Pros
The people and their strategic vision. I joined a founding firm of Alera with some personal/working knowledge of a few individuals in my office - and I was excited to join a team with a drive to provide excellence and exceed client expectations, while supporting all members of the team. After meeting a number of individuals from other Alera firms, I'm thrilled to see that same desire for excellence and collaboration is shared by firms across the nation. In addition, the leadership is very intentional -- not only with the firms they choose to bring into the group (seeking only those groups with a shared sense of responsibility and engagement), but also with their vision for the future of Alera and with creating a culture of collaboration and distinction. The senior leadership also seems to be invested in making Alera a place people enjoy working and giving their all.
Cons
For having the power of so many fantastic employee benefits brokers throughout the ranks and leadership, the benefits are acceptable but not anything to celebrate. More importantly, because we are growing so quickly both organically and by strategic acquisition, there are lots of opportunities to align services, resources, etc. These are normal growing pains, and with the care given to employee initiatives I've seen, I'm genuinely excited to see what the future holds, and how powerful we as a group will be in the near future. It will also be interesting to see how development is enhanced and structured to provide opportunities for advancement. Until then, I'll keep 'leaning in'!