Hunter Benefits Consulting Group

About Us

Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, Inc. (HBCG)

By focusing on creating value for plan sponsors and participants, Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, Inc. (HBCG), formed in July 1999, has grown quickly to a firm that administers over 850 employee benefits plans out of our offices in the Chicago, Denver, Spokane, and Seattle-Tacoma Suburbs. HBCG offers technical guidance to plan sponsors related to qualified plan design and administration while offering plan sponsors accurate and timely reporting for reasonable and transparent fees.

Management Team

Christopher Tipper

Founder and CEO

Christopher began his career in retirement benefits in 1990, founding Hunter Benefits in 1999 and quickly rising to prominence as an expert who challenges fellow plan consultants to continuously improve business practices, adapt to rapidly changing trends and provide cost-effective, meaningful services for their clients. He oversees new client development and marketing and serves as an expert speaker at major industry events. A graduate of Knox College, he enjoys cars and travel.

Katherine Tipper

President and CEO

Katherine joined Hunter Benefits in 2004 after more than a decade of helping Starbucks Coffee make its successful start in Seattle. She oversees the financial activities of the firm’s operations in Illinois, Washington and Colorado, applying her keen sense of strategy and business development to establish high standards for client service across the enterprise. Katherine is an alumna of Knox College.

Senior Management Team

Kimberly Jones

Production Coordinator

Kimberly has worked in the retirement planning field since 1993. She began her career on the plan-sponsor side, helping participants plan for a secure future. Kim transferred her extensive talents to the Third-Party Administration field in 1995. She has worked serving clients at Coopers & Lybrand, Buck Consultants and Merrill Lynch. Kim is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach. Away from work Kim enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Executive Personal Assistant

Dusty Rhodes is the anchor of Hunter Benefits administrative team, able to put clients in touch with Christopher and Katherine Tipper at any moment of the day or night and serving as a trusted resource for all. He attended the University of Minnesota, moving his talents to the retirement benefits field in 2014. When out of the office he can be found spending time with his family.

Billing Support

Beth joined the retirement field in late 2021 as a distributions & loans processor. Recently Beth moved over to help Dusty with accounting tasks and mailings, as well as some clerical work. Beth’s current role with Hunter Benefits include billings for distributions and loans and apply the payments to invoices when they are received. In Beth’s spare time, she loves local festivals and spending time with her family.

Sales

Robin has worked in the retirement benefits industry since 1982. Her career began in New York City administering plans for major insurance companies. In 1988 she was given an opportunity to move to Chicago and has called Chicago home ever since. Robin has worked for small TPAs and for a retirement software company in customer support, training and sales. She started working with Hunter Benefits in 2021 with our New Business Development team. She earned her Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA) and Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) from ASPPA. Robin enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and stays active playing wallyball and swimming whenever possible.

Implementation & Marketing Support

Filippo Balistreri entered the retirement benefits industry in 2021, Filippo brings with him many years of retail banking experience. He has his associates degree in IT/Computer Management from Rasmussen College. As part of our Palatine team, he handles internal IT for all of Hunter Benefits offices, and also assists sales in designing fee proposals and service agreements. His off time is spent with his husband and their 5 cats. His passions are in music and cooking. He is also a video game enthusiast (For the Alliance!).

Janice Davis joined the retirement field in 1998. Using her extensive knowledge and experience in retirement, she has worked closely with plan sponsors, financial advisors, and participants to help them meet their business and personal goals. Janice has obtained her Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) credentials. She enjoys painting, hiking, and cooking.

Zach Orr joined the retirement industry in 2022, Zach brings a broad set of digital marketing skills and certificates from various platforms. He is a certified digital marketer from the online school General Assembly and has first hand experience in SEO, social media, Facebook/ Google ads and google analytics. He also handles the editing of Hunter Benefits videos and assembles the blog posts. In his off time he enjoys camping, travel and pretty much any outdoor activity.

