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Creating clarity through the art and science of management consulting
Curtis&Co knows a thing or two about driving organizational success. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the boutique management consulting firm employs a constantly growing number of employees throughout the country. The company works across industries—from manufacturing to financial services to nonprofits—to help businesses make better decisions.
Curtis&Co leverages Cognitive Automation and Process Intelligence to accelerate discovery in real time and deliver exponential value to their clients. The goal is to establish true partnerships and design a customized approach that meets their client’s needs. This is done by leading their clients through complex problem-solving, implementing strategy, and validating decisions with data.
How a small, agile team can stay competitive with employee benefits
Curtis&Co considers its agility an asset, as they’re able to quickly adapt to new ideas and technology and embed themselves at their client’s organizations to galvanize change. However, despite their size being a strategic advantage, Curtis&Co knows that they are competing against other management consulting firms. Attracting and retaining talent can be a struggle for any business. And for Curtis&Co, this means being smart with their employee empowerment efforts.
Additionally, the company underwent a full rebrand in October 2021, which included a name change to Curtis&Co and a new website launch in January. To promote its new identity, Curtis&Co wanted to lead with its guiding principles. As an example, “We vs. I” pledges a commitment to the collective success of their customers and colleagues. This means advocating for the well-being of their employees as much as driving client results. Curtis&Co demonstrates this by their commitment to investing in their staff by offering robust retirement benefits.
Empowering all participants to maximize their 401(k) plans
Through Human Interest, Curtis&Co was able to offer its first-ever 401(k) plan. After vetting several referrals from their payroll partner, Human Interest stood out. Joya Hariharan, who runs Operations at Curtis&Co, was attracted to the provider’s technology and its ability to cater to small-to mid-size businesses. “When you don’t have the hundreds or thousands of employees and the corresponding large dollar-value contracts, you don’t generally have vendors paying attention to you,” she said. “It was great to see Human Interest offering a robust, affordable tool that was intuitive and easy to use from both an administrative and participant perspective.”
It was great to see Human Interest offering a robust, affordable tool that was intuitive and easy to use from both an administrative and participant perspective.
Joya Hariharan, Operations at Curtis&Co
Curtis&Co was able to provide plans for employees at different stages in their careers. Although many senior employees had received a 401(k) plan in the past, educating first-time savers was essential. Human Interest created training modules to help. “It was extremely helpful having training modules and small group sessions where I was able to ask the important questions and see everything laid out,” said Abby Nichols, Operations Analyst at Curtis&Co, and first-time 401(k) saver. These onboarding sessions helped her understand the value of her plan. “It means a lot to know that your company wants you to prepare for and invest in your future by having the best retirement plan in place,” she said.
Hariharan believes that a 401(k) plan can also help attract and retain experienced employees. Human Interest has allowed Curtis&Co to offer a benefit that’s historically been reserved for larger companies—a reassuring win for a company of their size. “For me personally, a 401(k) plan is peace of mind,” said Hariharan.
True to its values, Curtis&Co was intentional in its plan design. By opting for a safe harbor contribution, Curtis&Co was able to offer an immediate vesting schedule, auto-enrollment, and an employer match to all employees. In addition to the benefits it provided employees, Hariharan says a safe harbor was a no-brainer from a compliance perspective. Alluding to her background in risk management, Hariharan was interested in reducing as much risk as possible. “A safe harbor 401(k) is an easy way to be in compliance with all the complicated rules out there, without having to put much effort into it,” she said.
Features like a safe harbor contribution have helped incentivize both junior and senior employees to take advantage of their 401(k) plan. This attention to plan design seems to have paid off: Curtis&Co boasts an impressive 100% participation rate from its full-time employees. As Curtis&Co continues to inspire change for its clients, a Human Interest 401(k) can help the company empower its own employees to build a better financial future.
Curtis&Co is a current client of Human Interest who was not compensated for contributing to this article. The testimonies, statements, and opinions presented are unique to the individuals providing reviews and may not be representative of the experience of others. Individuals providing testimonials are current clients of Human Interest. These testimonials were actively solicited by Human Interest and individuals did not receive either cash or non-cash compensation. A direct solicitation of a testimonial incentivizes individuals to positively recommend services and products, creating a conflict of interest. Past performance or success is not a guarantee of future results. Read our full disclosures here.
