Mesirow Financial Rolls Out FIRSTHR [Professional Services Close – Up]

Mesirow Financial Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage, announced the establishment of its new integrated human resources (HR) solutions model: Mesirow Financial FIRSTHR.

According to a release, expanding its long-time benefits brokerage service model to include a full spectrum of HR services, FIRSTHR will focus on its core clientele - the mid-size employer - to help support HR across the full employee lifecycle.

"Mark Kmety and Brian Diedrich [senior managing directors and Employee Benefits co-practice leaders] have crafted a suite of services aimed at automating and managing employment from pre-hire to retire," says Mesirow Financial Chairman and CEO Richard Price. He added, "Backed by an experienced crew, our firm is excited to deliver innovative technology and services to mid-size employers."

Over the past few years, large payroll companies have been moving into the benefits brokerage space. Although some of the bigger brokerage houses have responded by adding services to compete, they have tended to target the larger employer market, leaving mid-size companies largely underserved. Mesirow Financial FIRSTHR plans to fill that gap and bring a higher level of care than payroll providers or its larger competitors.

After a year-long engagement running a parallel search with a consulting firm to find a back-office and e-technology vendor that closely matched their requirements, Mesirow Financial said, FIRSTHR selected a vendor that provides best practices and best-of-breed technology that is a perfect fit for the mid-size market.

"Mesirow Financial FIRSTHR delivers big-company automation and an exceptional portfolio of critical services, custom designed for the medium-size business," explains Mark Kmety. That portfolio includes e-technology featuring one of the only single-point-of-entry, Internet-delivered human resource management, payroll, benefits administration and online enrollment systems available. In addition to the benefits portfolio management services that Mesirow Financial has been providing for more than four decades, e-technology, administration and compliance solutions now round out Mesirow Financial FIRSTHR's full complement of services.

"Prior to ever rolling out our new Mesirow Financial FIRSTHR brand, we have had more initial interest and have been putting more business on the books than we ever imagined," notes Brian Diedrich. "This confirms our belief that it's a solution our clients want and need."

Mesirow Financial launched its rollout of FIRSTHR in 2011, and anticipates a universal rollout to clients and prospects over the next several quarters.

Mesirow Financial is a diversified financial services firm headquartered in Chicago.

More information:

www.mesirowfinancial.com

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