Hightstown, NJ

    About Us

    At CBSI we are uniquely equipped to help you unlock the engaged employee, because we’ve helped companies just like yours solve this problem without creating more cost.  Unlike other insurance brokers, CBSI engages in a multi-step process throughout the year to listen, learn and clarify your employee concerns, creating solutions that align your company’s benefits with their wants and needs.  But our approach goes beyond benefit solutions.  Through experience, we have come to understand that educating your employees on their benefits is often more important than the actual benefits themselves. Better solutions together with communication unlocks the engaged employee.

    For some this seems counter-intuitive, but it is a conversation you should not avoid. 96% of employees who are satisfied with their benefits are satisfied with their jobs, making tailored benefits and increased communication the best methods to shore up your bottom line.   Attacking and solving the ‘unhappy employee syndrome’ that many companies experience will give you an advantage over competitors while slashing your investments in recruiting, hiring and training.

    Great leaders see opportunity where others don’t. Real progress and real change for your company can only come with your vision. From your vantage point you are constantly looking for the next advantage, always understanding that there is always more to learn.

    Let us show you how to make your business better, in unexpected ways.

    Meet Our Team

    Vladimir St. Phard

    President & CEO
    Vladimir St. Phard

    Favorite Food: Buffalo Wings!

    Favorite Places & Flavors: Jughandle Inn, Silk City Diner, Skelly’s High Point Pub, St. Martin, Hot Blue Ranch, Garlic & Asian Chili, and Thai. Honorable mention goes to pizza, burgers, and my special brisket.

    Favorite Musician: Jonathan Butler

    Other Loves: I love simple fun things like spending time with my friends and family, watching sports, and, of course, consuming Buffalo wings.

    Why CBSI: My passion is to help businesses truly connect with their employees. Health insurance and other benefits play big roles in doing just that. By using your employee benefits as a tool and not a cost center, you can reduce employee stress and increase productivity and retention…. Plus, it just feels right!

    Rachelle St. Phard

    Chief Administrative Officer
    Rachelle St. Phard

    Favorite Food: Lobster

    Favorite Vacation Spot: St. Martin

    Favorite Song: Oceans by Hillsong

    Other Loves: I am passionate about volunteering and doing what I can to help others. I coordinate the CBSI sponsored annual charity Christmas party each year for The Word In Action International Ministries, and I am working year-round to make that event something really special for the kids.

    Why CBSI: I love problem-solving and helping people find the best solutions to their challenges. Whether it’s working with our employment benefit specialists to solve a client’s problem or juggling vendors and budgets for our charity events, taking the pieces apart and finding more effective alternative paths to resolution is my specialty.

    Donna Herrman

    Vice President
    Donna Herrman

    Favorite Vacation Spot: Any beach anywhere!

    Favorite Food: Sushi

    Favorite Song: This is amazing Grace by Phil Wickham

    Why CBSI: I am passionate about helping people navigate the healthcare maze during some of the most difficult times of their lives, and I specialize in the appeals process. Did you know that insurance companies don’t always make the final decision on your benefits claims? Every member has the right to file a complaint with the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, and it’s my job to ensure employees are covered, healthy, and engaged to the process and value of their benefits.

    Alexis Swart

    Bookkeeper & Account Manager
    Alexis Swart

    Favorite Color: Purple

    Favorite Movie: Grease

    Favorite Vacay Spot: Surf City, NJ!

    Why CBSI: For the past 10 years I have enjoyed working at CBSI, not only because it’s such a short commute from my home, but because I work with such amazing people – in the office and with our clients. Our teamwork is outstanding at CBSI. We collaborate and elevate each other in the name of finding the best resolutions for our clients, and because of it, our customers know they can count on us.

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Employee Benefits

    HIPAA Privacy and Security Overview

    Join our compliance experts for an overview of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules. During this webinar, we'll review the different types of entities subject to HIPAA, take an in-depth look at protected health information (PHI), individual rights under HIPAA and what to do when there is a breach of PHI.

    April 11, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Employee Benefits

    Balancing Cost and Care: Could a Captive solution be the right fit for you?

    In this session, our experts will discuss how Captive solutions work and what you need to consider for your own group’s needs.

    April 17, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Employee Benefits

    Q2 2025 Quarterly Compliance Webinar

    Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.

    May 6, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Employee Benefits

    Getting the Most From Your Voluntary Benefit Offerings

    Join Alera Group on Thursday, March 20, as we present the next in our Engage series of webinars, "Maximizing Impact: The Value of Voluntary Benefits for Today’s Workforce."

    March 6, 2025

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    Employee Benefits

    Building Connections To Support Employee Mental Health

    Mental Health Awareness Month begins in May, but to emphasize mental wellbeing as a year-round priority, Alera Group is getting an early start on distributing our new Mental Health Awareness Toolkit. Designed and refined by our Wellbeing team, the Toolkit is an employer resource to help you and your employees adopt healthy activities, build social connections and erode stigmas that have long hampered discussion of mental health.

    March 4, 2025

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    Employee Benefits

    Weighty Matter: Obesity, GLP-1s and the Rising Cost of Healthcare

    Obesity and health problems associated with it — including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, several types of cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and more — are primary factors that must be considered as employers seek to contain healthcare costs for their employers, as well as for themselves.

    February 26, 2025

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    Employee Benefits

    Reminder: RxDC Reporting Due June 1

    With the 2024 reference year RxDC reporting deadline approaching in June, plan sponsors should refamiliarize themselves with the reporting requirements. The 2024 reference year RxDC Reporting Instructions have been released, though there were no changes to the reporting requirements or data elements from last year.

    February 10, 2025

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