ABG works with hundreds of small and medium sized businesses throughout Central New England. Our clients are often owner-operated companies, or professional practices, who don’t have the luxury of having a full-time benefits manager on staff.

Many of our clients have been with us 10 years or more, because we have been able to control their benefits costs, enhance coverages for their employees and take over many of the administrative functions of managing their benefits plans.

But rather than listen to us tell our story, we wanted to let our clients speak for themselves about their experiences with ABG. See a sampling of their comments below:

“We have about 37 employees in two locations, one in Massachusetts and one in Vermont. I’ve been working with Advantage Benefits for over 12 years, for our health insurance and our group life and disability plans. Over the years, managing employee benefits has gotten more complex, especially in the health insurance area, so it’s a real help for me to work with Advantage Benefits. Vanessa is my contact, and she always gets back to me quickly when I have a question or an issue to deal with. She does all the research for me; brings me the information I need about the different plans and the best options for pricing. Of course cost is always an issue, but we’ve been able to keep a good set of benefits that our employees are generally happy with and I know that by working with Vanessa and Advantage Benefits Group, we’re getting the best value. Just this past year (2008) we decided to consolidate our health plans for both locations, so that all our employees would be on the same page, and Vanessa was extremely helpful in putting it all together and helping us achieve our goals.”

Kathy Ciprotti
Office Manager, Dillon Boiler Services
Fitchburg, Massachusetts

“I’ve been working with Advantage Benefits Group for six years and they have helped us save a lot of money on our health insurance. I first called Advantage Benefits because we were having an issue with our insurance company. I had owned Serrato signs for years, and then bought a second sign company. Even though I owned and operated both companies, the insurance company was charging each company different rates, with one paying significantly higher rates. Bill and Vanessa (at Advantage Benefits) went to bat for us. They knew how to work with the insurance company and get them to treat us fairly by bringing all of my employees into one group and getting us the better rate. Most recently, we needed to update our employee handbook and the various information we have to provide to our employees to make sure we stay in compliance with the latest workplace regulations. So we had Beth, the HR expert at Advantage Benefits, come in and help us write a new handbook and communicate all the information that we need to for our employees. Advantage Benefits Group is an important partner for us, and I often recommend them to other businesses.”

Andy Serrato
Owner, Serrato Signs
Worcester, Massachusetts

“For a company like ours (40 employees), handling the whole insurance and benefits package can be a complicated process. It really is a cloud that hangs over the business, because we’re not experts in that area. The service we’ve had from Vanessa at Advantage Benefits over the years has really been very important for us. She’s helped us make sure we’ve got good plans in place at reasonable costs. She helps every year handling our renewals, looking for ways to improve the plans, and getting quotes from different carriers so we make sure we’re getting the best deal. She helps us with processing the paperwork, which for example when someone goes out on disability, can be quite detailed and cumbersome. So she takes that burden off our office manager, and that’s a big help. We’ve been working with Vanessa for more than 10 years and I’m very impressed with her. Both Vanessa and her company are very professional in everything they do. She has helped us keep costs under control, while at the same time helping us offer a really solid benefits package for our employees.”

Robert W. Everson
President, Everson Distributing Co., Inc.

“As an office manager of a small business in today’s hectic workplace, my responsibilities are numerous and my time is limited. With duties vying for my attention from every direction, it is a real challenge to insure that each decision is in fact, the right decision.

One such decision is choosing the correct group health plans. Managing employee benefits, at one time, was a relatively simple and straightforward matter. However, anyone who has this responsibility will testify that this is no longer the case. Insurance policies are complicated and change regularly. Choosing one, whether right or wrong can be, in many cases, life-changing, literally.

Having Vanessa Costa, as part of the Advantage Benefits Group, has greatly reduced the required time I had previously needed to expend in order to make the “right choices”. Her knowledge of the industry and guidance in helping us select the plans that best fit our needs can not be overstated. As a direct result of her help, we have saved not only both time and money, but have also improved the benefits that we can now offer to our employees.”

Virginia Coleman
Office Manager, F & M Tool & Die Co., Inc.
Leominster, Massachusetts

“As a CPA and adviser to many small businesses, I have a great relationship with Advantage Benefits Group on several levels. First, ABG helps me personally with the insurance planning I need–helping me select and manage high-quality cost-effective products. Plus, I have referred many of my clients to work with ABG for their benefits management. Medical and dental insurance, as well as other benefits, are a major cost for businesses. Many small and mid-sized companies don’t have the luxury of full-time HR staff on board to help control costs and manage these plans. That’s where ABG plays a critical role. They help companies save money, while continuing to provide the quality benefits they need to take care of their employees. This is no time to go-it-alone with benefits management. That’s why ABG provides such a valuable service.”

John T. Andrews
CPA, MST, Solar & Kilcoyne, PC
Leominster, Massachusetts

“We started a franchise of The Goddard School over five years ago. Our school serves children from six weeks to six years of age. We also have a full-day kindergarten program. We have the capacity for 131 children at any one time and we have 25 employees, 17 full-time. Based on a recommendation from a friend, we called Advantage Benefits in from the beginning, to help us get going with our health insurance plan. Vanessa came to our site, met with us and explained to all the employees the details of the health plan, which was very helpful. Since then, Advantage Benefits has helped us administer the health plan and they brought in a disability plan which was a good benefit for our employees. Whenever we hire a new employee, which happens a lot in our business, Vanessa makes sure the paperwork is processed properly and on time. She also helps if there is an issue or problem with a claim. Advantage Benefits handles our annual renewals, getting quotes from different companies for different plans so we can always evaluate what’s best for us. I have recommended Advantage benefits to friends in business, because the service is always professional and helpful.”

Matthew Flandreau
Owner, The Goddard School
Auburn, Massachusetts