The IHC Group Unveils Organizational Changes at IHC Specialty Benefits, Inc.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) December 21, 2016

The IHC Group announced today organizational changes at IHC Specialty Benefits (IHCSB), its full-service specialty health insurance products marketing and distribution company.

"Under the leadership of Dave Keller, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, and Brian Dow, Chief Operating Officer, IHCSB is well positioned to continue our growth trajectory in 2017 and beyond," said David T. Kettig, Chief Executive Officer of IHCSB and Chief Operating Officer of Independence Holding Company.

"We bring together very strong technology platforms, high ratings and capitalization, an intimate understanding of the needs of both agents and consumers, and years of experience in quickly adapting to change to deliver the products that are needed in an evolving health insurance environment. We continue to look for ways to expand our distribution footprint. We've made several acquisitions and investments in distribution in 2016, which are proving to be outstanding partnerships, and we are excited that we are considering several more for 2017."

The company's divisional leaders are as follows:

• Jeff McCabe will be Senior Vice President Employer Group Markets. Mr. McCabe will oversee IHCSB's strategy to maximize our newly revamped suite of voluntary ancillary products as well as level-funded plans for employer groups of 10 to 50 employees.
• Brad Waldrop will be Senior Vice President for Individual and Family Markets. Mr. Waldrop will continue to be responsible for IHCSB's Brokerage channel which has enjoyed over 45-percent organic sales growth each of the past two years.
• Mark Hunt assumes the role of Senior Vice President of Sales for Health eDeals, the retail consumer division. In this role, he will oversee call center operations and recruiting and training of sales leaders nationwide. "Moving to the Health eDeals brand will allow our career and call center advisors to better capitalize on the tools and lead generation from HealtheDeals.com, which attracts over 600,000 visitors who are looking for information about health insurance and how to find an agent," he said.
• Dave Keeler will serve as Senior Vice President of Business Development for IHCSB. In his new role, Mr. Keeler will seek out opportunities and form new strategic business alliances that will be instrumental in the future growth for The IHC Group. Mr. Keeler, formerly President of Cornerstone Marketing, will continue promoting the IHC brand through his many relationships, including Zig Ziglar International.
• Rick Faucher has been named President of Pet Health division, which recently acquired PetPlace.com. In his role, Mr. Faucher will continue to direct IHCSB's very successful pet division and manage the strategy around PetPlace.com, an internet site that attracts over 1 million pet owners per month to read veterinarian-approved articles on pet care. "In 2017, we will re-engineer PetPlace.com to facilitate the purchase of much-needed pet insurance by pet parents seeking to protect their beloved dogs and cats," he said.
• Javier Tejeda-Vera, will continue as Vice President for Aspira A Más. In this role, Mr. Tejeda-Vera leads the expansion of IHCSB's Hispanic-focused distribution.

"This new organizational structure allows IHC Specialty Benefits to strategically deploy our resources efficiently across the market segments we serve, while continuing our rapid growth in each," commented Mr. Dow.

Mr. Keller added, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, "We have now brought all of our brands (HealtheDeals.com, HealtheDeals Advisors, Aspira A Más and PetPlace.com) under one roof, and combined all of our various distribution platforms into one seasoned and coordinated management team."

For more information on IHC Specialty Benefits, please contact Dave Keller at 952-746-6610 or email at dave.keller(at)IHCGroup(dot)com.

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About The IHC Group
Independence Holding Company (NYSE: IHC) is a holding company that is principally engaged in underwriting, administering and/or distributing group and individual disability, specialty and supplemental health, pet, and life insurance through its subsidiaries since 1980. The IHC Group owns three insurance companies (Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York, Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. and Independence American Insurance Company) and IHC Specialty Benefits, Inc., which is a technology-driven insurance sales and marketing company that creates value for insurance producers, carriers and consumers (both individuals and small businesses) through a suite of proprietary tools and products (including ACA plans and small group medical stop-loss). All products are placed with highly rated carriers.

"IHC" and "The IHC Group" are the brand names for plans, products and services provided by one or more of the subsidiaries and affiliate member companies of The IHC Group ("IHC Entities"). Plans, products and services are solely and only provided by one or more IHC Entities specified on the plan, product or service contract, not The IHC Group. Not all plans, products and services are available in each state.

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