Document Coordinator

Raymond Hughes joined the qualified retirement field in 2011 after graduating with a degree in Economics from the University at Albany. He began his career in upstate New York but he now calls Colorado home. He has his Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) as well as his Tax-Exempt and Governmental Plan Consultant (TGPC) credentials. When he is not helping clients with plan document questions, amendments and restatements, he likes to explore the outdoors with his fiancé and Labradoodle, travel and try new things.

Hunter Benefits Administrators

Bridget Pratt joined the retirement planning field in 2016. She is a Qualified 401(k) Consultant and Administrator. With a strong background in accounting and office management, she enjoys the compliance and financial aspects of her role. Bridget is a native of West Virginia and a valued member of our Hunter Benefits team who loves spending time with her two daughters.

Amanda Leon began her career in retirement benefits in 2011, working at John Hancock before joining the Hunter Benefits team. She is a member of our Colorado office, overseeing plan distributions and loans and training her colleagues in the smooth handling of QDROs and hardship cases, preparing all related IRS documents as well as annual valuation reports for plans. She has received her ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals Certificate and she is working hard at completing her NIPA course on being an APA. Amanda is a graduate of Illinois State University who enjoys hiking, CrossFit, slack-lining and live concerts.

Angela Handzic is an Illinois native who has worked in the retirement benefits field since 2001. Throughout her career she has developed extensive knowledge of plan design, documentation and the intricate details of ERISA compliance. As a skilled plan administrator, she creates and services defined-contribution plans and provides outstanding service for Hunter Benefits clients. Angela earned her APA and NIPA accreditations in 2008 and is a graduate from the College of DuPage. When she is not in the office you can find planning her next trip to a theme park with her kids so they can check off another one of the craziest roller-coaster ever made.

Bethany Colwell joined the qualified retirement field in 2004 after graduating with degrees in Marketing and Management. She began her career in Washington State and moved to Colorado the following year. With extensive experience in retirement and wealth management, she has worked closely with plan sponsors and participants to help them meet their business and personal objectives. Bethany is a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) who enjoys snowboarding, world travel and origami.

Dottie Tzumas has served clients in the retirement benefits industry since 1978, gathering a wealth of experience in plan conversions, installation, compliance, contribution calculations, asset reconciliation, audit assistance and much more. She has earned the Qualified 401(k) Administrator designation as well as completing ASSPA courses, thus making her greatly valued by Hunter clients for her knowledge and expertise. In her down time, you can find Dottie hiking and traveling with her family.

Elsa Silva has worked in the retirement benefits field since 2008. Her strong background in contract administration makes her a valued resource for our clients, who trust her ability to manage plan administration and compliance tasks with precision. Elsa earned her business degree from the University of Maryland and enjoys working as a member of our Spokane team. Away from work, she loves cooking, reading and watching scary movies.

Gayle Goodwin specializes in defined benefit and cash balance plans. She has worked in the qualified plan compliance field since 2006, helping companies of all sizes to establish and maintain well-designed plans. Gayle enjoys the challenge of keeping abreast of ever-changing IRS and Department of Labor regulations, sharing continuous updates with Hunter clients. A California native, she is a graduate of San Diego State University. In her spare time, you can find her reading a book and planning her next travel adventure.

Kit Pong entered the financial planning and investment consulting field in 1987 after graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Business degree in Management and Marketing. She went on to pursue the retirement benefits industry in 1994 and joined Hunter Benefits in 2020. She specializes in annual administration of 401(k) Plans in accordance to plan documents, including contribution calculations, compliance testing, contribution/asset reconciliation, government reporting, loans/distributions processing, and audit assistance. Kit is happily married with two children and a Shiba Inu. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, taking leisure walks, and loves traveling with her family.

Scott Sevigny graduated from Gonzaga University in 1994 with a BA in Business Administration with emphasis in Finance. He entered the retirement benefits field in 1997, earning his Accredited Pension Administrator designation soon afterward. In 2004 he co-founded Carlson & Sevigny TPA Services, which became part of Hunter Benefits in 2018. Scott is an expert pension consultant in our Spokane, Washington office, offering special expertise in new comparability (cross-tested) contribution allocation for defined contribution plans. He enjoys fishing, golfing and Gonzaga University basketball.

