11At this year’s annual employee recognition event on September 17, MedBen employees who reached anniversary benchmarks in 2021 were honored.
Four employees are celebrating their 30th Anniversary with MedBen in 2021: Kurt Harden, President & CEO; Sheri Gutridge, Accounting Administrator; Monica Jackson, Claims Examiner III; and Cathy Valentine, Manager of Data Prep.
Kurt Harden joined as Director of Public Affairs in 1991, when MedBen was primarily a mutual life insurer with a small third party administration division. As he advanced in the company, he helped spearhead MedBen’s rise to its current position as one of the leading TPAs in the Midwest.At the event, Harden said, “Over the past 30 years, I have been fortunate to work with some amazing people… our employees and our clients. And together, we will continue working to ensure that MedBen delivers the best service and saving strategies.”
Sheri Gutridge has been a member of the Accounting team from her first day and hopes to stay with MedBen until she retires. “My fellow employees are more like family,” she said before the event.
Gutridge also noted that she stays in good health thanks to wellness visits and lunchtime fitness classes offered through MedBen’s WellLiving program, and appreciates the company’s work flex time now that she has grandbabies. “MedBen has always been a caring company to work for,” she said.
Monica Jackson has also worked in just one department (Claims) as a Claims Examiner. But as she’s gained valuable experience, her responsibilities have grown accordingly. In addition to her own examiner duties, she also trains new examiners and reviews their claims for accuracy.
Jackson cites her co-workers as the best part about working at MedBen. “I enjoy working with all of the other examiners,” she said.
Cathy Valentine first joined MedBen as a Submission Control Clerk in the Claims Department, and held various Claims positions before becoming a member of the Data Services team. “I have been fortunate over the years to have worked under some great leadership,” she said.
Asked what she likes best about working at MedBen, Valentine also praised her co-workers: “MedBen has always seemed like a ‘family’ even as the company grew.”