Fifty-three defined contribution plans were honored Monday for best practices in education and communication at the annual Eddy Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments. The awards were presented at P&I's East Coast Defined Contribution Conference in Miami.
In the special projects category, MGM Resorts International (Prudential Retirement is the service provider) placed first among corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees. BMC Software Inc. (SimplyConnect Consulting) was first among corporate plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees.
Among not-for-profit plans, the University of California (Fidelity Investments) and the California Institute of Technology (TIAA-CREF) tied for first.
A special projects first-place award went to the Texas Employees Retirement System (Empower Retirement) for public plans with more than 5,000 employees. Kern County, Bakersfield, Calif., (Empower) was the leader among public plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees. The Iron Workers of Western Pennsylvania (PNC Retirement Solutions) won first place among union plans with 1,000 to 5,000 members.
Among retirement readiness category competitors, Nestle USA (Financial Finesse) placed first among corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees. The Michigan Municipal Employees' Retirement System was the winner among public plans with more than 5,000 employees.
In the ongoing investment education category, Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. (Wells Fargo) took top honors for corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees. The Beck Group (T. Rowe Price) was the winner among corporate plans with fewer than 1,000 employees.
Also among ongoing investment education entries, the California Teachers Association led the union plan category. The Maryland Teachers & State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans (Nationwide Retirement Solutions) placed first in the public plan category.
The California Institute of Technology (TIAA) took first place in the ongoing investment education contest for not for profit/other plans with more than 5,000 employees. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (TIAA) won in the category of not-for-profit/other plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees.
In the conversions/consolidations category, the first-place finishers were Safelite Group Inc. (Vanguard Group) for corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees; Domtar Corp. (Great-West Life), for corporate plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees; and the District of Columbia (ICMA-RC), for public plans with more than 5,000 employees.
Other conversion/consolidations category winners were Washington University, St. Louis, (TIAA) for not-for-profit plans with more than 5,000 employees and the Board of Trustees of the IATSE Annuity Fund (Wells Fargo) for the union plans.
In the plan transitions category, United Parcel Service Inc. (Voya Financial) was the top vote-getter in the corporate group. And in the automatic-enrollment category, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (Voya) won first place. Also taking top honors were service providers entering generic campaigns not associated with specific sponsors: TIAA, for retirement readiness, and Vanguard Group for special projects and for ongoing investment education.
The National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators received an award of excellence for its special project for the National Retirement Security Week. The National Association of Retirement Plan Participants designed the National Retirement Security Week microsite.
A full list of winners is available on P&I's website.
