New logo and brand revealed at National Guardian Life Insurance Company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) has always been a creator of connection and promoter of people.

“For more than a century NGL has been a leader in the insurance industry. We believe in providing insurance solutions that link people to the right products and partners for life’s journey. Our purpose is to help people face life’s financial challenges with confidence, dignity and grace,” said Jessica Grann, NGL Chief of Staff and Vice President of Brand and Corporate Communications.

Greater focus and new purpose

NGL has utilized the “tree of life” logo since 1965 when it was originally created. It has been a strong logo, however with NGL’s renewed purpose and focus, a modern brand that resonated with partners and policyholders was created.

Several logos were developed and tested using Implicit Association Testing to determine which logos appeared to be more reliable, inviting, authentic, experienced and innovative. After additional testing by agents and policyholders, NGL’s new logo was selected.

“Testing several logos and selecting one that represents NGL’s values has been a valuable process. We chose a logo and messaging that promotes the ideas and values of NGL as a reliable, trustworthy leader who will be there for partners, policyholders and employees when they need it most,” said Jessica Grann, NGL Chief of Staff and Vice President of Brand and Corporate Communications.

Throughout the upcoming year NGL will update its digital platforms, marketing materials, applications and building signage.

NGL’s branding and messaging may be changing but that doesn’t mean the company is abandoning its heritage. NGL is writing the next chapter in its story – a chapter that builds on the company’s promises, strengths and innovation.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

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WPS Health Solutions wins two silver Telly Awards for video

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli, Director of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions wins two silver Telly Awards for video

MADISON, Wis.—June 8, 2020— WPS Health Solutions recently won two silver Telly Awards for a video produced for WPS Military and Veterans Health.

Winners were selected from 12,000 entries, which came from all 50 states and five continents. WPS stood in good company and high recognition with well-known enterprises. Microsoft, Nickelodeon, and NBC Comcast were among those receiving silver awards.

The winning video, titled “For Your Service,” features WPS’ long history of serving military personnel, veterans, and their families. Originally, the video was shown on the scoreboard at the 2019 Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Watch the award-winning video here.

Later, the WPS creative team edited the video for a 30-second television commercial for WPS Medicare Market Solutions.

WPS won in the Institutional/Corporate Image and Direct Marketing non-broadcast categories.

The award-winning segment was shot and edited by Nathan Redman and Erik Eichstadt, directed by Matthew Stanosz, and written by Wendy Hathaway.

“This was a wonderful project to work on. The multimedia team was able to collaborate with the events team on a major sponsorship. It’s an honor to represent the Military and Veterans Health business unit and highlight more than 70 years of WPS service,” says Matt Stanosz, Multimedia Supervisor.

“This is a very talented creative team, and combine that with a great story to tell, it’s a winning combination,” says WPS Creative Director Eric Roell. “So many people in our department worked on this project, and I’m proud that we’ve been recognized for the quality of our work.”

The team has won a total of 18 Telly Awards in the last five years.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television content of all origins.

 About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Dane County Credit Union donates $20,000 to local non-profits

MADISON, WI – Several local non-profits are the benefactors of $20,000 in donations made by Dane County Credit Union. These donations help support organizations that are providing needed services for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in our community.

Organizations in Madison that are receiving a portion of the funds include:
• The River Food Pantry, 2201 Darwin Road, provides food, resources, and faith to build a stronger community.
• The Allied Food Pantry, 4619 Jenewein Road, Madison, is an emergency food pantry providing nutritious food for those in need.
• Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld Street, Madison, provides many programs to serve the needs of the community.
• The Road Home, 890 W. Wingra Drive, provides essential service to families who are experiencing homelessness.
• Centro Hispano, 810 West Badger Road, serves the Latino community with a variety of programs.

“Each of these organizations touches the lives of those in need within our communities,” said Shay Santos, President and CEO of Dane County Credit Union. “They provide necessary services and address real issues that are affecting people under our current circumstances, and we are grateful for all they do.”

Checks were delivered by DCCU staff to each organization while practicing proper physical distancing.

Donations provided are in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago COVID-19 Relief Program.

About Dane County Credit Union
Dane County Credit Union, a $200 million, full-service, not-for-profit financial cooperative, serves everyone who lives or works in Dane County and the surrounding counties. Dane County Credit Union currently has 4 branches in the Madison area with 20,000 members. To learn more, visit www.dccu.us.

WPS launches MedEncentive digital health pilot; first trial to be sponsored by commercial health insurer

For WPS Health Solutions

DeAnne Boegli
DeAnne.Boegli@wpsic.com
Phone: 608-977-7343

For MedEncentive

Jim Dempster
jdempster@medencentive.com
Phone: 405-319-8454

WPS launches MedEncentive digital health pilot; first trial to be sponsored by commercial health insurer

Madison, Wis. and Oklahoma City – June 4, 2020 – In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, WPS Health Solutions, a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin, and MedEncentive, developer of a breakthrough digital health service, announced a partnership today, to conduct a pilot of the MedEncentive Mutual Accountability and Information e-Therapy (e-MAIT) Program. The purpose of the pilot is to demonstrate the program’s health-improvement and cost-containment capabilities to health insurers, researchers, policymakers, and the general public.

