About Direct Benefits

Direct Benefits, Inc. is a managing general agency that provides one-stop employee benefits brokerage to 5,000 independent agents, brokers, consultants and general agents in all 50 states.

"By partnering with financially strong insurance carriers we are able to create exclusive niche products for the individual and small group marketplace. Our primary mission is to give our agents and their individual and small employer clients access to the same insurance benefits that large employer offer.  Finally, we are committed to fast, responsive customer service and "Best in Class" marketing and sales support."

Tom Mayer - Founder - Rainmaker

Tom Mayer is an energetic and resourceful professional with more than 25 years' business experience, predominantly with entrepreneurial growth firms.

He has founded five companies including a "Kid for Rent" lawn service he started at age 11. His second endeavor was "White Wolf Maintenance," a cleaning restoration company. In 1991, after graduating from Hamline University, Tom sold the business to his brother, Pat, who still owns White Wolf even today.

Tom then co-founded and grew "Five Star Gourmet Meat Company" into a $4 million home delivery business with 90 employees. Five Star was featured in publications including Forbes, Success, and Twin Cities Business Monthly.

In 1995, Tom sold his interest in Five Star so that he could attend the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and earn his MBA in Marketing and Strategy in 1997. During graduate school, Tom started Superior Foods, Inc. and happily sold frozen foods door to door out of his 1995 Nissan Pathfinder until he entered the employee benefits field in 1999.

Tom founded Direct Benefits, Inc. in June of 2001. Direct Benefits is a managing general agency that specializes in distributing dental, disability, life and vision benefits to over 3500 agents, brokers, consultants and general agents nationwide. Tom and his staff have helped our agents write over 6000 employer groups and thousands of individual clients.

Tom served as the Retention Chair for Region 4 of the National Association of Health Underwriters from 2006-2009. In fact, he won the NAHU's National Recruiter of the Year Award in 2007, 2008 and 2009. His hobbies include backpacking, cooking, dog-sledding, kayaking, mountaineering, rabbit hunting, reading, scuba-diving, traveling, trout-fishing, and spending time with his kids. His favorite foods are Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon and oatmeal-raisin cookies.

Tom in the News

See Tom quoted in Naifa Advisor Today - Sept 09 MN Insurance MAgazine August 07 - Tom Wins NAHU Top Recruiter!
HIU Magazine - Sept 05 - Tom with Toothbrush Check Out Direct Benefits in MN Insurance Magazine
Check out HIU-Tom running with the Bulls Article HIU Magazine - Tom's Membership Article
MN Insurance Magazine August 08 - Tom Wins NAHU Recruiters of the year...AGAIN!           MN Insurance Magazine - Direct Benefits Celebrates 10 years
Delta Dental of Minnesota - Newletter Note on Direct Benefits

Paulette Kotilla - Renewal Specialist - Dental Guru

CISR Paulette Kotila has been active in insurance for seventeen years.

Paulette began her career in nursing.  She worked in a doctor's office and then left to teach certified medical assistants.  She taught nursing skills, lab work, and filling out insurance forms.

When her youngest child was born, Paulette left teaching and began her insurance career.  She started in life and health, and then went on to commercial insurance.  Her first love has always been life and health and she is finally back doing what she likes best.  Paulette enjoys the people contact and working with the brokers.

She has continued her education in insurance over the years.  Paulette has taken and received her designation for CISR, and is now taking classes for the designation of CLU.

Jodie Ingeman - Customer Service & Operations Manager - Benefits Rock Star

Born and raised in Minneapolis and a graduate of South High School, Jodie participated in the infamous "Work Program" and landed her first job at Dr. Brackney & Associates. After graduation she continued working full-time at the dental office for 5 years until the birth of her first child. Jodie became a stay at home mom until her children were full-time students. Then she went back to school and earned her M.S.C. degree at Saint Paul Technical College. After working at Affiliated Reconstructive & Cosmetic Plastic Surgery for several years, Jodie was lured into the insurance industry in 1999. At Corporate Benefit Services of America (CBSA), she spent 7 years in the administration services only (self-funded), new business processing and underwriting departments and 1 year at Insurance Administrators Corporation (IAC). She has enjoyed working in this field ever since.

Jodie enjoys cruising the Caribbean, camping at Minnesota State and National parks, walking, Sunday dinners with her whole family and playing with her 3 dogs-Boogie, Ellie and Vito.

Tracey Hagemeier - Group New Business Processing & Contracting - Benefits Princess

traceyTracey brings more than 8 years of experience in the insurance industry to her position with Direct Benefits with prior employers ranging from Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota, Park Nicollet Medical Center to the State of Minnesota.

Tracey has a long list of experience in a wide variety of areas ranging from employee benefits to insurance billing, claims review and even the development of ceramic dental molds. While working her way up the ranks with previous employers, she also pursued and achieved an Associates Degree in Veterinary Assisting. Tracey takes pride in her ability to effectively resolve customer concerns while also balancing the responsibility of new group implementation.

