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
Baron Keefer
Chief Operating Officer, Property & Casualty
Baron is the Chief Operating Officer for the Property and Casualty division in the Mechanisburg. In addition to managing the operations, he is also a Senior Producer responsible for managing and growing a significant book of commercial clients. Baron specializes in construction, but he also handles clients in numerous other industry segments. He has expertise in traditional insurance products, as well as large deductibles, retros, self-insurance, and captives. Baron utilizes a consultative type of approach to analyzing his clients’ exposures to risk and determines the best solution to address them.
Baron has been with the team for over 20 years and previously served as a Regional Claims Manager in the insurance industry for several years. This experience has aided his ability to serve clients with a strong claims background and understanding of the coverage afforded under the insurance contract.
Baron is a licensed Property and Casualty agent and he also holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation as well as a Master’s In Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in Management from Loyola University.
Sierra Kepner
Assistant Account Director, Employee Benefits
Sierra serves as an Assistant Account Director for Employee Benefit’s division. In this role, she is known to deliver outstanding customer service to our broker partners and clients through processing of new sales paperwork, renewal changes, proposal delivery, and issue resolution. Sierra also provides support to small-group clients and group administrators while assisting the Consultant on the strategic renewal process for these valuable clients.
Sierra believes in a collaborative approach to delivering the highest quality service to all those she interacts with on a daily basis. Her prior experience as a supervisor in the family medical field and a client support specialist in the insurance industry making her an exceptional resource for her clients. Sierra’s experience is further enhanced by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Messiah College and holding a Resident Producer License in Health, Life, Accident and Fixed Annuities.
Jess Kier
Account Administration Manager, Small Business Unit
Jessica serves as the Account Administration Manager for the Small Business Unit (SBU), where she is responsible for servicing small group clients and the overall client experience. She is the face and voice to the SBU operation, is quick to troubleshoot any technical issue, and is determined to ensure things are done right. Many of the positive client testimony recorded are received through their direct experience working with Jess. She has held various positions in the insurance and employee benefits field for nearly 20 years, is a licensed Life & Health agent in PA, and holds the aPHR certification in Human Resources.
Jess graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 2003 with a degree in Historical Communications. She currently lives in Wellsville, PA with her husband and two boys, and loves to read, cook and garden in her spare time.
Michele Klump, CIC
Account Manager, Large Commercial Accounts
Michele joined the team in March of 2014 as a Large Commercial Account Executive and brought with her 28 years of insurance agency experience. She has been a licensed insurance agent since 1987 and received her CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) designation in 2002. Her responsibilities include being the main point of contact for clients regarding any questions, processing changes in coverage to their current program, marketing of new and renewal business, processing of insurance proposals, developing exposure basis history and loss history analysis, review of policies and endorsements for accuracy, claims support and establishing relationships with the insurance carriers.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
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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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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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
Find out moreProperty 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
Find out moreProperty 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
Find out moreEmployee Benefits
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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