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

    Driving Communications and Engagement: Open Enrollment

    Our experts will walk you through a strategic planning process to make sure you’re sharing in a way that not only drives employee awareness and engagement but also reaches your workforce across platforms with what they need to know about choosing the right benefits for them and their families. 

    August 15, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Alera Engage - Webinar

    Employee Benefits

    Q3 Compliance Update

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

    September 3, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Webinar graphic - Alera Engage

    Employee Benefits

    Collaborative Conversations: 2025 - What to Expect and What You Need to Know

    Save the date for a conversation in September where we will discuss the impending PLO changes by BOLI and the Employment Department, their impacts, and other critical considerations.

    September 12, 2024 at 08:30 am PT | Virtual

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    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Employee Benefits

    Benefits Benchmarking Webinar: What To Do With the Data

    If you’re designing your company’s employee benefits program, you want to know what your peers and competitors are offering. Employee retention and talent acquisition are largely dependent on whether you offer a benefits package that meets or exceeds the standards of your industry, location and company size while managing costs in an increasingly expensive market for healthcare and pharmaceuticals. That’s why Alera Group places a high priority on using benchmarking data and analysis to inform and otherwise serve our clients.

    July 1, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    How To Lower Healthcare Costs While Improving Benefit Offerings

    Join us on June 20 for a one-hour webinar designed to help you eliminate wasteful healthcare spending while providing your employees with benefits that attract and retain talent. We’ll take you through our three-step solution.

    June 11, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Legal Alert: PCORI Fees Due by July 31, 2024

    Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) should keep in mind the upcoming July 31, 2024, 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 7, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Legal Alert: CMS Redesigns the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program Beginning in 2025

    As a result of the changes to Medicare Part D under §11201 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, on April 1, 2024, CMS released Final Redesign Program Instructions (“Final Program Instructions”) for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which are effective starting in 2025.

    May 30, 2024

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