Tony, your insights from multiple perspectives—producer, leader, personal lines expert, and Epic expert—were invaluable throughout our Applied Epic transition. You helped us think beyond the obvious, bringing considerations to the table that we wouldn’t have known to explore on our own. Your steady presence provided confidence that we were on the right path, and when we weren’t, you guided us back with clarity and expertise. Your contributions were instrumental in making this transition thoughtful, strategic, and ultimately successful. Thank you Tony!

Linda, your leadership during our Applied Epic transition was extremely reassuring. You embraced change despite being the most impacted by it. As the AMS subject matter expert, your deep knowledge was invaluable, but what stood out even more was your willingness to adapt and lead by example. You approached the challenge with openness and resilience, setting the tone for the entire company and team. Linda, your value goes far beyond your expertise — your mindset and example made a lasting impact on all of us. Thank you!

Sarina, you were an invaluable partner in our Applied Epic transition - always ensuring that no detail was overlooked and no ball was dropped. Your exceptional attention to detail kept the project on track, but the thing I was most impressed by - and what truly sets you apart - is your unwavering kindness and ability to prioritize people over projects. You made sure everyone felt included, supported, and well taken care of throughout the process. Your combination of precision and heart made a complex transition smoother and more positive for everyone involved. Thank you!

Ashley has been an amazing addition to the CG team in so many ways, and I am very thankful to have her as part of our team! Not only is Ashley a rock star in her daily work with Dereck's team, she has also been extremely helpful throughout the EPIC transition. Yesterday she dedicated hours to helping team members better understand the certificate process in EPIC, along with other helpful tips & tricks. She has also sat in on our EPIC team meetings to help answer questions people have, and the team has been very appreciative of her insight & knowledge of EPIC.

Ashley- Thank you for being a great team player, with a positive attitude and get'r done spirit! I appreciate you!

Kyle was a huge asset to the Epic project leadership team. He always provided a fun and upbeat attitude throughout the project, and this continued to overflow to the entire organization through his video updates. He also contributed countless hours analyzing and mapping data behind the scenes, brainstormed and developed marketing pieces, and most importantly kept us all grounded throughout the project. It was a blast working alongside Kyle on this project!

Shoutout to Linda for her outstanding work on the Epic project. She worked LONG hours on many aspects of the project, including configuration, data mapping, workflows, security settings and much more. Her efforts were paramount to the success of launching Epic. She really made a difference, and we’re lucky to have her on the team!

I would like to recognize Sarina for her exceptional leadership during our Epic Project. As the project leader, she demonstrated an extraordinary level of organization, commitment, and attention to detail that kept the project moving forward smoothly, even through the most challenging moments. Her tireless efforts and dedication to the project were truly inspiring. She consistently went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of the project was carefully managed and executed. Thanks to her leadership, we were able to stay on track and launch Epic on time. It has been a privilege to work alongside someone as dedicated and detail-oriented as Sarina.

Hal and Ashley are the dedicated worker bees behind the scenes, keeping everything running smoothly. Thank you for jumping on calls with Applied (on top of the 100 other things you are working on) to configure various extended solutions—whether planned or last-minute fire drills. You show up with kindness, patience, and are always willing to help. None of us could do what we do without you. Thank you!

Greta is such an amazing teammate to work with! She always has by back in everything, every day. She is always there to help me out and has such a great memory. I can't thank her enough for helping me out time and time again. Thank you for everything Greta!  

Hal and Ashley are the dedicated worker bees behind the scenes, keeping everything running smoothly. Thank you for jumping on calls with Applied (on top of the 100 other things you are working on) to configure various extended solutions—whether planned or last-minute fire drills. You show up with kindness, patience, and are always willing to help. None of us could do what we do without you. Thank you!

Kelli, in a room where everyone is quiet, I can always count on you to raise your voice, ask the tough questions, and provide thoughtful feedback. Your willingness to speak up, support the team, and drive discussions forward was a critical part to the success of this project. Your contributions to the Benefits Team and to our entire organization are deeply appreciated. 

Thank you for your support during the Epic Project. I am so grateful that you and Sean K, joined the core team. We could not have reached this point without you. Your attention to detail and willingness to help with anything was a blessing. Thank you!

