Bost Benefits Celebrates New Office in Boardman

BOARDMAN, Ohio – Gaylord Kauffman started Bost Benefits, an employee benefits adviser and administration company, in the early 1980s. By the later half of the decade, he had established a reputation in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

His children – Laurie Ault, Brad Kauffman and Brian Kauffman – gradually became part of the business and were named partners. On Monday, his children celebrated the ribbon cutting on their new office in Boardman.

“Our advisers are trained to take the time, spend the time they need with them, and enroll them in Medicare health plans,” Brad Kauffman said.

Bost Benefits, headquartered in New Castle, Pa., is licensed in 40 states. It has offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia.

The Boardman office is at 1295 Boardman-Canfield Road in Fawn Plaza. The office has four employees.

Brad Kauffman said clients are constantly bombarded with mail from providers, which makes the Medicare process stressful, adding that they also help clients with annual changes to insurance plans. Bost Benefits works with all providers and can advise clients on the proper plan given their needs.

“[Clients] can go to one place to weed through all that confusion,” Brian Kauffman said.

Like many businesses, Bost transitioned to virtual sessions due to COVID-19. But when they found some clients still preferred face-to-face meetings, they launched a curbside advising service, Brad Kauffman said. Clients can call ahead and tell an adviser that they’d like to meet outside the office. They can pull up and an adviser will meet them at their car.

“Just trying to be more flexible and adaptable because, obviously, everybody’s needs are different,” said Brenden Mostoller, Bost Benefits’ senior benefit adviser.

The partners signed the lease in March, but shortly after the ink dried, businesses were forced to shut down due to the pandemic. 

The site was the former Frosty Spoon Ice Cream Studio, so a significant amount of time was spent turning the former dessert shop into an office. Bost Benefits finally began to move into the space in June.

Brad Kauffman said his father and siblings never expected the business to grow into a national service. He said agents began asking for work in various states, so they decided to expand. But they didn’t want to grow too quickly and neglect any of their clients.

“Our advisers represent the client, so when they come in, we’re not representing one insurance company over the other,” Brad Kauffman said. “Our advisers are trained to really dig in and find the best insurance plan for them for their personal unique situations.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.