My Story
I got into benefits consulting the way most people do — I fell into it. But somewhere along the way, the work found me. I became passionate about client relationships. I love the challenge. I love bringing order to chaos. And the opportunity to create real efficiencies and help clients is greater right now than it's ever been. What a time to be an entrepreneur.
For twenty years, I watched a system that rewarded volume over depth. Advisors stretched across a hundred accounts, never staying long enough to understand any of them. Employers absorbing double-digit renewals year after year because nobody stopped to ask whether the plan still made sense. We knew there was a better way. So we built one.
I grew up in West Michigan. My wife Amanda did too. We're raising our boys here — Alex, Jacob, Elijah, and Joseph. My clients are here: the nonprofits, churches, and small businesses that hold this community together. We lost our youngest son, Andrew, to cancer when he was two. That changed how we see healthcare. It changed how I see this work. Nothing about it is theoretical for me.
I'm a person of faith, and that shapes how I lead. I believe if you do excellent work and tell the truth about what you find, the rest takes care of itself.
The Build It Right Philosophy
These two principles drive how we work with clients and how we're building this firm.
Your Priorities, Our Strategy
Objective guidance, always
We're building Nexus with no carrier quotas, no production requirements, and no investor pressure so that every recommendation is clean. We want to give you the same recommendation we'd want if we were sitting in your chair. That means we'll tell you when something isn't working, even if the answer isn't us.
- No carrier quotas or production bonuses—ever
- Recommendations based on your data, not our revenue
- We'll tell you when the answer isn't us
People Over Process
Technology that frees advisors
The technology, the operations, the systems—all of it exists so our advisors can focus on the work that actually matters: sitting with clients and helping them make better decisions about healthcare. The people are the whole point.
- Technology and operations designed around advisors
- Advisors freed to focus entirely on client relationships
- Built to develop people, not just process work
Why We're Building Nexus
We're building Nexus because we want a firm where advisors can actually grow, where clients get real depth, and where every relationship is worth investing in. The measure of whether we get this right won't be revenue or headcount. It'll be the people.
Areas of Expertise
- Employee benefits strategy and plan design
- ICHRA design and implementation
- Small business and startup benefits strategy
- Benefits technology and operations
- Advisor development and firm leadership
Who We Work With
- Mid-sized employers managing complex benefit programs
- Small businesses navigating benefits for the first time
- Employers evaluating self-funding or ICHRA alternatives
- Organizations where benefits are the retention strategy
Accomplishments & Recognition
- Founded Nexus Benefit Solutions and Small Business Benefits of Michigan
- 20+ years in employee benefits consulting
- Trusted advisor to organizations ranging from 5 to 500+ employees
- Building a community of independent advisors across West Michigan
Beyond the Office
My wife Amanda and I have been married 25 years. We have four boys — Alex, Jacob, Elijah, and Joseph — and our house is never quiet. The most important work I've ever done didn't happen in a conference room. It happened in my own family.
When I'm not at Nexus, you'll find me with my family, on the golf course, or writing about something I can't stop thinking about.
Outside of Work
Meet the Nexus Team
Our advisors share a commitment to doing right by clients. Meet the rest of the team.