Kim, You have been an absolutely amazing Accounting Captain during the Epic Project! Your dedication, willingness to help, and ability to go the extra mile have made a big difference! Your collaboration with the Patra team to ensure our Direct Bill Process is ready for go-live has been invaluable. I’m truly grateful to work with you and learn from you—thank you for everything you do!

Linda, you are simply amazing! Your expertise in the industry, knowledge of systems, strong work ethics and willingness to jump in and help is a gift to each of us that get to work alongside you. You ask questions and tackle challenges head-on and that has made a huge impact—not only on the success of the project but also on the entire team. You set a great example by continuously seeking ways to improve and ensuring that everyone is supported. You are a true SUPER STAR! Working with you, Kyle and Tony on the Epic project has truly been an incredible experience—collaborating with a dream team. This past year has been filled with learning new processes, collaborating across teams and countless long hours, yet through it all, you have consistently shown up with a smile and an unwavering willingness to go above and beyond. You are an inspiration!

**Tony, you were our Epic Yoda! Your expertise in Epic and as a Producer has been an invaluable asset, not just to our core team, but to every department and Captain involved. Your dedication to brainstorming, explaining, and teaching has made a lasting impact. ** Working with you, Linda and Kyle on the Epic project has truly been an incredible experience—collaborating with a dream team. This past year has been filled with learning new processes, collaborating across teams and countless long hours, yet through it all, you have consistently shown up with a smile and an unwavering willingness to go above and beyond. Thank you for your hard work and commitment.

Kyle, you are the bringer of fun. Thank you for bringing joy to our team. Your videos and presentations are truly EPIC! You were tasked with some big data lifts, the Client Merge and Salesforce, and you worked your magic and made it fun for all of us! Your automation skills and creativity helped us define and develop critical processes along the way. It is impressive how those skills have shaped our company over the last few years and will continue to do so going forward. Working with you, Linda and Tony on the Epic project has truly been an incredible experience—collaborating with a dream team. This past year has been filled with learning new processes, collaborating across teams and countless long hours, yet through it all, you have consistently shown up with a smile and an unwavering willingness to go above and beyond. I've learned a lot from you. Thank you!

Laila is such an amazing teammate to have! Whenever I have to step away from the phones for other tasks, Laila never hesitates to step up to answer all of the calls that come in - and she does so with no complaints. She is always quick to problem solve situations that come through our phone lines, and handles them with kindness and care ensuring each client is taken care of. She is such a bright light, and always brings joy to my day!

Abbey is so responsive and helpful in managing all of our carrier access and login needs! I appreciate that CG has someone that does this and Abbey is such a good fit. She is friendly, professional, organized, and quick! Thank you for all you help with, Abbey!

Matt is like magic for many of us at CG! Claims can be such a challenge sometimes and can take so much time to work through with multiple parties, or delays in communication. Matt is phenomenal at helping clients navigate claims, advocating for them when needed, following-up, and resolving complicated situations. He even takes the small claims off of our workload - so helpful! You are so valuable to CG, Matt! Thank you for all you do!

I am so impressed with the patience and professionalism Grace has when receiving reception calls. She is also so thoughtful, kind, willing to help with anything, and always on top of things! I appreciate all she does for our Monticello office and CG as a whole!

Tony is working incredibly hard on the EPIC conversion while still balancing his other duties, and always helping us as we need it. I am grateful for him as a leader!

Matt is always extremely helpful! He is always helping me with my clients claims. One thing I really appreciate about Matt is if I am unsure of how to approach something he always takes time to listen to my situation and provide input. Thank you for all that you do, Matt!

Sean, ever since you joined CG, you have been the utility player. No matter the task, you are always willing to help and you tackle it like a boss! Having you in my corner, has been incredible. I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime. Your ability to jump in and learn what is needed will take you far. Thank you for all you have done for me and CG!

Kyle, man, you are something else. You never cease to amaze me. Your creativity and ability to think outside the box was so essential to the Epic project. You managed to bring fun to an argues project. From working on the Client Merge to the Salesforce flat files, the amount of data that you have managed to tackled is absolutely incredible. I am SO GRATEFUL for you Tony and Sarina. It has been quite the year and I can't imagine doing it without you guys.

