Publisher’s Note: This is part 2 of a multi-part series on the explosive growth of “The Pennant Group”, a health insurance agency and HR consulting company in Augusta. It started five years ago with four employer clients and two employees. As we approach 2027, The Pennant Group is nearing 100 employer clients and 400 individual and group Medicare clients with 11 employees, the latest of which is opening up a new market for TPG in HR Services.
As Tom Mastny’s former major league baseball team in Cleveland competes for the World Series, their ex-reliever is coaching a squad of talented professionals in the healthcare space from their West Augusta office.
From his office in West Augusta, Mastny works hard to put his “players” in the right position to succeed. Tom’s team at the Pennant Group includes his partner Glenn Wilkins, who has a vast knowledge of the individual and Medicare markets. Included on his team is also a pharmacist to consult with his clients about prescriptions.
“Prescriptions are the largest driver of claims”—now from 35 to 50% of total claims. His dedicated account managers answer questions and provide benefit assistance to the employers (and employees) for their client companies. Tom’s goal is to have the right players in all the right positions needed to consult organizations around their Employee Benefits programs.
Click HERE for Part One of the Pennant Group story, including enrollment reminders.
Mastny’s latest hire is Jennifer Kilgore. The Pennant Group is looking to hit a home run with its newest division—HR Services. Kilgore, the former H.R. director from RBW Logistics, will be an extension of TPG’s health benefits consultancy by advising clients on other important ‘people’ matters.
“We’re helping companies with compliance issues, FMLA, hiring and firing, conflict resolution and more”, said Mastny.
Other services include the following:
- Talent Strategy
- Training and Development
- Employee Handbooks
- Compensation and Benefits
- Compensation Studies
- Employee Relations
“We offer different monthly packages that scale with your employee count.”
Mastny says each client receives core HR compliance consulting and a company audit to determine what services are needed. Every employer has different desires when it comes to HR, but the core compliance requirements need to be there. The packages ensure organizations maintain compliance, but also allow for specific projects for growth.
The compliance piece is critical to ensure that companies are following government mandates such as I-9’s, W-4’s, ADA requirements, and different federal guidelines based on employee count.
Currently, a small business has minimum compliance standards to meet, but if you have more than 10, 20, or 50 employees, there are different requirements to adhere to. This can be extremely challenging for businesses and is often overlooked due to a lack of understanding.
“We’ve found that most of our smaller employers have one employee given the HR hat that is not necessarily HR trained, he said. It’s not their main focus.”
By using The Pennant Group’s fractional HR services, Mastny says companies will boost employee satisfaction, improve production, save time, streamline operations, and open them up to focusing on what they do best.
For more information, call 706.723.8429 or email Jennifer at Jennifer@thepennantgroup.com.
