Erin Patton and Harley Donaho
ABG Retirement Plan Services is a company in perpetual motion. Since their inception over 50 years ago, they have continuously evolved to survive, thrive, and grow. In the last 20 years, they grew their client count by 400% and, in 2015, they took a giant, evolutionary leap forward.
Moving from a homegrown internal IT system to PensionPro’s SaaS as their operational technology engine was a bold move. “Our endurance can be accredited to our creativity and adaptability,” explains Erin Patton, SVP of Plan Services. “We knew that in order to grow we had to standardize our processes. Our people are great but many had their own way of getting the job done.”
In 2015, ABG with project lead J.Harley Donaho began the process of changing the company from the inside out. “To be successful, we had to engage and empower our entire ABG ecosystem from our company to our clients,” recalls Donaho. ABG wisely started implementation with one area of their operation to build process, consensus, and momentum before replacing redundant databases and inefficient processes throughout the firm. Over time, the ABG Team methodically systematized annual administration, compliance, and even plan sponsor communications. Today, the organization is modern, responsive, and primed to scale further. Patton concludes, “We are competing with great companies in terms of customer service; with the best people and the best technology, we are confident that ABG will be around for another 50 years.”
What does the future hold for ABG and the TPA industry? This was the question that we asked visionary TPA statesman and ABG CEO John Blossom. “Our industry continues to rapidly evolve in terms of how service is delivered. The success of ABG Retirement Plan Services has been, and will continue to be, in part because of our ability to evolve ahead of the curve. Our size and depth of experience allows us to constantly seek innovative ways to better serve our clients and be nimble enough to rapidly implement new processes. Partnering with PensionPro is an integral part of our evolution strategy.” Watch this space as the boutique firm from Illinois continues to evolve.