Sheran Icard Joined the retirement planning field in 2012, after graduating from Washington State University. She began her career as a retirement plan consultant, then moving into plan administration in 2019. With a strong background in accounting and office management, she enjoys the compliance and financial aspects of her role. She specializes in administering cross-tested (new comparability) plans and Safe Harbor 401(k) plans. Sheran is a native of Washington State and a valued member of our Spokane team who loves spending time with her four daughters.

Sue Dudzik joined Hunter Benefits in 2020. She has over 22 years’ experience working with defined contribution plans, including profit sharing, and 401(k) plans. She is well versed in complex annual testing for new comparability plans as well as ADP/ACP testing for 401(k) plans. Her experience and diligence in staying up to date on new regulations helps Sue best serve her clients retirement plan needs. Sue holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, volunteering, and watching sports.

Hunter Benefits Associate Administrators

Austin Tipper entered the retirement benefits industry in 2018, following his graduation from the University of Minnesota with duel degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. Working as part of our team in Palatine, Illinois, he manages plan proposals, loans and distributions and contributes to the defined benefit team review process. In his spare time Austin enjoys doing conservation work and playing tabletop games.

Shauna Hegwer joined the retirement benefits industry in 2010, serving clients at Randall & Hurley and AmeriBen before becoming a key member of our Spokane team. As a seasoned pension associate, she manages distributions, loans and reconciliations, constantly expanding her knowledge base. Shauna earned her degree in business finance and economics from Eastern Washington University. She enjoys walking, movies, comedy and attending her daughter’s sporting events.

Michelle Scace is a native of Illinois and joined the retirement benefits industry in 2020, working at EIT Benefit Funds before joining Hunter Benefits. She brings many years of accounting experience and is a graduate of the University of Phoenix. Michelle helps lead the Distributions and Loans team and has received both the ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals Certificate and Qualified 401(k) Plan Administrator (QKA) designation. She enjoys going to sporting events, outdoor activities and playing basketball with her two sons.

Hunter Benefits Distributions And Loans

Amanda Miranda entered the retirement benefits field in 2022 after previously working as an ER Registered Veterinary Technician at Iowa State and a phlebotomist for LifeServe. She graduated in 2019 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree. She has received her ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals Certificate and is working hard to complete her ASPPA course to become a Qualified 401(k) Plan Administrator (QKA). In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading, traveling, and dancing cumbia with her husband.

Brianna Klopfenstein joined the retirement benefits industry in 2019 as a pension analyst before becoming a member of HBCG as a loans and distributions processer. She has received the ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals certificate and is working to complete her ASPPA Courses to become a Qualified 401(k) Plan Administrator (QKA). Outside of the office she enjoys spending time with her husband & family.

Joshua Winfrey joined the qualified retirement field in 2022 after serving over 20 years in the United States Navy. He has his bachelors degree in Human Resources Management and is a Qualified Society of Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). He works as part of our loans and distributions team and assists with various office initiatives. In his spare time he enjoys being with with his family, fishing and volunteering with a local dachshund rescue.

Makinzie McCoy joined Hunter Benefits in 2019 as a loans and distributions processer. She is working to complete her ASPPA Courses to become a Qualified 401(k) Plan Administrator (QKA). Outside of the office she enjoys traveling, visiting her family out of state and spending time with her significant other and their two dogs.

Brianna McMahon joined Hunter Benefits in 2022 as a loans and distributions processer. She is working to complete her ASPPA Retirement Plan Fundamentals certificate to then follow up with completing her ASPPA Courses to become a Qualified 401(k) Plan Administrator (QKA). Outside of the office she enjoys every minute with her daughter, painting furniture, and traveling with her dog Gus in search of antiques.

Kyle joined Hunter Benefits in 2023 after working in the Recruiting and HR/Payroll field. He received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus in Management from Augustana College back in 2020. While new to the retirement/finance field, he plans to make a career out of it. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing/watching sports, and playing video games.

Our Locations

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Colorado

Illinois

119 E Palatine Road
Suite 104
Palatine, IL 60067

Washington