I had the pleasure of working with Tony on the Foster White conversion and it was great working with him and getting to know him. So when when Tony was added to the Epic project, I was like, "Yeah, let's do it!" Tony's guidance and support during this project has been so essential. With his previous experience in Epic, he has been able to add context for us which has been awesome. His role as leader, producer and servicer has really aided in the BRD creation not only for his team but for the Producers. I am SO GRATEFUL for Tony, Sarina and Kyle. It has been quite the year and I can't imagine doing it without you guys.

Sarina has been the backbone of the Epic project. I don't know what we would have done without her. Her ability to multi task, set priorities and keep us all on track has kept this project moving. Not only that, she has kept Applied on track and made sure we received all that was promised to us. She has put in countless hours to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I am constantly amazed at how much information she can keep track of. I am SO GRATEFUL for her, Tony and Kyle. It has been quite the year and I can't imagine doing it without you guys.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the hard work that Linda has put in to the Epic project. Her dedication, attention to detail, solutions-focused mindset, and willingness to go above and beyond have not gone unnoticed. She's put a tremendous amount of effort to ensure everything is in place, and she's made a huge difference in the process. Thank you, Linda, for your commitment and for always being such a reliable team player. CG is so lucky to have you!

I'm so impressed by Abbey's enthusiasm for keeping things fun and her ability to plan and execute so many great initiatives during this EPIC transition. Way to go, Abbey!

Barbie is an AMAZING trainer! She is so good at training, and she deserves to be recognized for it. Barbie is taking time in her busy schedule to work with me on learning applications in Epic. There is no specific app training and since it's a big part of my job....I got nervous. Barbie told me she could help me! That made me feel so much better. Her knowledge, patience, positive energy and passion for training and helping others is outstanding! I am so grateful for all her help. THANK YOU BARBIE!

Grace has done a fantastic job over the past few months navigating dozens of calendar invites for EPIC trainings! Her attention to detail and her quick response times to help work through scheduling items does not go unnoticed. Nice work Grace!

While presenting a mid-year review with a client who has been dealing with numerous carrier issues along with serious health conditions which are driving up utilization, Amy was able to manage a very difficult conversation with a high level of professionalism and compassion with the HR team. Often these meetings end with a client feeling helpless and frustrated as they perceive the situation to be out of their control, yet with Amy's approach of setting up an action plan to address each issue, including claims, the client ended the meeting stating how happy she was to have hired us and how lucky we both the client and CG are to have Amy.

While on a call with our client, who has been dealing with significant issues with their ancillary carriers billing practices, has expressed great gratitude to Brooke and Amy for their diligent work in straightening out the issues month after month. Additionally, the HR manager has been quite happy with the recommendations made by Amy and Brooke regarding a ben admin system which they've never had, and the education provided regarding how carriers determine renewal increases which as HR stated, after many years of administering our plan, I am finally understanding how it works.

Located in Hudson WI, SHOT for HOPE is a 501 (c) (3) charity that was founded in 2012 by Eric and Missy Steingraber. They both have a passion for hunting and believe that “a family that hunts together, stays together”. Their mission is to bring outdoors enthusiasts together to support children with a life threatening illness or life altering disability and to raise awareness, support and funding to be able to give a child a chance to experience the outdoors and a chance to go on a hunt of their dreams.

Find out more [here. ](http://Located in Hudson WI, SHOT for HOPE is a 501 (c) (3) charity that was founded in 2012 by Eric and Missy Steingraber. They both have a passion for hunting and believe that “a family that hunts together, stays together”. Their mission is to bring outdoors enthusiasts together to support children with a life threatening illness or life altering disability and to raise awareness, support and funding to be able to give a child a chance to experience the outdoors and a chance to go on a hunt of their dreams.)

I appreciate Ashley's assistance with IT matters. She is always pleasant, knowledgeable and quick to resolve issues! Thank you, Ashley!!

Sean was in the Event Center the morning of Epic training for EB. He helped make sure we were set up correctly, based on his training from the day before. It made the experience better for all of our users and helped with some technology related items too. Thank you, Sean!

