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HANYS Benefit Services Adds New Leadership to Retirement and Employee Benefits Portfolios

HANYS Benefit Services (HBS), an industry leader that has provided trusted advisory services, retirement plan offerings, and best-in-class employee benefits products for more than 45 years, recently hired new executives to expand its employee benefits portfolios.



“HBS is building our team with uniquely talented individuals who bring years of industry experience,” said James J. Kelley, HBS President. “HBS builds real relationships with our clients by investing in a team of professionals who use their expertise to bring successful outcomes.”



Avon M. Scherff joined HBS as the new Director of Employee Benefit Services. Laura A. Sausville joined HBS as a Sales Account Executive responsible for new business development of group employee benefits.



Avon Scherff is a mission-oriented executive with a history of accomplishments in the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to HBS, having held chief operating officer positions for local businesses and being president of her own insurance agency for 13 years. She has served in numerous board leadership and volunteer capacities, including Women’s President Organization, local Chambers of Commerce, Double H Ranch, and Shelters of Saratoga. Ms. Scherff also ran her own non-profit, I Am I Can, a mentoring organization dedicated to encouraging and empowering young women. She has been interviewed and featured in the Albany Capital District Business Review, The Post-Star, and HerLife magazine, and was honored with the Harriet Rifkin Leadership Award by the Women’s Employment and Resource Center.



Laura Sausville assists clients in navigating the employee benefit landscape and develops effective strategies to meet client objectives. She has been in the insurance and financial services industry for 25 years. Her career has included experience as an insurance broker, where she focused on asset protection, wealth transfer, and retirement planning for individuals, professionals, and business owners. Ms. Sausville holds her New York State Property and Casualty license, New York State Life Accident and Health license, and her FINRA Series 6, 63, and 65 licenses.



HBS, originally formed to support healthcare employers in New York in the delivery of superlative employee benefit programs, is now an industry leader in employee benefits and retirement plan consulting. HBS delivers tangible business results to human resource leaders, enabling them to enhance their plan offerings while remaining competitive and reducing overall plan costs.

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