About Us

About Us

Who We Are

Strategic Cost Control Without Sacrificing Employee Satisfaction

PrimeWest Insurance Group is a strategic insurance and employee benefits advisory firm trusted by Directors of Human Resources, Chief Financial Officers, and business owners to materially reduce employee benefit costs while preserving plan quality, employee satisfaction, and full regulatory compliance.

With over three decades of experience in insurance brokerage, HR compliance, and employee benefits optimization, we help organizations uncover significant, sustainable monthly premium savings that are often overlooked in traditional renewal processes.

Our clients consistently engage us to:

  • Lower healthcare spendwithout benefit erosion
  • Improve employee participation and satisfaction
  • Reduce compliance exposure and administrative burden
  • Gain predictable, controllable benefit costs year over year

Our mission is simple:
Help leadership teams spend less on inefficiency and volatility, and more on employees and growth.

Enterprise-Grade HR Compliance & AI-Driven Cost Optimization

PrimeWest specializes in quoting and integrating top-tier California group employee benefit plans for small to mid-sized businesses, combining carrier expertise with modern HR compliance infrastructure and AI-enabled analytics.

These tools allow us to:

  • Identify plan inefficiencies driving unnecessary premium increases
  • Align plan design with workforce demographics
  • Monitor compliance in real time
  • Improve employee experience while controlling employer costs

Our frameworks are purpose-built for California and multi-state employers, addressing wage & hour considerations, benefits administration, COBRA, ERISA obligations, and audit readiness—without increasing internal HR workload.

Our Employee Benefits Mission

Lower Cost. Higher Value. Stronger Compliance.

Our employee benefits mission is disciplined and results-driven:

Design compliant, competitive, and financially responsible benefit programs that reduce employer cost while protecting employee satisfaction.

We leverage:

  • Deep carrier relationships
  • Market and renewal intelligence
  • Actuarially informed benchmarking
  • AI-assisted plan modeling

to design benefit strategies that:

  • Directly align with budget and cost-control objectives
  • Maintain or improve employee plan quality
  • Support retention and recruiting
  • Eliminate compliance blind spots

Benefits are not treated as a commodity; they are managed as a financial and human capital strategy.

Long-Term Partnership Philosophy

Advocacy That Produces Results

We build long-standing partnerships that allow us to fully understand each organization’s structure, workforce, and growth trajectory. This enables proactive cost containment, not last-minute renewal reactions.

Because of our established relationships with leading carriers, we can:

  • Negotiate more favorable pricing and renewals
  • Reduce billing and enrollment disruptions
  • Escalate claims and service issues efficiently
  • Secure long-term pricing stability

Once onboarded, clients receive ongoing, complimentary administrative and compliance support, including:

  • Benefits compliance guidance
  • COBRA administration
  • Open enrollment and new-hire enrollments
  • Terminations and eligibility management
  • Claims advocacy and carrier coordination

This model consistently delivers lower total cost of benefits ownership.

Long-Term Partnership Philosophy

Precision Plan Design = Real Savings

PrimeWest designs solutions based on:

  • Industry-specific risk profiles
  • Workforce demographics and utilization patterns
  • Budget and contribution strategy goals
  • Regulatory exposure

The result is enterprise-level governance with SMB-level cost efficiency—often producing immediate and recurring premium savings without employee disruption.

Advantages for Small & Mid-Sized Businesses

SMBs gain access to:

  • Big company benefit strategy and pricing leverage
  • Sophisticated HR compliance infrastructure
  • AI-driven insights traditionally reserved for large enterprises
  • Executive-level advisory without enterprise consulting fees

Core Practice Areas

HR & Benefits Compliance

Protecting leadership from regulatory risk while supporting a compliant, positive workplace.

Employee Benefits Strategy

Medical, dental, vision, disability, and voluntary benefits—engineered to reduce employer cost while maintaining employee satisfaction.

Commercial & Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Risk protection aligned with financial and operational objectives.

Our leadership team

Our expert team is ready to help you.

Scott Martin, CEO

Risk Management / Insurance Senior Advisor

Joseph Templin, CLU, ChFC, CAP™

Financial Analyst
Author and Publisher

Brent Wakefield, CPA

Accounting

Gary Ogg, Esq.

Attorney
Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky, P.C.

Barbara Freet, PHR

Director - Human Resources Advisor

Heather Chen

Commercial Business Liability
Quality, Risk Management

Frequently asked questions

Explore our FAQs to find answers to common questions and get the information you need to make informed decisions about your insurance coverage.

An insurance broker is a professional who acts as a mediator between insurance companies and clients. They help clients find the best insurance coverage for their needs by comparing policies and prices from multiple insurers.

No, you are not required to use an insurance broker to purchase insurance. You can also buy insurance directly from an insurance company or through an online insurance marketplace. However, an insurance broker can provide valuable guidance and assistance in finding the right coverage at the best price.

Our company offers a range of HR and benefits consulting services, including employee benefits enrollment, HR compliance, and employee handbook development.

We work with businesses to review and negotiate their employee benefits plans, identifying opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of coverage and satisfaction for employees.

We keep up to date on all relevant laws and regulations and provide guidance and support to our clients to help them stay compliant with HR requirements.

We work closely with our clients to understand their specific needs and goals and tailor our services to meet their unique requirements. We offer flexible engagement models, including project-based and ongoing support.