About Us
Group Benefits LLC is an independent, national insurance and financial services firm created through the merger of like-minded, high-performing, entrepreneurial firms across the United States.
Why work with Alera Group? Because we provide the best of both worlds - national scope combined with local service. Our mission is to transform the client experience by providing a greater depth and breadth of resources, innovative thinking and constant collaboration, while maintaining strong local relationships.
Meet Our Team
Nathan Hay
Producer, Employee Benefits
Nathan has joined Alera Group, formerly Group Benefits LLC as an Employee Benefits Producer. He brings 5 years of successful sales experience from the Human Capital Management SaaS space, and will now be consulting with Mid-South executives and business owners on employee benefits and benefits strategies.
Jim Horobetz
Producer
After graduating from the University of Memphis, Jim worked on the carrier side of the industry for 30 years. His vast experience includes serving as the New Business Large Case Manager for one of the largest insurance carriers in the industry. In that capacity, Jim supervised the design, underwriting, and financial analysis for all the self-funded cases in the Memphis area. In addition to working on the carrier side, Jim was a founding board member of the Mid-South Association of Health Underwriters.
After spending 5 years as an independent broker and consultant, Jim joined Group Benefits LLC in 2009. He also earned the designation of Certified Healthcare Reform Specialist from the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) in 2013.
Leigh Kalb
Client Services Coordinator
Leigh graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and has been in the insurance industry for 6 years. At Alera Group formerly Group Benefits LLC, she performs a dual role as account manager and wellbeing advocate working with clients to develop mental, physical, and financial wellbeing strategies for employees. She has extensive experience delivering top-notch customer care. Leigh owned her own fitness store and brings a wealth of knowledge in the health and wellness arena.
Peter Marathas Jr.
Chief Legal Officer
Peter Marathas serves as the Chief Legal Officer of Alera Group. Peter represented the original founders that formed Alera Group. After our formation he began to serve as its Secretary and its chief legal and compliance officer. He is also responsible for Government Relations. Peter has supervised over 200 acquisitions. He has contributed directly to Alera Group’s continued growth and success.
Peter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from Bradley University. He also graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law with his Juris Doctor degree. Peter is a prolific author, writer, and active speaker on all employee benefits matters. Prior to beginning his professional career, Peter served for two years with the United States Peace Corps in Ghana, West Africa.
Resources
Hope House: Children’s Museum of Memphis After Dark Sponsor
We are a proud sponsor of the annual Hope House fundraiser – 2023 Children’s Museum of Memphis after Dark. All proceeds from the night benefit children and families affected by HIV and poverty in the Memphis area.
Hope House is a local organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by HIV and poverty. Since opening their doors more than 20 years ago, Hope House has impacted thousands of lives, helping families move out of poverty and preparing children for success in kindergarten and beyond. Hope House is a place individuals and families can depend on, lean on, and trust. Their vision is to be the catalyst for life-long change in the lives of those affected by HIV and poverty.
Click here to learn more about Hope House
Christ Community Health Services
Group Benefits LLC is proud to be a corporate partner with Christ Community Health Services.
Christ Community is one of the largest Faith-Based health centers in the nation and the largest provider of healthcare to the underserved in Shelby County providing care to over 58,000 unique individuals across eight locations in Shelby County and Jackson Tennessee.
Group Benefits LLC was a sponsor of their 25th anniversary celebration.
Click Here to view the Christ Community Health Services website
RIP Medical Debt: Alera Employees Relieve $450,000 of Debt Across TN
Help alleviate medical debt at Give a Fresh Start. National insurance brokerage firm teammates offer assistance with mounting debt in 2020.
Group Benefits LLC, an Alera Group Company, today announced that the employees of Alera alleviated $450,000 of medical debt across the state of Tennessee in December. This gift is part of more than $18 million in healthcare debt being relieved by Alera Group employees for struggling households across the country. Alera is one of the youngest and fastest growing privately-held, national insurance brokerage firms in the country.
Alera employees worked directly with the debt-forgiveness nonprofit, RIP Medical Debt, to identify individuals and families with outstanding healthcare-related bills in more than 200 cities located in 35 states across the country. Founded by two former debt collectors, RIP is able to purchase medical debts for those most in need in bundled portfolios for a fraction of their face value. One dollar donated relieves $100 of medical debt on average.
