About Us

    Alera Group, formerly Barnes Insurance & Financial Services is a performance based, proactive, benefit firm committed to our client's success. Founded January 1, 2005 as a LLC, BIAFS has two offices located at 1582 Airport Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32504 and 327 Racetrack Road N.E., Suite B, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547. In August of 2018 we joined Alera Group giving us a vast amount of resources to better serve our clients.

    Our principal lines of business are Health, Dental, Life, Disability, Supplemental Policies, and Financial Services. United HealthCare, MetLife, UNUM, Guardian and ING are just a few of the carriers with whom we write business. BIAFS is a Blue Diamond agency with Florida Blue (highest agency status with Florida Blue). One of the most respected insurance agencies in the panhandle, Barnes Insurance & Financial Services has grown rapidly into a top ten agency with Florida Blue with over 15,000 lives insured.

    As a Florida Blue contracted general agency, we have the ability in certain circumstances to help employees transition their dependents to individual health policies. We are also available to counsel with employees and dependents that no longer meet eligibility requirements to review their specific options and possibly limit their cost and the employer’s COBRA exposure.

    With a combined working experience of over 100 years, BIAFS has 8 accomplished employees with a diverse insurance background that complements our clientele.

    Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. CST and all federally recognized holidays are observed.

    Meet Our Team

    Travis Riker

    Sales Executive
    Travis Riker

    (678) 533-6075

    Travis is the leader of our Benefits team.  He has over 20 years of experience advising clients on all aspects of strategic employee benefit planning.  Travis has dedicated his career to helping employers design benefit plans that break the status quo and drive real tangible change. The biggest barrier to financial security for working Americans is the cost of health care. He specializes in rebuilding those plans to find and eliminate the 20-30% of spend waste in today’s health care costs of others. Travis is a Registered Employees Benefits Consultant, Registered Health Underwriter and Certified Health Rosetta Advisor.  Travis serves as the healthcare subject matter expert and is ultimately accountable for our success.

    Jennifer Kinley-Lawrence

    Benefits Consultant
    Jennifer Kinley-Lawrence

    (865) 415-6962

    Working in the insurance industry for over 26 years, Jennifer is passionate about helping her clients control their risk, retain talent and improve the well-being of their employees. Since 2006, she has focused her attention on consulting in an effort to fuel her client's success by bringing value to their plans and employees. Jennifer and her team partner with their clients by building a strong foundation of employee benefits that are competitive and impactful to their bottom line. She wants her clients to know that her team is an extension to their HR team and an advocate for their employees.

    Jennifer has been a member of NAHU for over 20 years and earned their Soaring Eagle Leading Producer Roundtable award. In addition, she was chosen as one of Employee Benefit Adviser’s Top Women in Advising for 2020. In her spare time Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing guitar, gardening and reading.

    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    Employee Benefits

    How Voluntary Benefits Inspire Employee Loyalty

    Presenters will show you how to use these benefits to meet the needs of both your business and employees, driving retention and saving money. 

    March 21, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Employee Benefits

    HIPAA Privacy and Security Overview

    Join our compliance experts for an overview of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules.

    April 2, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Employee Benefits

    Finding, Using and Transitioning Out of a PEO

    Your company is small, and limited resources make it difficult to manage a robust benefits program. Time to explore outside support from a professional employer organization (PEO). But where to begin?

    April 18, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Wealth Services

    Weekly Market Update

    Stocks fell for the second straight week on inflation concerns despite a report on consumer prices that was initially well received by investors.

    March 18, 2024

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    Wealth Services

    Weekly Market Update

    Stocks were down for the week as investors appeared to take some profits and traders parsed Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Congressional testimony.

    March 11, 2024

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    Wealth Services

    Monthly Market and Economic Update

    Read about the latest insights on the market and economy from our Director of Investments, Bob Janson.

    March 6, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Show Why Your Voluntary Benefit Offerings Make You an Employer of Choice

    If you’re a business owner or benefits manager seeking to optimize your employee benefits offerings, you won’t want to miss Alera Group’s March 21 Engage webinar, "How Voluntary Benefits Inspire Employee Loyalty." During the one-hour session, our panel of Alera Group experts will discuss how voluntary benefits serve employers as well as employees, enabling employers to show they recognize the varied needs of their workforce by providing supplementary offerings in a cost-effective manner.

    March 5, 2024

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