by David Chapman
Staff Writer
In an economic period where buzz words such as “recession” and “downsizing” are all too prevalent in the business lexicon, words like “expansion” and “opening” can be seen as a welcome change of pace.
Midsouth Consulting Group, a Nashville-based payroll processing, retirement plan administration and human resources outsourcing company, has bucked the downward trend and opened an office in Jacksonville.
“We have had our eye on Jacksonville for a while,” said Jason Carpenter, Midsouth General Partner and CEO. “We look forward to working with employers and advisors in the region.”
The Jacksonville office is run by retirement plans consultant Mark Janowiak.
“We’re a true business consulting agency and deal with a range of things from 401(k) administrative services to payroll related assistance and a fair amount of human resources consulting,” explained Janowiak.
Founded in 1976, Midsouth currently has about 200 clients in Florida alone and provides assistance on about 800 401(k) plans.
One such local client who Janowiak has been working with has been pleased with the service and the results.
“They’ve taken over our 401(k) and have done an outstanding job with it,” said Alan Hartenstein of Pitman-Hartenstein & Associates, an engineering firm with 39 employees whose work includes engineering design on the Buckman Bridge. “Employee participation(in the 401(k) program) before they arrived was down, but after they made their presentations it rose up to 100 percent.”
But Midsouth offers more than just 401(k) plan assistance.
Midsouth services, said Janowiak, assist financial advisors (who he calls “the process.”) They assist businesses – both large and small – by providing a detached, non-biased look at already implemented or potentially implemented policies for growing businesses.
”Sometimes small businesses, the ‘mom and pop’ shops, end up growing up to something different than what they started,” said Janowiak, while explaining an additional Midsouth service example. “They grow from maybe five employees to 25–30 and they stumble into having to have a comprehensive employee manual and they start getting benefits questions.
“We can come in, advise on how to write such a manual or write it altogether or help an employer review benefits documentation for the (U.S.) Department of Labor for compliance type issues they don’t know how to do.”
Businesses are able to select any Midsouth service a la carte or in a bundle such as the “Employee Success Program”, a bundle of frequent and needed administrative services.
The difference between Midsouth and other third-party consulting companies, said Janowiak, is the additional services – like payroll and human resources counseling – Midsouth offers clients.
The Jacksonville market for Midsouth has been positive since officially opening, he said, and will only become stronger once he continues meeting additional financial advisors who have current relationships with companies.
He’s taking a proactive approach to ensuring that the current success won’t be fleeting.
“I don’t sit around and wait for the phone to ring,” said Janowiak, who did note that he makes time for at least one “office day” a week. “I’m usually out trying to create new relationships (with financial advisors).”
Janowiak likens the service Midsouth provides to the purchase of an ever-changing technological necessity.
“For small business owners, at the end of the day it’s like buying a computer,” said Janowiak. “In three years, they’re usually obsolete .... retirement plans, programs and the environment around each change so differently over time that it can help to reexamine policies from time to time to make sure small employers are getting full benefit and are still in compliance (with rules and laws).”
For more information on Midsouth Consulting Group, go to www.midsouthcg.com.
356-2466