Rick Bender, CEBS, LLIF
CEO & Director of Innovative Opportunities

Rick Bender is a highly accomplished insurance industry professional and entrepreneur who has spent over 30 years in the field. During his career, he has held senior leadership roles for some of the top national insurance carriers, where he developed expertise in disability programs, national underwriting, product development, marketing, training, public sector benefit plans, and labor relations consultation.

 

As a sought-after keynote speaker, Bender shares his unique insider insights and leverage to help clients negotiate product and pricing combinations that are unmatched by other benefit brokers and consultants. His dedication to innovation, integrity, and getting the best value for his clients is at the core of his work.

 

Despite his success, Bender faced a challenge that many insurance professionals encounter: educating, engaging, and converting people to choose high-quality products. In 2020, he partnered with Barbara Maynard to create AveNew Solutions, a technology platform that modernizes and gamifies engagement using organizational affinity to build trust and deliver products and services that people need. The platform, Awespira, offers innovative solutions to help organizations effectively engage with their audiences in new, modern, and effective ways.

 

In creating AveNew Solutions, Bender sought a path to expand his mission to help people. Over the last three years, he has curated a cutting-edge affinity program that includes FinTech, cutting-edge wellness programs, and a customer-centric auto purchase program. The program is designed to provide people with the tools and resources they need to make informed financial decisions and improve their overall well-being.

 

Through his work at AveNew, Bender is committed to helping organizations effectively engage with their audiences and deliver products and services that people need. His dedication to innovation, integrity, and getting the best value for his clients remains unwavering, and he takes pride in negotiating deals that provide additional benefits and rewards on behalf of clients. Bender's greatest professional pride comes from negotiating deals that provide additional benefits and rewards on behalf of clients that leave them surprised and satisfied to levels they didn’t believe possible.

 

Bender’s commitment to volunteerism includes Past President of the Employee Benefit Planning Association (EBPA) of Greater Los Angeles, past President of the Kiwanis Club of Carson, CA, past President of the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance, lead volunteer in civic law enforcement initiative and current Board member of his HOA. He hails from Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has been married for 35 years and has two grown sons. He is an avid classic car enthusiast, loves dirt biking with his sons, brother and nephews, and is newly passionate about pickleball.  

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CA Insurance License #0811772