Behind the Scenes of Austin’s Award-Winning Team

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Austin Benefits Group was recently awarded again as a Best & Brightest Company to Work for in Metro Detroit and as one of Crain’s Cool Places to Work in Michigan. We take great pride in maintaining and growing our fun and open culture. This is our sixth year as a Best & Brightest Company to Work for in Metro Detroit and our second year at a Crain’s Cool Place to Work.

“We believe that the best and most innovative ideas come from the best people and that is why we continue to place a great emphasis on our culture. We strive to empower our team to look for the most innovative ways to do things while giving them all of the tools necessary for success,” says Dean Austin, President & CEO. “Culture is at the heart of everything that we do and we are honored to be selected as a Crain’s Cool Place to Work for the second straight year and as a 101 Best & Brightest Company for the sixth year in a row.”

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This is Crain’s biggest list yet, with 100 companies making the cut to be called Cool in Michigan. Employers provided information on the benefits and policies, while employees are surveyed about culture, leadership, and other aspects of their workplace. You can view all the winners on Crain’s website.

The 101 Best & Brightest award is given to companies who excel in their human resource practice and employee enrichment. This award is also based on an employer’s standard practices and an employee survey in categories such as: communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition and more. We look forward to celebrating with our fellow Metro Detroit winners at the award ceremony this September. You can view all the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in Metro Detroit here.

We’ve done a lot this year from community outreach to wellness and beyond. We recently had a Jean Week fundraiser for the 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the Detroit Zoo. The Austin team and our family & friends raised over $1,000 for the cause. We enjoyed a wonderful walk with thousands of other participants and had fun checking out our favorite exhibits at the zoo, too!

We’ve also held Jean Week Fundraisers to support the Shades of Pink Foundation, The Fallen & Wounded Warriors Fund, and the South Oakland Shelter. We hosted a spaghetti dinner for the South Oakland Shelter for the past two years. The Austin Team also supports several other organizations and events throughout the year including the SICSA Swim Finals, the Vasculitis Foundation, and the Roman James Foundation.

The Austin Team likes to stay active during the summer with our annual 5K/Walk Season. This year we have attended the Ben Snyder Memorial 5K for Horizons-Upward Bound, the Rhonda Walker Foundations’ Give and Get Fit 5K, and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Detroit. Our last 5k this year will be the Run for a Reason in Grosse Pointe in September. We support wellness year-round through several initiatives including: free on-site flu shots, healthy team lunches, and more!

The best team in benefits isn’t boring, we love to have fun! Some of the festivities this year include watching the Woodward Dream Cruise, hosting an Easter egg hunt, attending a Tiger’s game, playing cornhole, making insurance-themed smoothies, with much more still to come.

We are looking to expand the best team in benefits! If you or someone you know is looking for a great place to work, submit your resume or share our careers page.

Erica Kommer Director of Marketing

Erica Kommer
Director of Marketing