About Us
Since 1987 you may have known us as AIA, or American Insurance Administrators, or as one of our three core divisions: AIA Property & Casualty (P&C), Benefits Resource Group (BRG), or as Benefits Broker Solutions (BBS). You may have heard something about us becoming part of Alera Group in 2017. But we are all one company, and now we are aligning our name, our brand, our new look, and our new website to reflect that strong one-company story.
Work With Us
We are passionate about collaboration and growth. Enjoy working in a highly collaborative culture? Looking for an exciting environment that is constantly growing and improving? If you care about providing outstanding client service while serving local communities, then we may be looking for you.
Meet Our Team
Julie Cave
SVP and Regional Employee Benefits Practice Leader, Mid-Atlantic
As Regional Practice Leader, Julie provides oversight for Employee Benefits (EB) across all Mid-Atlantic regional offices. With 15+ years of industry experience, Julie brings unique expertise in HR technology, compliance, PPACA consulting, and small and large group benefits. She excels in fostering strong relationships with regional carriers and vendor partners, ensuring optimal outcomes for Alera Group clients.
As a strategic leader, Julie guides the direction and support of EB services, guaranteeing exceptional solutions for Alera Group Mid-Atlantic clients. Her extensive knowledge and understanding of industry intricacies enable her to navigate compliance requirements and tailor offerings to meet diverse needs. Julie’s ability to foster partnerships enhances the value delivered to clients, ensuring top-notch service in all aspects of Employee Benefits.
Chris Wert
Managing Partner
Chris is Managing Partner of the Alera Group, Harrisburg office and is a specialist in Risk Management and Property & Casualty insurance. In this role, he works closely with business owners and non-profit leaders to create and operate sustainable risk management and insurance programs. Working with clients of all sizes and classes, Chris is able to incorporate best practices from multiple industry segments for the benefit of his customers.
Chris joined the team as a Producer in 2011. Prior to coming to the agency he worked for Penn National Insurance as a Commercial Underwriter. This experience allows Chris to provide unique insight to his customers as to how insurance carriers process, analyze, evaluate, and compete for an organization’s insurance work. By anticipating carrier concerns and working with both carrier and customer to partner with one another for a common goal, he has come up with creative solutions for difficult and complex placements.
Chris earned his B.S. in Marketing from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation as well as an Associate in Risk Management with a Focus on Enterprise Risk Management (ARM-E).
In his free time Chris enjoys spending time with his fiancé Laura, is an avid skier, a devoted Penn State Football and Wrestling Fan, as well as a (very) novice but enthusiastic fly-fisherman.
Taylor Baldwin
Marketing Manager, Small Business Unit
Taylor Baldwin is a Marketing Manager who collaborates with the Harrisburg team, and agency partners to present products and offerings to potential clients – specifically small businesses. Taylor knows how difficult owning a small business can be and works hard to share and create the best educational resources. Through webinars and educational series, he strives to make it easy for busy small business owners to learn what insurance and human resources challenges they need to troubleshoot – and directs them to the right Small Business Unit team member to solve those problems.
Taylor holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Music Business from Lebanon Valley College. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family and friends and being outside with his dog Finn. His passion for music has always been with him, and he enjoys teaching local high school marching bands as well as performing with the Philadelphia Eagles drumline.
Sarah Banducci
Claims Manager, Property & Casualty
Sarah is a Claims Manager in the Property & Casualty division. She provides daily support to clients by working closely with producers, account managers, and carriers to ensure the timely and proper handling of property and casualty claims. Prior to joining the team, Sarah worked for many years as a multiline property and casualty claims adjuster giving her a valuable depth of industry knowledge. In addition to these skills, her superior customer service and strong attention to detail have made her a great resource and advocate for our clients.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Penn State University. She enjoys giving back to her community and is active in the United Way and Central PA Food Bank.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
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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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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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Deadline for San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance is approaching
The annual San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance (SF HCSO) reporting by employers that have employees who work in the City of or County of San Francisco is due by May 2, 2025. Employers should be aware of the upcoming deadline even if they are not located in San Francisco.
The SF HCSO requires large and medium-sized employers to provide covered employees with benefits equal to or greater than the expenditure rate. Covered employees are those who have been employed for more than 90 days and who regularly work at least eight hours per week within the City of and County of San Francisco.
April 14, 2025
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Property and Casualty
International Roadcheck Is May 13-15. Is Your Commercial Transportation Fleet Ready?
For 72 hours next month, commercial motor vehicles and drivers throughout North America will be subject to what the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) calls a “high-visibility, high-volume” inspection and regulatory compliance enforcement initiative.
The annual event, known as the International Roadcheck, will take place at weigh and inspection stations, temporary sites and locations selected by mobile patrols from May 13-15 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
April 14, 2025
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Property and Casualty
Improving Transportation Fleet Safety Through Gamification
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed companies to find creative ways to engage employees as isolation hit an all-time high. Many turned to gamification — the application game mechanics such as points, badges and leaderboards to everyday tasks — to reconnect with staff and improve retention, especially around key initiatives like safety. It’s a concept so suitable for the transportation industry, it could have been conceived with truckers and other commercial auto drivers in mind.
April 7, 2025
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Webinar: Is Captive Insurance the Right Solution for Your Business?
Join Alera Group on Thursday, April 17, for "Balancing Cost and Care: Could a Captive solution be the right fit for you?", a webinar on self-insuring to reduce group Medical Insurance costs and other business expense. Our experts will discuss how Captive solutions work and what you need to consider for your own group’s needs.
April 3, 2025
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