JM Ford & Associates supports TAP through transitions

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Jeff Ford is President and Senior Account Executive of JM Ford & Associates. He describes his firm as “Insurance innovators.” The phrase applies to how the company handles plan design, carrier mix, and specialty services. Primary focus is on employer group benefits, Medicare, and individual health insurance needs. “There is so much information and misinformation out there about insurance,” Jeff explains. “We help clients work through the minutia.”

The firm supports employer groups ranging in size from 2-2,000 employees. “We do every core benefit – health, dental, vision, life, disability, long-term care – anything that touches an employer benefit plan we have access to or do,” he explains. Forty percent of his business is Medicare. “Ten thousand Boomers are aging into Medicare every day,” he says. Insurance carriers pay JM Ford & Associates directly. This means most clients don’t pay the firm a fee for services. The exception is consulting contracts.  

“We make sure we are appointed with every carrier that does business in Virginia,” Jeff explains. Firm agents customize solutions for a particular client’s needs. 

Jeff is a big believer in giving back to the community. JM Ford & Associates is an Inspire Level investor with TAP. They’re also a corporate sponsor for the Children’s Trust. The firm supports Taubman Museum, Good Samaritan Hospice, and Attic Productions too. Jeff doesn’t like promoting himself or his company. He says he’s willing to share his story to encourage others to step up. “I’m a small agency, but hopefully it gets other small businesses to realize they should be helping out too.”

Supporting TAP

“When I first started working with TAP, they faced an issue of not having enough people on their plan” Jeff recalls. That was 13 years ago. He found a plan offering more flexible eligibility. Then he built up enrollment. A TAP health reimbursement account now keeps benefit and premium costs down.

“A lot of what is perceived that we do is we market and shop and RFP the different plans, but really where an agency is supposed to earn their money is all the behind-the-scenes service,” Jeff explains. “Health insurance can be very time intensive. One of my key jobs is during renewals, fighting the rate hikes and getting the best plans we can get our hands on.”

“I appreciate TAP every day for what they do,” Jeff says. “Every time I think I know what all their departments do, I find out there are more departments doing more stuff than I knew about. Their reach touches the entire Valley in one way or another, and I can’t speak highly enough about that. The executive team and upper management breathe and bleed TAP.” Angela Penn is the third TAP President & CEO he’s supported. Jeff stays in touch with former agency leaders Annette Lewis and Ted Edlich. “I value TAP not just because they’re a client, but because of what they do.”  JM Ford & Associates celebrated it’s 20-year anniversary in May. Clients Jeff brought with him from his prior employer are still with him today. “The value I place on my clients is second to none,” he says. “That’s why we try to do everything humanly possible for them, because I wouldn’t be in business without them.”

Woods Rogers: Providing Solutions

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Woods Rogers has a long history with TAP. Michael J. Hertz, a principal with the firm, just came off a nine-year term serving on TAP’s Board of Directors. Thomas M. Winn III, the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Co-Chair, has served as counsel to TAP for a number of years. He’s focused primarily on helping the HR department with employment law issues.

“It’s an easy decision to support TAP,” says Mike. “Many people don’t realize that TAP has its hand in so many things.” He cites legal aid, elder care, HeadStart, a relationship with Habitat for Humanity, and other areas TAP administers, initially founded, or participates in as examples. “They’re just a giant driver of good.”

“We’ve been around a long time,” says Tom. “Our firm was founded in 1893 in Roanoke. We like to support the communities we serve, so we have active programs in all the communities where we have offices. But, if you’re going to support the Roanoke Valley, what better organization to support than TAP? TAP is a very easy choice when you’re trying to invest in the community because that’s what TAP’s all about.”

Over the years, Woods Rogers has grown its geographical reach. This included an historic merger in 2022 with Vandeventer Black in Norfolk. With this, government contracting and maritime law were added as practice groups and existing practice groups were strengthened. The merger created Virginia’s fifth largest law firm. It’s one that spans the entire Commonwealth. The firm has offices in Norfolk, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and Roanoke.   

The pair’s longevity with Woods Rogers says a lot about the culture. Tom joined the firm in 1993 as an attorney, after working there during college. Mike has been there since 2006. Both started their law practice with Woods Rogers and have stayed there since. “We care about our people, take care of our people,” says Mike. That includes non-lawyer staff. “It’s a collaborative, congenial atmosphere,” added Tom.

