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 offices located at 1582 Airport Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32504. 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
Dennis Barnes
Managing Partner
850-473-1500
Bill Roberts
Managing Director
Travis Riker
Sales Executive
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
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
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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Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
April 24, 2024 at 11:00 am CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Supporting Women’s Health Month: Trending Employee Benefits
In this session, we’ll talk about how employers are helping female employees and dependents be their best through every phase of life: From fertility, maternal care and parenting to peri/menopause, caregiving and mental health.
May 16, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks fell last week as investors sorted through conflicting inflation reports and assessed geopolitical tensions.
April 15, 2024
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Wealth Services
Monthly Market and Economic Update | March 2024
Read about the latest insights on the market and economy from our Director of Investments, Bob Janson.
April 11, 2024
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Weekly Market Update
Stocks dropped last week as investors focused on “what's next” for interest rates after mixed comments from multiple Fed officials.
April 8, 2024
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Webinar: The Ins and Outs of PEOs
Providing employees with a robust benefits program is vital to attracting and retaining staff while growing an organization, but many small and medium-sized businesses lack the resources and time necessary to manage such a program. Professional employer organizations (PEOs) offer a solution. Alera Group's April 15 webinar, "Finding, Using and Transitioning Out of a PEO" will address the basics and help you strategize.
April 4, 2024
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