Trine grad Shuler helps launch risk management, benefits company

CARMEL, Ind. — A Trine University graduate has co-founded a new risk management and health employee benefits startup company with a mission to help employers strategically control costs while improving employee well-being.

Pat Shuler, a 1991 Bachelor of Science in management graduate, will serve as chief operating officer, focusing on data analytics, carrier and third-party administrator relationships, as well as small group sales.

Began in college

He has worked in insurance and benefits since his time at what was then Tri-State.

“I was employed by Great Fidelity Life in Fort Wayne,” he recalled. “The company marketed Medicare Supplement and Long-Term Care programs. I worked during college breaks and mentored under the president, who was an actuary. I decided to go down that career path initially and worked for GFL, and ultimately, its parent company AIA, including working in Idaho at the home office.”

After moving back to Indiana, he decided to switch from senior insurance products to group health insurance. He worked for CoreSource, a national third-party administrator, where he handled marketing duties for all prospective and renewal clients.

Shortly after the birth of his first son, Parker, in 2003, he moved to Florida to be closer to his wife’s family. The couple welcomed a second son, Davis, the next year, and Pat continued to work in group health insurance, eventually becoming vice president of underwriting for Self Insured Plans, a third-party administrator based in Naples.

In 2008, he launched his own general agency, Corporate Benefits Group, which marketed primarily to small- to mid-sized employer groups in Florida and Indiana.

“At its peak, CBG managed roughly $25 million in stop loss premium and had more than 100 group health insurance clients,” he said.

Earlier this year, he was approached by Dave Meguschar and Dan Kelley, two longtime group health insurance brokers in Indianapolis. The three joined to form Pinnacle Risk Management Consulting (RMC), which launched in May.

Pinnacle RMC

Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, Pinnacle RMC offers a broad range of services to clients of all sizes and industries. The company provides integrated risk management services including strategic planning and funding solutions, analytics and insight, pharmacy and clinical oversight, compliance and governance support, and employee engagement, education and communication.

The company says its ideal clients include private businesses, hospitals, senior living facilities, hospitality, schools and municipalities with 20 to 2,500 or more employees.

For more information, visit pinnacle-rmc.com.