Episode
70. Redefining Benefits Leadership w/ Stephanie Porrino & Kristina Ewing
- Published
- Jan 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3088
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Summary
In this episode of The Business of Benefits, host Chelsea Ryckis sits down with two trailblazing benefits leaders, Stephanie Porrino, Director of HR at Hendry Marine Industries, and Kristina Ewing, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Shoestring Valley Holdings at the Best of the Best Florida Healthcare Alliance event. Together, they share their journeys of transforming employer health plans through innovative strategies, data-driven decision making, and bold vendor partnerships, offering actionable insights for employers ready to take control of their benefits and deliver real value to their people. From self-funding and reference-based pricing to no-cost care alternatives and fiduciary governance, Stephanie and Kristina reveal how they navigated complex challenges, disrupted traditional models, and built multi-year benefits strategies that prioritize both financial sustainability and employee wellbeing. Time Stamps: 00:00 – Welcome to The Business of Benefits 01:02 – Introduction to Guests and Episode Overview 02:19 – Stephanie and Kristina’s Backgrounds and Company Profiles 04:10 – Stephanie’s “Aha” Moment: Discovering Healthcare Pricing Discrepancies 07:19 – Kristina’s Journey: Unbundling and Finding the Right Partners 09:31 – The Importance of Ownership and Advisor Switching 10:08 – Kristina’s Multi-Year Benefits Strategy Overview 13:26 – Overcoming Challenges: Member Education and Engagement 15:41 – Vendor Summit and Setting KPIs for Accountability 18:07 – Hendry Marine’s Roadmap to Reference-Based Pricing and Pharmacy Savings 20:54 – Increasing Preventive Care Utilization with Onsite Clinics 25:29 – Financial Performance and Savings Highlights from Shoestring Valley 27:15 – New Program Innovations and Plan Design Shifts at Hendry Marine 30:25 – Managing High-Cost…