Boutique Benefits Consulting — Mountain West & Pacific Northwest

The Hands-On Alternative
to the Big National Firms.

Impact Consulting Group is a boutique consulting firm with 25 years of experience serving small and mid-size employers across the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. We bring together specialists in benefits, payroll, retirement, and succession planning — coordinated through one trusted relationship.

Premiums up ~220% in five years. Healthcare costs for small group plans have more than tripled in the past five years — and most employers have simply absorbed the increase without questioning it.
Most small employers are out of compliance. ACA, ERISA, COBRA, Section 125, HIPAA — over half of small businesses are noncompliant with at least one federal benefit regulation, often without knowing it.
You're paying more and getting less. Small employers typically pay 18% more per employee for health coverage than large companies — for plans that are less competitive and harder to administer.
Benefits are driving hiring decisions. Nearly 3 in 4 employees rank benefits as a top factor when evaluating a job offer. A bare-minimum plan isn't just a cost problem — it's a talent problem.
Your employees can't use what they can't understand. Fewer than 1 in 4 employees fully understands their benefit options. That means you're paying for coverage your workforce doesn't know how to access effectively.
Administration is eating your time. Benefits management consumes 15–20 hours per month for the average small business owner or HR manager — time that should go toward running the business.
Rocky Mountain Region
Eastern Washington
Pacific Northwest
What We Do

Six Ways We Protect
Your Business

From controlling benefit costs to securing executive talent and building wealth, we cover every dimension of your employee benefits strategy.

01

Employee Benefits Programs

Medical inflation is rising 6–10% every year. We design benefit programs that control costs without sacrificing coverage quality — and ensure your plans genuinely meet the needs of your workforce.

02

Compliance Solutions

ACA, ERISA, reporting obligations — the regulatory requirements for employee benefit plans are complex and constantly evolving. We help you stay fully compliant and avoid costly penalties before they arise.

03

Employee Healthcare Education

When employees don't know how to use their benefits, everyone pays more. We educate your workforce to navigate the healthcare system efficiently — reducing their out-of-pocket costs at the point of care.

04

Executive Compensation

Your best people are always being recruited. We use insurance-based "golden handcuff" strategies that reward loyalty and create a compelling financial reason for key executives to stay — and stay invested.

05

Business Succession Planning

You've spent years building your business. We put plans in place that ensure it transitions smoothly — protecting its full value for your family, partners, and employees when the time comes to step back.

06

Wealth Building & Transfer

Build and preserve wealth through tax-advantaged insurance strategies designed to grow your assets and pass them efficiently to the next generation — with less lost to taxes along the way.

Built for the businesses that built the West.

Serving Idaho · Montana · Wyoming · Colorado · Eastern Washington · Utah · Nevada

The Challenge

What Keeps Small Employers
Up at Night

If you have 1–50 employees and a benefit plan in place, you're navigating a landscape that wasn't designed for businesses your size. These are the four pain points we hear most — framed around what employers actually experience, not just the technical problem.

01 · COST

Cost Shock Without Context

Premiums renew every year with little explanation, and most small employers accept whatever the carrier sends — because they don't know what to negotiate, or that negotiation is even possible. You're spending significant money with no benchmark to know if it's the right spend.

"Are we overpaying? We honestly have no idea."

02 · COMPLIANCE

Compliance Fear

ACA, ERISA, COBRA, Section 125, HIPAA — the regulatory landscape is dense and constantly shifting. Most small businesses know enough to be worried but not enough to be confident. One mistake could mean a fine or a lawsuit, and you don't know what you don't know.

"What are we missing that could come back to hurt us?"

03 · ADMINISTRATION

Administration Overload

Enrollment, employee questions, carrier coordination, claims disputes, life events — this work lands on whoever is already stretched thin. For small businesses, that's usually the owner or one office manager. Benefits management consumes hours that should go toward running the business.

"This takes so much time and it's not even what we do."

04 · TALENT

Competing Without Enterprise Packages

Employees compare offers. Small employers often assume they can't match what larger companies offer and settle for bare-minimum plans — then lose good candidates or struggle with retention. The playing field feels fundamentally unfair, and most don't know there are strategies to close the gap.