“As we reflect on the struggles of 2020, this gift comes straight from the heart of our Alera employees. Our teams across the country are passionate about giving back directly to the communities in which they live, work and play,” said Tim Finnell, managing partner of Group Benefits LLC, an Alera Group Company. “Medical debt is mounting more than ever and many families right in our backyard are in crisis. Buying and retiring medical debt allows our employees to truly give back and alleviate a worry for many as we enter 2021.”
Rather than waking up to the knocking of a debt collector, thousands of Americans will receive letters of forgiveness to alert them of the gift from Alera employees. These letters will be delivered throughout the winter targeting individuals and families living below 200% of the poverty level.
“It has been truly special watching Alera employees join hands in offering up their own assets and donations to enhance our ability to make an impact on this noble and worthy cause,” Finnell said. “This contribution perfectly showcases one of our core values of collaboration. Our teams always come together to advance thinking for our clients, strategize new solutions for success, but most importantly to help those in need.”
Hope House: Hoedown for Hope Sponsor
Group Benefits LLC is a proud sponsor of the Hoedown for Hope – Hope House’s annual fundraising event. All proceeds from the night benefit children and families affected by HIV and poverty in the Memphis area.
Hope House is a local organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by HIV and poverty. Since opening their doors more than 20 years ago, Hope House has impacted thousands of lives, helping families move out of poverty and preparing children for success in kindergarten and beyond. Hope House is a place individuals and families can depend on, lean on, and trust. Their vision is to be the catalyst for life-long change in the lives of those affected by HIV and poverty.
Click here to learn more about Hope House
Church Health Center: Preparing Meals for those in Need
Our Group Benefits LLC team prepared and served over 50 nutritious meals for members of the community.
Church Health Center is the largest faith-based privately funded healthcare organization in the United States, and is the medical home to tens of thousands of uninsured and underserved individuals and families across Shelby County, Tennessee. In fiscal year 2020 alone, Church Health saw more than 18,500 patients and had more than 55,500 patient encounters.
With a network of more than 1,000 volunteer providers and partnerships with congregations, health care institutions, businesses and facilities—in Memphis and across the United States–Church Health fosters health and well-being through clinical services, educational resources, family programs and outreach.
Donations to Ronald McDonald House
The Group Benefits LLC staff provides annual support to Ronald McDonald House.
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Memphis offers children with pediatric cancer and other catastrophic illnesses undergoing treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and their families a nurturing, family-centered residential community. The House fosters an environment of hope through support services and child-centered activities that encourage children to be children and keep families together near the care they need, always free of charge.
Near the care they need with the family they love.
Click here to learn more about Ronald McDonald House.
Making a Difference in Our Community
The staff of Group Benefits LLC proudly supports many other organizations in our community.
- Ronald McDonald House
- Community Alliance for the Homeless
- Arise2Read
- Mid-South Food Bank
- MIFA
- Salvation Army
- Memphis Union Mission
- Brinkley Heights Urban Academy
- Headsets for Learning
- The Gary Sinise Foundation
Make-a-Wish Sponsor
We are a proud sponsor of the Make-A-Wish event, Wine for Wishes. Through ticket sales, sponsorships, and the proceeds from a silent auction, the Associate Board will raise funds to grant life-changing wishes to local children battling a critical illness.
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
Benchmarking’s Role in Voluntary Benefits Program Design
Alera Group’s Employee Benefits team recognizes that workforce composition varies from business to business, from industry to industry, from region to region. And, at a time when the U.S. workforce is more generationally diverse than ever before, the needs and priorities of one generation can be very different from those of another. This is where voluntary benefits — also known as supplemental, workplace or optional benefits — become so vital to an organization’s offerings strategy. Alera Group’s "Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Reports" take an in-depth look at the benefits businesses provide, the options they offer and the strategies they use to manage costs.
March 31, 2025
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Employee Benefits
HIPAA Webinar: Required Training and Valuable Refresher
Whether meeting federal training requirements or simply refreshing their knowledge base, professionals whose role includes HIPAA administration will benefit from participating in Alera Group’s annual HIPAA Privacy and Security Overview, a one-hour webinar scheduled for Friday, April 11.
March 27, 2025
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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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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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