Labor First Expands Executive Team, Further Solidifying Commitment to Making Medical and Drug Benefits Better for Retirees and Plan Sponsors
Company appoints seasoned executives to drive continued company growth and enhance product innovation and client delivery
Labor First, a leading provider of group retiree Medicare benefit management solutions, is excited to announce the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Rick Kaplan as Chief Growth Officer and Sheela Andrews as Chief Product Officer. The strategic hires further advance the company’s ongoing commitment to establishing positive outcomes and delivering unsurpassed service for retirees and their plan sponsors.
“We are very fortunate to have experienced rapid growth in recent years in both Labor First and our sister brand Retiree First. As a substantial part of the U.S. population ages into retirement, the cost to cover post-retirement health benefits have become increasingly more of a concern for plan sponsors and their advisors,” said John P. Dulczak, CEO of Labor First. “We’re committed to helping our clients solve these challenges by offering tailored Medicare benefits designed to reduce financial liability without compromising the level of healthcare and quality of service that retired participants deserve. With the expansion of our leadership team, we’re excited to tap into the insights of these seasoned industry veterans to further increase client satisfaction and work to help improve the retirement experience for every member we serve.”
The new executive leadership team members bring decades of combined industry experience and expertise to Labor First and Retiree First. They include:
Rick Kaplan, Chief Growth Officer: Having served in many senior leadership positions across different health care companies, Rick brings a long track record of helping organizations innovate, grow and delight customers. At Labor First, Rick is responsible for driving growth strategies, executing on all growth functions, and creating unmet value for our clients and members.
Sheela Andrews, Chief Product Officer: Sheela brings over 20 years of experience to her role at Labor First, with an impressive background in driving cross functional strategic programs, as well as developing and managing client relationships. Prior to joining Labor First, she served in leadership roles within several other large healthcare organizations. In her new role as Chief Product Officer, her primary focus is to strengthen and build out Labor First’s current Medicare products, while simultaneously focusing on the strategic direction of the organization.
“When it comes to post-retirement healthcare benefits, several growing and changing factors have created challenging environments for plan sponsors. Yet, there are solutions and services available, such as what Labor First offers, to combat such issues,” said Rick Kaplan, Chief Growth Officer. “I look forward to further innovating and growing alongside the purpose-driven and talented team at Labor First as we collectively seek to simplify complexities in our industry and drive greater change.”
Founded in 2005, Labor First offers an administrative technology platform, customized healthcare benefit solutions and full-service account management and concierge retiree advocacy services for plan sponsors and their retirees. In July of 2021, the company announced a recapitalization with Great Hill Partners, providing Labor First with the ability to accelerate the buildout of its salesforce, broker channels, new product introductions and continued investment in its member advocacy team and technology to further support the company’s execution of its growth strategy.
For more information on Labor First and its leadership team, visit www.laborfirst.com.
About Labor First
Labor First is a Mount Laurel, NJ-based group retiree Medicare benefit manager that serves labor unions, public sector entities and private corporations. Labor First offers tailored benefit plans, full-service account management and concierge retiree advocacy for plan sponsors and their retirees, which enhances benefit quality while driving material cost savings. For more information, visit www.laborfirst.com.