Lynn is the leader of Private Client in all aspects - she is incredibly smart, talented, caring and personable!! She is always there for us when we need her guidance or as a teammate to bounce an idea off of. Lynn's listens to us and takes all our ideas or thoughts into consideration. It's people like her that make CG the best place to work!! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication Lynn!

John, a.k.a the Excel Wizard Extraordinaire, helped us make significant progress on the formatting of a messy client certificate list that contains thousands of items. I really appreciate that he took an hour out of his afternoon to work through this project with me, as it saved us many hours of manual data manipulation. Thank you John!!

Your kind gift supports our mission of granting wishes and scholarships to kids with terminal and life-threatening conditions; and our memorial grant program for the parents of children who did not survive to have their wish come true.

Find out more here.

Ronald McDonald House provides support to families with seriously-ill or injured children. Provides lodging, meals, kitchen, etc. so families can focus on the well-being of their child.

Find out more here.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.

Read more here. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Waite Park Office - Bri's Lodge helps individuals cope with loss, supports their healing, nurtures their physical and emotional well-being, and brings hope for the future - No one should grieve alone. Find out more here.

Amy blew it out of the water with our new client! We signed a new client on Monday midday. They had serious issues from their previous broker relationship and the main contact was leaving town on Wednesday. Amy worked hard to ensure BORs were signed, processed, data received, and even new marketing RFPs sent out before the client left for vacation. She did 2 weeks of work in 2 days, and did it with such quality the new client sent a note saying how impressed he was! Kudos to Amy!

Any time I have a question, whether big or small, Meghan is there to help. She digs in and won't stops until she finds a solution or helps direct me to the right tools so that I can empower myself with the resources I need. This kind of help is what allows others to grow; in turn allowing me to help others grow. She does an amazing job of connecting our team so that we can all learn from one another and support one another (especially during the busy seasons). Her selfless, caring and cheerful attitude gives way to a contagious calm whenever I talk to her. Thank you for being an incredible leader, support, and continuous resource! Recognition here is not enough to show just how grateful I am for all you do!

Funds donated by the Eden Prairie Office - In 1993, the executive director of Hospitality House Youth Development (HHYD) created Christmas With Dignity. This unique shopping experience is for parent/guardian who is economically disadvantaged who find themselves unable to afford to buy Christmas presents for their children. The parent or guardian will have the pleasure of shopping and giving their children new gifts at prices they can afford. This allows the children to see their parent/guardian as a provider, and at the same time, the family is strengthened.

Find out more here.

Bri's Lodge helps individuals cope with loss, supports their healing, nurtures their physical and emotional well-being, and brings hope for the future - No one should grieve alone.

Find out more here.

Every time I ask Grace for help with a project, she is always more than willing to step in and gets the job done quickly and accurately. I truly appreciate her readiness to take on any task and her positive, easygoing attitude. We are incredibly fortunate to have her as part of the Monticello and CG team. Thank you, Grace!

The Kansas office raised donations and purchased items from the Dream List for Drumm Farm. Our mission is to provide nurturing and inclusive services and environments that inspire and yield the lifelong success of children, young adults, and families

Find out more here.

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New Ulm Office donated. Ivy House is a 24/7 crisis nursery providing direct care to children ages 0-10 whose families are in crisis or stressful situations. We provide care for up to 72 hours and walk with families as they find themselves in crisis. Ivy House exists as a resource for families in our community who need help.

Find out more here.

Cure Sanfilippo Foundation architects and funds cutting-edge research to accelerate discovery of a treatment or cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome so parents can dream of their children’s futures again. Children with Sanfilippo Syndrome experience severe dementia and life expectancy is mid-teens.

Find out more here.

The Help Center offers monthly Food Shelf visits, food delivery options for seniors and disabled clients, as well as a monthly People’s Pantry drive-thru where anyone can come and pick up boxes of essential food items. Our Clothing Center offers free clothing and household items.

Find out more here.

We send care packages to families that are currently in the NICU with preemies. Our care packages are carefully curated, packed with love and filled with hope. We know that a Mr. Potato Head won't fix everything. But behind every Mr. Potato Head is a community of people that LOVE you and want to give HOPE.

Find out more here.

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To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Find out more here.

At MN Kindness Alliance, our mission is to inspire one another to spread kindness within our communities through education, events, community-based projects, and collaboration.

Find out more here.