"We can't compete with what the big companies are offering."

The ICG Approach

A Boutique Firm Built to Solve
These Exact Problems

We're not a national call center or a benefits software platform. We're a coordinated team of specialists who work alongside you — and we address each of these challenges directly.

Addressing · Cost Shock

We Benchmark, Negotiate, and Optimize

ICG compares your plans against what comparable employers in your region and industry are actually paying. We identify where you're overspending, open carrier conversations you likely couldn't have on your own, and redesign plans to deliver more value per dollar spent.

Addressing · Compliance Fear

We Own the Compliance Burden for You

We stay current on ACA, ERISA, COBRA, Section 125, and HIPAA so you don't have to. We proactively identify gaps before they become penalties, coordinate with your legal and HR team, and maintain the documentation trail that protects you in an audit.

Addressing · Administration Overload

We Take the Day-to-Day Off Your Plate

From open enrollment to carrier disputes and employee questions, we become the first call for benefits-related issues. We also connect you with payroll and HR technology solutions that streamline what can't be delegated — so your team focuses on the business, not the benefits paperwork.

Addressing · Competing for Talent

We Level the Playing Field

Small employers can offer competitive benefit packages — they just need the right design and the right partners. ICG helps you build plans that punch above your weight class: voluntary benefits, executive compensation structures, and retention strategies that make talented people think twice about leaving.

Why Impact Consulting Group

25 Years. One Relationship.
A Full Network of Specialists.

National consulting firms assign you a rotating account rep and a 1-800 number. ICG is built differently. We're a boutique firm with over 25 years of experience serving the insurance and benefits needs of small and mid-size employers throughout the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest — and we show up as partners, not vendors.

When you work with ICG, you get direct access to a coordinated network of specialists across every discipline that touches your employee benefit strategy. One relationship. No hand-offs. No gaps.

  • Employee Benefits Design & Carrier Relations
  • Payroll Integration & Benefits Administration
  • Retirement Plan Strategy (401k, SEP, SIMPLE IRA)
  • Executive Compensation & Retention Programs
  • Business Succession & Wealth Transfer Planning
25+
Years serving the insurance and benefits needs of small employers throughout the Mountain West & Pacific Northwest
Local Presence
Same time zone. Same community. Personally accountable — not a rep who rotates annually.
Specialist Network
We bring together the right experts for your situation — benefits, payroll, retirement, succession.
Boutique Service
You're not a case number. We know your business, your team, and your goals.
Proactive Approach
We don't wait for renewal season. We're monitoring, benchmarking, and advising year-round.
Resources & Insights

Straight Talk on Benefits,
Compliance & Building Wealth

Short videos and articles covering the topics that matter most to Mountain West business owners. No jargon. No sales pitch. Just useful information.

Add Video

Employee Benefits

Why Your Premiums Keep Going Up — And What You Can Actually Do About It

Healthcare inflation is running 6–10% annually. We break down what's driving it and the three levers employers can pull to manage it.

Coming Soon

Add Video

Compliance

The 5 Compliance Mistakes Small Employers Make — and How to Avoid Them

ACA, ERISA, COBRA — most small business owners don't know what they're missing until it's too late. Here's what to check first.

Coming Soon

Add Video

Executive Compensation

Golden Handcuffs Explained: How Small Businesses Keep Their Best People

You don't need a Fortune 500 budget to build an executive retention strategy. We walk through how insurance-based compensation structures work.

Coming Soon

Get More Information

Tell Us a Little About
Your Business

We'll reach out within one business day to answer your questions and, if it makes sense, schedule a no-cost consultation.

We respect your privacy. Your information is never shared or sold.

Get Started

Ready to Take Control of
Your Benefits Strategy?

Schedule a no-obligation consultation. We'll review your current situation, identify the gaps and opportunities, and outline a strategy that fits your business — at no cost to you.

Schedule a Free Consultation
Phone 206-383-4150
Website impactcg-llc.com