About Us
Alera Group is an independent, national insurance and financial services firm created in 2017 through a merger of 24 like-minded, high-performing, entrepreneurial firms. Our founding firms worked together to leverage powerful relationships, industry expertise, and resources with the goal of elevating the client experience.
The word “Alera” is derived from the Latin word for “eagle,” which is symbolic of prosperity and success. For us, success is demonstrated through the speed, simplicity, and efficiency of our service, along with the clarity of thought that our clients demand. We are committed to building on these attributes to enhance our strong local presence on a national scale.
Our Legacy Firms
Houston (formerly Ardent)
Ardent was one of 24 founding Alera Group firms, driven to come together by a desire to elevate the client experience through national resources and industry expertise. Ardent was established in 2007 by Bill Brown and Mike Noyes, and the firm quickly grew to become one of the largest firms serving the Houston and Dallas areas.
Dallas (Formerly Ardent)
Ardent was one of 24 founding Alera Group firms, driven to come together by a desire to elevate the client experience through national resources and industry expertise. Ardent was established in 2007 by Bill Brown and Mike Noyes, and the firm quickly grew to become one of the largest firms serving the Houston and Dallas areas.
San Antonio (formerly AMCORP)
AMCORP was founded in 1981 by William E. Zinsmeyer after a 13 year career at Prudential. The firm has established a reputation for integrity and professionalism. By shaping the business around a client-centered model, the AMCORP team created their own Results Discovery Process™ to help clients avoid the Benefits Merry-Go-Round™. Solving clients' needs and establishing long-term relationships helped AMCORP grow to become one of the largest firms in San Antonio.
Meet Our Team
Brenton Kidd, CIC
Producer
Brenton Kidd is a Multi-Line Producer for West Texas Insurance Exchange, Inc. He attended Texas Tech University, where he studied Marketing and Advertising. His main focus of expertise is in commercial sales, focusing on medium to large accounts, excelling in the oil and gas industry.
Brenton is licensed to sell property and casualty insurance. Brenton obtained his Certified Insurance Counselor designation through The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research in 2019. He is a graduate of the National Alliance School for Producer Development.
Brenton is married with three children. He enjoys being active in the community.
Christian Mango
Executive Vice President, Retirement Plan Services
As the national Practice Leader for Alera Group’s Retirement Plan Services division, Christian is responsible for growing the practice line and fostering innovative, collaborative solutions for plan sponsors and participants. Christian’s areas of expertise include supporting plan sponsors through plan design, employee education, investment analysis, benchmarking, fiduciary plan governing and aligning retirement plans with broader corporate goals and objectives.
Education: BA in Economics from Lehigh University; MBA from Boston College
John Mollica
Chief Information and Innovation Officer
John Mollica serves as the Chief Information and Innovation Officer at Alera Group, overseeing the vision, strategy and operations for the firm’s technology across the United States. Mollica is an accomplished industry executive with over 20 years of experience in Financial Services. Before joining Alera Group, he held senior management and product roles in insurtech. He has also previously held senior finance and transformation roles at Citigroup, AXA XL, and Marsh & McLennan.
Mollica graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, Operations and Strategic Management from Boston College.
Mike Noyes, CEBS, GBA, CMS
Managing Partner
Mike is the co-founder and the Managing Partner of Alera Group: Texas in Houston. For over 15 years he has focused on the consulting of corporate health and welfare programs. Mike has extensive managed care experience, expertise in ASO contracts, and alternately funded group insurance programs. He is involved in all aspects of negotiations, plan architecture, contribution strategy, carrier selection, employee communication plan, and ongoing support.
For his clients, Mike’s most significant contribution is his commitment to helping them get the attention, strategic analysis, and breadth of solutions generally reserved for larger corporations.
Before starting Alera Group: Texas, Mike was a Principal and Employee Benefits Division leader of one of the largest consulting firms in East Texas. He was also a Consultant with Great-West HealthCare (now a part of Cigna) and New England Financial. His job responsibilities were to assist the broker and consultant marketplace to produce self-funded sales in the mid-market employee segment.
Mike is a native Houstonian and a graduate of Texas State University with a degree in Finance. He is a frequent speaker and presenter for events throughout the region, an advisor for the National Employee Benefits Advisory Forum (NABF), and also volunteers with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Mike currently resides in Sugar Land, Texas with his wife and three kids.
Resources
Success Stories (downloads)
Captive Refesability Study for Fortune 500 Company
THE CHALLENGE Alera Group was requested to undertake a captive refeasibility study for an U.S. based multinational manufacturer of appliances with...
Enhancing a Healthcare Captive
THE CHALLENGE A non-profit multi-state health system with 35,000 employees wanted to conduct a feasibility study to determine if captive funding...
Quarry Faces Environmental Liability Query
THE CHALLENGE A large quarry operation owned a dig site that had been filled with a profusion of waste material following a mineral extraction....
An Alera Group member company based in Southern California was asked by the board of directors of a 400-unit condominium building to provide a bid...
Complicated Commercial Real Estate Portfolio
An Alera Group member company based in Southern California was retained by a commercial real estate property manager to review the insurance policies...
Persistence Secures an Infant’s Life Sustaining Treatment
An Alera Group member company that provides services focused on customized, comprehensive employee benefits, HR technology solutions, and wellness...
Start Up Benefits for a Start Up Company
Alera Group was contracted by a start-up national credit counseling company to assist with maintaining employee health benefits offerings while...
An Alera Group company that serves as a multidisciplinary employee benefits and risk management consultancy was approached by a company in the...
THE CHALLENGE Alera Group was the benefits broker for an employer that was working with two affiliated health insurance companies, “Company A”...
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Is Tech-Enabled Brokerage Right for You?
Our experts will lay out what tech-enabled brokerage is, how it works and why it makes sense for the right organizations.
September 19, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Sign Up
Employee Benefits
Meeting the Needs of an Aging Workforce
Our experts will provide tips and insights about how to incorporate Medicare, menopause benefits, retirement, communications best practices and other hot topics for older workers into your program successfully and without breaking the bank.
October 17, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Sign Up
Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
October 23, 2024 at 11:00 am CT | Virtual
Sign Up
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks rallied last week as investors received better-than-expected consumer and producer inflation data.
September 16, 2024
Find out more
Wealth Services
Monthly Market and Economic Update - August 2024
Read about the latest insights on the market and economy from our Director of Investments, Bob Janson.
September 12, 2024
Find out more Property and Casualty
General Liability Insurance in 2024: Navigating a Complex Landscape
While some aspects of General Liability Insurance have largely turned a corner from a prolonged hard market, the outlook in other areas looks much less cheery. Overall, the market has finally improved after several challenging years, offering signs of stabilization.
September 12, 2024
Find out more
Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks fell last week as soft economic data rattled investors focused on the Fed’s next move with interest rates.
September 9, 2024
Find out more