Tracey's hobbies include, but are not limited to - biking, bowling, music, reading, caring for animals, and trying to figure out what will happen next on "LOST".

Carrissa Profant - Individual Sales - Processing & Contracting - Benefits Therapy Officer

Carrissa joined Direct Benefits after more than 12 years in the healthcare and insurance industries. Her career path has included working for companies like Diversified Pharmaceutical, Smith Kline Beecham, United HealthCare and Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota. She's worked her way up from member materials to contract installations, proposals, and underwriting and now finally to sales. Carrissa's role at Direct Benefits is to wear all those hats and more. She takes pride in providing creative and responsive solutions to our agents and then making sure everything is processed smoothly for their clients.

Carrissa enjoys being active outside the office too. Her hobbies include traveling, motorcycling, volleyball, and the occasional remodeling project around her house. In her down time she loves to catch up on the latest movies, HGtv, Boston Legal, and Grey's Anatomy!

Shelly Kramer - 1 Life Dental & Vision Sales Coordinator / Group Renewal Specialist - Benefits Shaman

Shelly Kramer has been in the dental insurance industry for over 10 years. At Capital Benefits Groups she served as an internal operations manager working with customer service, inside sales and marketing, new business enrollment and plan design development as well as helping agents with their renewals. In addition to working at Direct Benefits as our "Benefits Shaman", she works part-time as a 2nd degree Reiki (energy work) practitioner.

Shelly has been an active member of NAHU since 2004 and has also taught Ancillary Benefits Class' at Kaplan Financial Education. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with the Angel Foundation and Toastmasters CC. Shelly's hobbies include building Faerie houses, cooking, gardening, kick boxing, yoga and making the world a better place by laughing as much as possible.

Barbara Boukal - Individual Dental & Vision Customer Service & Sales - Benefits Yogi

Prior to joining Direct Benefits, Barbara worked as a nurse at St. Joseph's and United Hospitals in St. Paul. She moved onto raising her 3 children and in 1997 began her full-time insurance career with State Farm. While at State Farm she worked in sales and customer service in Property/Casualty, Life/Health, expanding to bank products and commercial insurance. In 2007 Barbara moved to Capital Benefits Group and employee benefits. Her many duties included sales, marketing, project management, administration and customer service. She joined Direct Benefits in 2012 as a member of the Individual Dental & Vision team.

Barbara has a B.A. Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Minnesota and is NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified as a personal trainer and yoga teacher. She enjoys reading, the never ending quest of learning, yoga, kickboxing, weight lifting and spending time with her children, family and friends. The "real" reason for joining Direct Benefits was to conceal her true identity--- Cindy Crawford.

Diane Lysen - Eastern Sales Region - Benefits Fairy Godmother

Diane's career in the health insurance industry started in 1972 at Control Data's employee benefits department. In 1983 she joined Hanratty & Associates as office manager. 3 years later in 1986, Diane went to work as an account manager at Chandler Insurance. Her manager at Chandler recognized the talent she had working with clients and encouraged her to consider sales on a full-time basis.

In 1991 she and a former property and casualty colleague formed Consultants 4 Insurance Benefits. As a partner and Vice President of Benefits Administration, she successfully helped the agency achieve a preferred agency status with many carriers in both health insurance and ancillary products.

The Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU-NAHU) has played a major role in Diane's career. She has been a member of MAHU-NAHU for 20+ years and was President of the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters in 2001-2002.

In 2003 she was awarded the Symanitz Award, which honors only one person each year in the state for their outstanding contributions to the insurance industry. Diane currently serves as the Region 4 Media Relations chair.

Diane's new position as Vice President of Broker Operations for Direct Benefits will allow her to utilize all of her skills and industry knowledge. She looks forward to waving her pink magic wand to increase sales for the agents doing business with Direct Benefits.

Diane enjoys spending her free time with friends and family and catering to her two Scottie dogs, Winston and Duffy. She enjoys gourmet cooking, especially Italian food, and watching HGTV and Food TV Network.

Aaron Olson - Individual Dental & Vision Customer Service & Sales

Aaron

Arron grew up in Bloomington Minnesota where his mother Shelly Kramer (Direct Benefits’ Shaman) still lives. Arron played baseball at Jefferson High School eventually being the team captain as a starting pitcher and short-stop. Arron became a student athlete at Southwest Minnesota State University where he majored in History and Political Science, with a minor in Philosophy. Arron was the closer for SMSU baseball for three years and ranks second in career all-time saves at the university.
While at SMSU, Arron was active on campus as Resident Assistant and a Student Senator and was personally responsible for registering over 500 students to vote in 2008.
Arron ‘s started his work career at age 15 working for Cub Foods grocery store doing just about every job they needed done including gathering carts, stocking the shelves, cutting and selling the meat!
Outside of work Arron enjoys spending time with his beautiful bride Vanessa and their new puppy Westen in their new home in Hopkins Minnesota.

Katie Quinn - Western Sales Region - Benefits Superhero

Katie was born in San Antonio, Texas and moved to Minnesota when she was three. She has enjoyed growing up in Minnesota with frequent visits back to Texas.

