The Business of Benefits Podcast

In this episode of The Business of Benefits, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with two trailblazing benefits leaders, Stephanie Porrino, Director of HR at Hendry Marine Industries, and Kristina Ewing, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Shoestring Valley Holdings at the Best of the Best Florida Healthcare Alliance event. Together, they share their journeys of transforming employer health plans through innovative strategies, data-driven decision making, and bold vendor partnerships, offering actionable insights for employers ready to take control of their benefits and deliver real value to their people. From self-funding and reference-based pricing to no-cost care alternatives and fiduciary governance, Stephanie and Kristina reveal how they navigated complex challenges, disrupted traditional models, and built multi-year benefits strategies that prioritize both financial sustainability and employee wellbeing. Time Stamps: 00:00 – Welcome to The Business of Benefits   01:02 – Introduction to Guests and Episode Overview   02:19 – Stephanie and Kristina’s Backgrounds and Company Profiles   04:10 – Stephanie’s “Aha” Moment: Discovering Healthcare Pricing Discrepancies   07:19 – Kristina’s Journey: Unbundling and Finding the Right Partners   09:31 – The Importance of Ownership and Advisor Switching   10:08 – Kristina’s Multi-Year Benefits Strategy Overview   13:26 – Overcoming Challenges: Member Education and Engagement   15:41 – Vendor Summit and Setting KPIs for Accountability   18:07 – Hendry Marine’s Roadmap to Reference-Based Pricing and Pharmacy Savings   20:54 – Increasing Preventive Care Utilization with Onsite Clinics   25:29 – Financial Performance and Savings Highlights from Shoestring Valley   27:15 – New Program Innovations and Plan Design Shifts at Hendry Marine   30:25 – Managing High-Cost Claimants and Spousal Coverage Strategies   32:53 – Incentivizing In-Network Utilization and Mental Health Support   33:21 – Compliance and Fiduciary Responsibilities: Leveraging CAA and ERISA   37:03 – Procurement Best Practices: Questions to Ask Vendors   41:32 – Fiduciary Governance: Committees and Due Diligence   43:55 – Addressing Disruption and Administrative Burden in Benefits Changes   46:13 – Q&A: International Pharmacy Programs Explained   47:33 – Q&A: Direct Primary Care and C-Suite Perspectives on ROI vs. Disruption   50:44 – Closing Thoughts on Employee Experience and Leadership Alignment   Guest Links: Stephanie Porrino  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieporrino/ Hendry Marine Industries: https://hendrymarineindustries.com/ Kristina Ewing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-ewing-98aa9867/ Shoestring Valley Holdings: https://www.shoestringvalley.com/ Andersen Construction: https://www.andersen-const.com/ Connect with Chelsea and Donovan: Website: www.businessofbenefitspodcast.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/businessofbenefitspodcast Chelsea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-ryckis-8508a192/ Donovan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanryckis/ -------------------------------- Finished with the content? Claim your CE credit here: https://ideas.ethosbenefits.com/continuing-education SHRM: Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. HRCI: Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.