Services include the full range of business and professional legal issue support. Attorneys consult with each other across offices. This teamwork provides deep talent for solving challenges. “We really try to make the client problem or issue our own,” says Mike. He explains how much each attorney cares about the people they work with, whether that’s clients or firm team members. Tom cites responsiveness and customer service as practice hallmarks.

“In the years that I’ve worked with TAP, I’ve found the leadership to be excellent,” explains Tom. “There are so many tendrils into community needs that probably most people don’t know about. What a wonderful organization led by really caring, competent people. Our firm is in the business of helping our clients find solutions to problems. By supporting TAP, we’re doing something additional to help members of our community we likely wouldn’t be encountering professionally. We’re helping parts of the community that greatly need help but typically would be outside the scope of services we provide as a law firm.”

Tom’s history with Angela Penn, TAP’s President & CEO, goes back over twenty years. They participated in Leadership Roanoke Valley together. “I certainly thought the world of her back then and my respect for her as a person and as a leader has only grown since that time,” he says.

The firm has been a TAP investor for four years at the Inspire Level. As Mike stepped off the board at the end of 2023, fellow Woods Rogers partner Zach Agee stepped on to continue the firm’s leadership support.  “Woods Rogers has been a staunch supporter of TAP over the years,” says Angela Penn. “It’s been tremendous to have the support of Tom, Mike, and now Zach, as well as other members of the firm along the way as we strive, together, to transform lives.”

Overcoming All Obstacles: Nyah Williams’ Story

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Single parenthood is a challenge. The struggles of being the only source of support for your child, financially, physically, and emotionally is a full-time job in itself. Nyah Williams has experienced this with the added difficulty of living in public housing with no vehicle.

Nyah experienced a troubled youth. She suffered from depression as a teenager, and got into trouble at school and home, and even lost contact with her family after living in group homes for 6 months. She decided to try living on her own at 18, even though she had virtually no support system in place. “I tried to grow up too fast,” she said.

Nyah always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. She was inspired to do so after witnessing her grandmother’s treatment at a nursing home. She saw the lack of care in these facilities and wanted to do better, not just for her own grandmother, but for other people’s loved ones as well. Since then, she has worked as a CNA and has experience in labor and delivery.

Before becoming pregnant, Nyah spent a lot of time with her friends, partying and blowing off steam. She says that everything shifted into focus after she got pregnant with her son, and knew his father was not going to be in the picture. “I had to do a full detox of my life,” said Nyah.

She was lucky to have secured her place in communal living, and was able to obtain childcare through social services. After the birth of her son, she rebuilt relationships with her mother and siblings. When talking about her family, Nyah said, “This is who’s here for you.” Her mother was also a single mom and had already given up so much to raise her and her siblings. Nyah didn’t want to rely on her mother any more than she had to. “It made me want to go harder for my son,” she said. Nyah still struggled with depression, but wanted to do right by her child.

Nyah was ready to go back to work, but needed pay that she and her son could live on, and better flexibility to care for her him. She’d heard about TAP’s CCMA program from a friend and enrolled.

The challenges didn’t end there. She still had no vehicle, so she was spending much of her money to buy Ubers to and from class. She was missing class to take care of her child and there was even a day when she had to bring him to class with her. While her son’s childcare teacher was flexible with Nyah, the coursework was still difficult, and she considered giving up many times. But she had the best motivation to stay her course.

“God gave me my son at the right time,” Nyah said, talking about how everything played out. Nyah sees all of the struggles she’s faced as opportunity to rise to the challenge, even when it seemed impossible. When asked what her advice would be to someone in a similar situation, Nyah said, “Keep pushing. Follow through to see the end. No matter what.”

Despite juggling school, transportation, and child care, Nyah’s hard work paid off. She graduated the CCMA program and now makes the most of any graduate of the program living in Virginia. She is even starting therapy to improve her mental health.

She still faces some similar struggles. However, now she has new goals and better ways to reach them. Moving forward, Nyah is saving money to get her own vehicle and move out of public housing. She still values her independence and wants to “Be more self-sufficient, happy, and stable.”

Nyah is a testament to resilience and determination, and especially the strength of love for one’s child. She overcame so much to get to where she is, and everyone at TAP, especially the CCMA Instructor, Diana Talmadge, is proud of her. Her transformation shows the importance of TAP’s programs to people like Nyah, who have strength and resolve to reach their goals in the face of any challenge.