Starting immediately, a subset of WPS’s employee health plan will be covered by the e-MAIT Program. Health and cost outcomes from this covered group will be compared to the balance of the WPS employee health plan, in a multiyear controlled trial.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming how healthcare and health insurance will be delivered,” said WPS Chief Strategy Officer John Stephens. “Part of this transformation is the acceleration of digital health. MedEncentive has developed a promising digital health solution that we believe will improve health and lower costs. WPS is committed to being a health insurance leader in the post-COVID-19 era, and it is for this reason that we are proud to be sponsoring this important demonstration with MedEncentive.”

In a five-year study, recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research and certified by the Validation Institute, the e-MAIT Program was found to be associated with significant reductions in hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and per-capita expenditures, which produced a large return on investment for the health plan sponsor.

“As the first controlled trial sponsored by a commercial health insurer, this pilot is an important step toward our goal of widespread and universal adoption of our program,” said MedEncentive CEO Jeff Greene. “WPS is to be commended for its leadership and commitment to excellence.”

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

About MedEncentive LLC

MedEncentive offers a health-improvement, cost-containment service to employers, insurers and governments, based on the Company’s web-based and mobile-enabled incentive system.  This patented system, called the Mutual Accountability and Information Therapy (MAIT) Program, has been proven to improve health and health care, and lower costs, an objective often referred to as the “Triple-Quadruple-Quintuple Aim.” What makes the MAIT Program unique is how it offers financial incentives to both patients and doctors for holding each other accountable for assimilating “information therapy.” To learn more, visit www.medencentive.com.

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Central Storage Leads Again in Commercial Solar

Media Contact:
Kelly Williams
(608) 333-6651
kscocos@csw-wi.com

Central Storage Leads Again in Commercial Solar

MADISON, Wis. – A new 653 kWdc solar energy installation at Central Storage & Warehouse’s Caledonia, Wisconsin location now makes the refrigerated warehouse company the largest privately-owned host of commercial rooftop solar power generation in the state. At its three southern Wisconsin facilities, Central Storage now utilizes more than 2,140 kWdc of solar. The only business with more installed rooftop capacity is publicly-owned Target.   

The family-owned business has consistently championed sustainability, and has found rooftop solar to be profoundly impactful in recent years. The company’s first solar installation, a 741 kWdc system atop its Madison warehouse, was the largest installation in the state at the time of completion in 2016. The business case validated by that original system led to a subsequent 746 kWdc installation at Central Storage’s Pleasant Prairie facility in 2018. The Caledonia facility is the company’s third installation, and its leadership team expects further solar expansion in coming years.

“Solar has become a significant part of our overall business strategy. We not only want to increase our environmental sustainability, but we also want to demonstrate effective cost controls to our customers and our employees. These investments support our values and are helping us mitigate risk for the future,” said John Winegarden, CEO of Central Storage & Warehouse.

With the addition of the latest installation, the use of solar-generated power across all of its locations is expected to save Central Storage more than $13.5 million in electricity costs over the next thirty years.

RENEW Wisconsin, a renewable energy advocacy agency, has tracked commercial adoption of solar statewide. Heather Allen, Interim Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin said, “Solar is an incredible opportunity for businesses right now. In a time of economic uncertainty, investing in renewable energy helps protect a business from future energy costs and can help keep operating budgets affordable. It’s really exciting to see renewable energy leaders like Central Storage & Warehouse stepping up to the plate continuously. It’s an investment that not only helps their company, but it also contributes to our state’s renewable energy goals. That has an impact for all of us.”

CSW worked with SunPeak, a Madison-based commercial solar developer and construction company on all three of its solar projects. “Many businesses with heavy power loads during the day are good candidates for solar. We see an especially strong match with refrigeration businesses like Central Storage because their energy needs are especially high in the summer, which is exactly when solar production is greatest,” said Mike Riverun, SunPeak’s Director of Project Development. “Before solar, Central Storage was shifting its power loads to off-peak periods to take advantage of lower electricity rates. Now they can utilize more power during peak generation periods without incurring higher costs.”

Riverun also echoed sentiments by Allen, “The economics of solar are very favorable right now, especially with federal and state incentives still available. There are some very powerful tools to help businesses take advantage of solar. With a lot of uncertainty in the business community right now, we are seeing many industries thinking more broadly on how to cut costs.”

CSW’s investment in solar supports other energy efficiency initiatives, including a full transition to LED lighting across all facilities and the implementation of refrigeration controls to reduce overall energy use.

“Every little bit helps. We’ve been in business for seventy-three years and we’re extremely grateful for that. We’re humbled by the support we’ve received from our customers, our community and our employees. We feel like this is a way we can give back to everyone,” said Jack Williams, VP of Operations for Central Storage.

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Central Storage & Warehouse is a family-owned provider of temperature-controlled warehousing for food manufacturers and distributors. Established in 1947 and based in Madison, WI, the company has grown to over 20 million cubic feet of storage across six sites in four cities. CSW was a 2017 Wisconsin Family Business of the Year award winner, and the judges found notable the company’s embrace of new technologies and commitment to employees, the community, and the environment. CSW’s latest investment in clean energy once again embodies these values. For more information, please visit www.csw-wi.com.

SunPeak is a full-service solar photovoltaic developer specializing in commercial and industrial applications. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company works across the nation helping businesses, health care facilities, municipalities and educational institutions reduce electrical costs and enhance sustainability efforts using solar energy. SunPeak uses a value-added, comprehensive approach with its customers, partnering with them from the earliest stages to educate, assess, design, construct and ultimately maintain a solar installation through the expected thirty-year life of the system. For more information, please visit www.sunpeakpower.com.