Sixty-six defined contribution communication campaigns were honored Monday for their efforts to motivate and educate participants at the annual Eddy Awards sponsored by Pensions & Investments. The awards were presented at P&I's annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
In the conversions category for corporate plans, first-place winners were JetBlue Airways (service provider: Empower Retirement) for plans with more than 5,000 employees; Haynes and Boone LLP (Charles Schwab & Co.) for plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees; and TECO-Westinghouse Motor Co. (Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust) plans with fewer than 1,000 employees.
Also, in the conversions category, the not-for-profit/other winners were Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC (Transamerica Retirement Solutions) for plans with more than 5,000 employees and the University of Minnesota Physicians (Empower Retirement) for plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Empower Retirement) took first place among public plans.
In the financial wellness category, there was a tie for first place among corporate plans with more than 5,000 participants: Black & Veatch (Charles Schwab & Co.) and DENSO (Empower Retirement). The winner in the corporate plan group for 1,000 to 5,000 employees was Griffith Food Groups Inc. (Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust), and the winner for corporate plans with fewer than 1,000 employees was The Boldt Co. (Francis Investment Counsel).
Also, in the financial wellness category, Cone Health (VALIC-an AIG company) took first place among the not-for-profit/other group of plans, and Virginia Retirement System (iGrad/Enrich) received the best score for public plans.
In the ongoing investment education category, Illinois Tool Works (ROC Group) took top honors among corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees and Nova Financial & Investment (OneAmerica) placed first for corporate plans with fewer than 1,000 employees.
Also in the ongoing investment education category, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (Fidelity Investments) was the winner among not-for-profit/other plans, and the City and County of San Francisco (Prudential Retirement) was the leader among public plans.
The ongoing investment education group also featured two first-place finishers among unions: Southwest Airlines Pilots Association for plans with more than 5,000 employees and the California Teachers Association for plans with 1,000 to 5,000 participants.
First-place winners in the plan transitions category were Hudson's Bay Co. (Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust) for corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees. Ballad Health (Lincoln Financial Group) placed first in the not-for-profit/other plans group, and University of Pittsburgh (TIAA-CREF) was the leader among public plans.
There was a first-place tie in the pre-retirement preparation contest for corporate plans between Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. (Francis Investment Counsel) and Cabot Corp. (Spitfire Communications). Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TIAA-CREF) placed first in the pre-retirement preparation category for not-for-profit/other plans.
The special projects category produced a first-place tie in corporate plans with more than 5,000 employees between AutoNation (Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust) and VITAS Healthcare (Lincoln Financial Group). Synopsis (Benz Communications) took the top special projects prize for corporate plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees.
In the not-for-profit/other group of plans with more than 5,000 employees, California Institute of Technology (TIAA-CREF) placed first for special projects. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (TIAA-CREF) led the not-for-profit/other special projects contest for plans with 1,000 to 5,000 employees.
The public plan special projects winner was the State of Missouri Deferred Compensation Plan. The top prize for a union plan special project was awarded to the Iron Workers of Western Pennsylvania (PNC Retirement Solutions).
In addition to honoring sponsors and their service providers, the Eddy Awards judges also cited generic education efforts by service providers. Resources Investment Advisors and Bank of America Merrill Lynch tied for first in the financial wellness category; PNC Retirement Solutions placed first for ongoing investment education; Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust led the pre-retirement preparation category; and Chepenik Financial took first place in the special projects group.
See a complete list of all the Eddy Award winners.
