Mountain West PEP Story
Mike Monroe is the founder of Mountain West 401(k).
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Mike graduated from Gonzaga University with a finance and accounting degree and for the first 20 years of his professional career served in fiduciary roles as a Certified Public Accountant (“CPA’) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) for many employers in the Pacific Northwest.
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During this formative time in his professional career, Mike learned very early that attracting and retaining quality staff was tantamount to an employer’s success.
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Mike had the responsibility of developing salary and benefits programs with the objective of creating a differentiated compensation package.
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Figuring out how to pay competitive salaries and procure good health insurance was much easier and more straightforward than selecting a 401(k) retirement program.
It was annoying and time-consuming to evaluate, set- up, and administer a 401(k) employee program. The 401(k) product solutions and providers weren’t transparent, and the buying experience simply didn’t meet the needs of a small or medium-sized employer.
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This was simply not OK as Mike felt that a high-quality 401(k) employee benefit was critical for the employers and employees he served.
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Mike set out to change this paradigm by leveraging the collective buying power of many employers to offer a high-value, administratively simple, and affordable 401(k) program.
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Mike leveraged his previous experience running employee benefits and insurance operations and launched the Mountain West 401(k) Pooled employer plan (“PEP”) in 2022. His vision was clear– provide a high-value retirement program with C-suite service support to employers.