Justin Futrell, CSFS, Benefits Advisor at TrueNorth Companies, was interviewed by Adam Torres on Mission Matters Money Podcast.
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Justin Futrell talks with Mission Matters about his clean water initiatives for Tanzania, along with his efforts to introduce higher-quality healthcare benefits to the workplace.
What mission matters to you?
“The mission that matters to me is being on a quest to impact millions of lives,” he says, “personally through clean water initiatives and professionally as a benefits advisor in working with leadership teams to help them elevate their ability to improve their investment in their people.”
Futrell says he believes everyone has the capacity to make an impact on the world around them. Through TrueNorth Companies, he aims to create better opportunities for people and watch the resulting benefits grow.
Tell us about your clean water initiative for Tanzania.
Recalling the initiative’s roots, he says, “It all started out with just me— I set a goal to do 1,000 pull-ups in one day, and now we have over a thousand people doing 75,000 pull-ups to raise awareness and money for clean water.”
More than 2,000 people, comprised of individuals, sports teams, school classes and gyms, have taken up the call to raise awareness for clean water through the #PullupsForTanzania initiative. “We’ve done four fundraisers so far, we’ve raised $175,000, and that’s impacted roughly 35,000 lives,” Futrell says.
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What is TrueNorth?
TrueNorth Companies, he explains, is an insurance brokerage and consulting services firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It has nearly 500 employees.
“Our vision is to create a legacy company with an entrepreneurial platform that attracts, develops, and coordinates high-performing talent,” he says. “Our mission is to protect and maximize companies and people with their assets, resources, and opportunities.”
What should business leaders consider when hiring a consultant?
“We want to provide systematic education, be there for your people when they need it, and help you make strategic decisions that best position your people to get high-quality, affordable health care,” Futrell says, and stresses the importance of making decisions based on good data.
Three crucial aspects to consider before working with a benefits company, he notes, are caring about your people, acknowledging that the current costs associated with healthcare are too high, and being open-minded to hear out another way to improve your business. For his part, he explains, he educates leadership teams on how they can bring success and transparency to their health plans and help them identify and implement strategies to control rising health care costs.
To learn more, visit TrueNorth Companies online or message Justin directly: jfutrell@truenorthcompanies.com
