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
Jo Cifarelli
Health Care and Benefits Consultant
Jo is a Consultant in the Employee Benefits division. She specializes in health benefit design and strategy for mid-market and large employer groups. Jo believes employee engagement and education in employee health benefits is key to helping employers contain costs.
With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Jo is well-equipped to evaluate, develop, and implement strategies designed to engage employees and control health care costs. She is a known advocate for her clients.
She attended Harrisburg Area Community College and holds a Resident Producer License in Accident and Health, Life and Fixed Annuities.
Lori Cook
Plan Administrator, Employee Benefits
Lori Cook joined our team in July 2013 as a Plan Administrator. She brought nearly 25 years of healthcare claims experience. Lori processes MERP™, FSA, HSA, and Debit Card Claims, assists customers with account questions, processes weekly reimbursements, and assists with Plan Renewals. Her priorities are to provide excellent customer service with a focus on accuracy and problem-solving. Lori enjoys spending time with friends and family and is also an animal lover.
Allie Cox
Personal Lines Account Manager
Allie is a personal lines account manager who works with clients and helps ensure that their insurance is up to date, and they have the correct level of coverage for their personal needs.
Allie knows that insurance can be frustrating and hard for some to understand but believes that everyone should have a basic knowledge and helps her clients understand the basics of what they have and pay into all their adult life.
Allie works hard to provide her clients with the best customer service and dedicates a lot of time to ensuring every detail is correct and all I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed to ensure that the client is provided with the best service and the best premium available to them.
Allie has worked in the insurance industry for over 10 years. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in education and art at The College of NJ in Ewing NJ, and after working in the education field for a short period, moved on into the insurance industry where she realized she can help people in a different way.
Outside of the office she spends lots of time with her family watching sports or going home to NJ to see family and friends. She still enjoys being creative with arts and crafts in her spare time.
Angel Crum
Appointment and Billing Coordinator
Angel serves as an Appointment and Billing Specialist assisting Mandy Yerkey and Diane Bendyl with appointments and commissions among other duties. She previously spent the last 27 years working as a medical assistant and became a manager in 2012.
Angel has been married to her husband Austin for 12 years and has two adult children Katie and Kamron. She enjoys spending time with my family and friends and loves warm weather.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
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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Employee Benefits
Preparing for Open Enrollment: How to Engage and Educate Your Employees on Their Total Benefits Package
In this session, our experts will share guidance on setting yourself up for success during Open Enrollment.
August 21, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Q3 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.
September 9, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Legal Alert: Employee Benefits Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
On July 3, 2025, Congress passed a reconciliation bill (the “Reconciliation Act”) previously named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but subsequently redesignated “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.”
July 8, 2025
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Employee Benefits
Benchmarking: How Do Your Organization’s Employee Benefits Offerings Stack Up?
For the sixth consecutive year, Alera Group is offering a valuable piece of market intelligence: our Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Report. We’ll introduce the 2025 edition on its release date, June 26, with a one-hour webinar beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
June 5, 2025
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Reminder: PCORI Fees Due By July 31, 2025
Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) should keep in mind the upcoming July 31, 2025 deadline for paying fees that fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) via Form 720, which was recently updated and released by the IRS.
June 3, 2025
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Benefits Captives: Your Business and What Your Competitors Are Doing
In one form or another, Captive Insurance has existed as a risk management solution for many decades — originally for property and casualty coverage and primarily for large employers. But its viability as a solution for employee benefits and for midsized businesses has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by volatility in the insurance market in general and by the skyrocketing cost of health insurance in particular.
May 29, 2025
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