OneDigital has physical presence in Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Two companies merged into a single entity, OneDigital, and recently made the change known from its downtown Sandusky base. Not too long ago, signage at its office, at Jackson and Market streets, changed over from The Ashley Group to OneDigital, which prompted many questions from community members. Nick Gerber, who's the former vice president of business development for The Ashley Group, joined OneDigital as its principal, senior client executive, when both firms came together in May 2021. Gerber, who was with The Ashley Group since 2013, boasts more than 16 years of experience in employee benefits and business consulting. Gerber answered some pressing inquiries: Q: What happened? NG: OneDigital, the nation's leading strategic advisory firm — focused on delivering health, retirement/wealth, and human resources solutions for employers of all sizes — acquired The Ashley Group on May 1, 2021. The firm's addition reflects OneDigital's growing footprint in the Ohio market, which includes offices in Cleveland, Medina, Akron, Canton and Dublin. Headquartered in Sandusky, The Ashley Group also had offices in Maumee and Medina. Q: What are the main differences with this new branding? NG: Since its founding in 2002, The Ashley Group had provided extensive health care consulting and industry education services, specializing in employer-sponsored group benefits, ancillary and worksite benefits and Medicare plans. OneDigital's workforce strategy business consultants advise on employee benefits, human resources, employee well-being, property and casualty insurance and pharmacy consulting as well as retirement and wealth management services provided through OneDigital investment advisers. Headquartered in Atlanta, OneDigital's more than 100 offices and nearly 3,000 business strategists serve the needs of over 85,000 employers across the nation. Q: Did the people in Sandusky keep their jobs in this transition? NG: Our leadership team is proud of the fact that only one team member was affected by The Ashley Group joining OneDigital and that we were able to assist her in obtaining employment with another local firm. With accounting for OneDigital handled at the Atlanta headquarters, our employee chose not to relocate. Q: What does the Sandusky office do now, under OneDigital, that it didn't do previously with The Ashley Group? NG: OneDigital takes a workforce strategy approach to business consulting. This means that Sandusky area employers can work with one local adviser to gain access to human resource consulting, employee benefits, property and casualty insurance and wealth and retirement plans including employer-sponsored 401(k)s. Q: What does the Sandusky office still do, under One Digital, that it also did with The Ashley Group? NG: The Ashley Group continues to educate employers and their employees on how to get the most value from their benefits package, performing in-depth financial analysis for long-term cost-saving strategies and advising on compliance and regulations relating to health insurance and ancillary benefits. No employer or employee lost coverage or access to their benefits upon The Ashley Group joining OneDigital. This was a seamless transition from their vantage point. Q: What is OneDigital's commitment to Sandusky? NG: I first met with the OneDigital executive leadership team in Atlanta in late 2020 along with The Ashley Group president Tim Paradiso and vice president of client services Ashley Grisez. We were evaluating them for a cultural fit as much or more so than they were evaluating us as an acquisition. Frankly, the notion of our team joining OneDigital could have died at that initial meeting, however, we were impressed with their commitment to their employees and the standards of their service. The OneDigital footprint was already established in Ohio, and, with our acquisition, we are one of their strongest markets. They are fully committed to continuing to grow in Ohio and across the country. For Sandusky, this means increased access to the wealth of knowledge, resources, and education that comes from OneDigital. Editor's note: Pete Gruenberg, the executive vice president for OneDigital's northeast and southeast regions, provided this comment: "The Ashley Group was an exceptional fit, culturally and strategically, for OneDigital. Together, we will deliver a strategic approach to clients' workforce needs by leveraging our combined strengths to make employee benefits less complicated and more effective all while providing for the holistic business needs of Sandusky area employers." Appreciate news from your community? Click here to subscribe to the Register.