across the country.
Throughout this evolution, what remains consistent is holding our clients at the core of our focus. Which is to say, we do employee benefits with you and your employees wellbeing and success at the center of all we do. The Way It Should Be.
Meet Our Team
Sydney Cain
Account Manager
Sydney joined Alera Group in 2023 and has over 10 years of customer service experience in the insurance, staffing and technology fields. Sydney’s passion lies in helping others, and she takes pride in delivering exceptional service with empathy, understanding, and efficiency. With a degree in business and a customer-centric approach, Sydney is dedicated to making a positive impact with everyone she encounters while assisting in day to day questions and long term projects.
Nick Frazier
Account Manager
Nick joined Alera Group with over seven years of employee benefits experience, managing accounts and leading benefit technology implementations/integrations. Nick has a degree in business/finance and brings front-line experience as well as knowledge of day-to-day challenges of all aspects of employee benefit administration. Nick takes high interest in getting to know his clients and is responsible for supporting day to day employee/HR questions and overseeing vendor project plans and implementations.
Abby Abraham
Account Executive
With over seven years of experience in group benefits, Abby has managed a diverse portfolio of accounts – ranging in size, industry and funding arrangements. His approach is grounded in responsiveness, precision and a commitment to helping clients navigate the complexities of employee benefits. Abby prides himself on providing proactive, solutions-oriented service that empowers employers to support their employees effectively. Abby holds a Bachelors Degree in Public Health and a Masters Degree in Health Administration.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
2025 Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Report: How Does Your Benefits Program Stack Up?
In this session, our experts will dive into the results of our annual, market-leading benchmarking survey.
June 26, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Dynamic Data: Strategies for Success
Join us for this session, as our experts will share how to utilize your organization’s data to create advanced and innovative strategies for success.
July 17, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Preparing for Open Enrollment: How to Engage and Educate Your Employees on Their Total Benefits Package
In this session, our experts will share guidance on setting yourself up for success during Open Enrollment.
August 21, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Benchmarking: How Do Your Organization’s Employee Benefits Offerings Stack Up?
For the sixth consecutive year, Alera Group is offering a valuable piece of market intelligence: our Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Report. We’ll introduce the 2025 edition on its release date, June 26, with a one-hour webinar beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
June 5, 2025
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Employee Benefits
Reminder: PCORI Fees Due By July 31, 2025
Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) should keep in mind the upcoming July 31, 2025 deadline for paying fees that fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) via Form 720, which was recently updated and released by the IRS.
June 3, 2025
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Benefits Captives: Your Business and What Your Competitors Are Doing
In one form or another, Captive Insurance has existed as a risk management solution for many decades — originally for property and casualty coverage and primarily for large employers. But its viability as a solution for employee benefits and for midsized businesses has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by volatility in the insurance market in general and by the skyrocketing cost of health insurance in particular.
May 29, 2025
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Agencies Push Pause Button on Enforcement of MHPAEA 2024 Final Rule
On May 15, 2025, the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Treasury Department (collectively, the “Agencies”) released a statement regarding the Agencies’ recent request for abeyance of a lawsuit filed by the ERISA Industry Committee (“ERIC”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that challenged certain aspects of Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) Final Rule (“2024 Final Rule”) relating to nonquantitative treatment limitation comparative analyses (“NQTL analyses”).
May 16, 2025
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