She began her insurance career in high school while involved in the Work Experience program, in which she won the Student of the Year Award. Starting at EPIC Agency, a property and casualty general agency, she worked in an office support capacity for all departments. Her responsibilities included accounts receivable, customer service, renewals and advanced on to become a licensed auto Underwriter. Katie enjoys building relationships with agents while improving her product knowledge and problem-solving skills. She looks forward to building her sales career in the life and health fields with Direct Benefits!

Outside the office Katie stays busy continuing her education at Inver Hills Community College and searching for the best Mexican food in town. She enjoys the "short lived" Minnesota summers, rollerblading, spending time with family and friends and cheering on the Dallas Cowboy's.

Jamie Kloncz - Regional Sales Support & Small Group Sales - Benefits Wizard

Jamie

Jamie grew up in Rosemount Minnesota where his family lived next door to the Quinn family. Coincidentally, Katie Quinn (Direct Benefit’s Super Hero) was the babysitter for Jamie and his 3 younger siblings. Jamie played three varsity sports football, hockey, and baseball in high school and is currently pursuing a degree in business management at Normandale Community College with plans to finish his education at the University of Minnesota.

His first job was working at Interlachen Country Club mowing every type of grass greens, fairways, tees, rough, etc. Basically anything that was living and growing Jamie mowed. He then decided to pursue his passion for cooking at BD’s Mongolian Grill. Jamie cooked stir fry with 3 foot swords in front of customers where he learned how to do sword tricks for tips. He then decided to work for UPS where he became a part-time supervisor. Jamie started out training “new hires” and then was moved to the “sort aisle” where he supervised 20 employees. Having grown up in a dental insurance selling family, Jamie came to Direct Benefits in January 2013. His current duties include enrollment, marketing, quoting, and sales support.

Outside of work, Jamie enjoys cooking and eating healthy, golfing badly, traveling widely and working out enthusiastically.

Lindsey Ingeman - Regional Sales Support & Small Group Sales - Benefits Wonderwoman

Lindsey joined Direct Benefits with 7 years experience in the insurance industry. Born in Minneapolis she moved to Maple Grove at age 8 and graduated from Maple Grove Senior High. Lindsey first studied nursing at North Hennepin Community College and then "communication disorders" at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In her spare time, she graduated from Salon Professional Academy with a cosmetology degree.

Throughout high school, Lindsey worked in the claims department, mail room and new business processing at CBSA, which is now Meritain Health. Her second insurance job was at Insurers Administrative Corporation (IAC) in new business and underwriting assistant position. At IAC, Lindsey was responsible for quoting, setting up and issuing new groups, customer service and more.

In her spare time, Lindsey loves to "do hair" part-time at a local salon, camp, travel, hang out with friends and family. Lindsey is also known by her co-workers as, "the stylist to the stars."

Fride Mauritzen - Central Sales Region Sales - Surgeon General

Fride is a native of Norway but completed a majority of her schooling in the USA. She graduated in 1997 from Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota with a double major in Business and Scandinavian Studies.

She has been active in the insurance and financial services industry for 11 years. Fride previously worked as a customer service representative for Delta Dental of Minnesota and as a client associate and senior branch operation associate for RBC Dain Rauscher, a top 10 full-service securities firm.

Her other jobs have included horseback riding instructor, trail guide, cook, office manager, snowmobile instructor and an electric fence tester. Fride's hobbies include hiking, live entertainment, snowboarding and traveling.

John Berkowitz - Marketing Director - Benefits Sherpa

John Berkowitz is a 25 year veteran of the life and health insurance industries. He has worked as an independent agent, sales manager, and Internet insurance sales technological consultant. John was one of the first health agents in the country to successfully sell health insurance over the Internet.

John joins the team at Direct Benefits to manage and grow the one life dental and suipplemental benefits business. He will also manage agency expansion into brokering Medicare, Major Medical, and Critical Illness programs to our agent base.

John, his wife Kate, and their golden retriever Gracie live in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois which is a suburb North of Chicago. They enjoy travel, golf, and time spent with family, and friends.

Tys Sniffen - Tech Support - Web Monkey

Tys is heading up Direct Benefits West as a vaguely experienced website developer and project manager. With knowledge of internet marketing and usability issues, Tys tries to keep the insurance language to a minimum and ease-of-use at the top of the list.

Having run his own efficiency consulting business as well as doing a stint as a consultant in Human Resources, Tys brings a "let's get this done" mentality to the Direct Benefits Team. He has a Bachelor's degree from Hamline University, and has previously been an Executive with the Boy Scouts of America, a Sales Director for an international software company, and a Sales Rep in a number of industries.

Other aspects of heading up the west coast office include always carrying the five foot long tooth brush to the conventions, living off-the-grid and three miles off the paved road in a yurt (a round Mongolian-style tent), practicing martial arts with his lovely wife Melissa, growing his own food and hot-tubbing as often as possible.