Strongpoint Partners Builds on Record Growth with the Addition of Claire May’s Retirement Planning Consulting Group (“RPCG”)

CHICAGO, IL — July 18, 2024 – Strongpoint Partners (“Strongpoint”), a tech-enabled financial services platform focused on third-party administration of retirement plans, recordkeeping, payroll, and HR solutions for SMBs, announced a new partnership with Retirement Planning Consulting Group (“RPCG”), a solutions-focused retirement consulting firm based in Connecticut that has proudly served the greater Hartford region and the surrounding small-business community for more than 35 years. With a team of New England-based employees, RPCG has built its reputation on its depth and breadth of expertise in retirement strategy optimization.  From combo Defined Benefit/Defined Contribution plans for solo practitioners to partnership strategies, to employee-focused traditional 401(k)s, RPCG customizes plan design with a focus on outcomes that work.

With the addition of RPCG, Strongpoint Partners now has over 270 employees across the United States, and serves over 8,000 unique clients across its retirement, recordkeeping, and Payroll & HR solutions.

“Our situation was a little unique relative to many other Strongpoint Partners, as we were a brokered deal,” said Claire May, President of RPCG. Fred Bloodgood from Wise Rhino Group served as the sell-side advisor to RPCG. “While our timeline precluded us from experiencing the full partnership engagement process at Strongpoint, we had heard, both directly and anecdotally, that what made Strongpoint especially unique was the culture of collaboration they had built within their partners. I was committed to understanding exactly what that meant before we moved forward.”

“We relish the opportunity to get as many of our amazing team members in front of potential partners as possible,” said Danny Hest, Strongpoint Partners’ CEO, “and knowing Claire’s reputation, her involvement in the industry, and her focus on client-first service, we wanted to give her a chance to connect with other founders and leaders to hear directly from them what it means to be a Strongpoint Partner and why we’re all so proud of what we’re building.”

“The time I spent with Danny and understanding his vision for Strongpoint was significant to this process, but what really moved me was the time spent with other Strongpoint leaders,” said May. “I already knew Earle [Garvin, Founder of PFS], and he gave me great perspective on what it means to be a founder at Strongpoint. His level of engagement and how excited he was about the future of Strongpoint was instrumental in my decision process. So was Toni Superneau, President of RSG. While I will remain a key figure in RPCG going forward, my goal is to focus on my specialties in client engagement, plan design, and consulting, and transition day-to-day operational leadership to my next-in-line team.  Hearing from Toni on how smooth her transition to the President role has been, how supported she feels by her colleagues at RSG and the leadership across Strongpoint, and her excitement over the more than 25% revenue growth they’ve seen since joining Strongpoint Partners was the icing on the cake that I was making the right decision by joining.”

“It was a perfect fit for RPCG with Strongpoint’s vision, core values, and commitment to service,” added Bloodgood.

Collaboration Fueling Explosive Growth

“As Strongpoint has grown to nine TPAs, with more scheduled to join in 2024, we’ve seen collaboration drive growth that has surpassed our expectations,” said Hest. “From partners working together on our Retire Easy program, which has given multiple founders of smaller firms a path to retirement not previously available to them, to collaboration on custom Defined Benefit & Cash Balance Solutions, 403(a) plans, ESOPs, 3(16)s, MEPs and PEPs, to optimizing implementation procedures and enhancing our client-facing technology tools, the partnership and teamwork we’ve seen at every level of our organization has become the fuel driving our growth.”

“When we first joined, we believed in a vision for what ‘Stronger Together’ could mean,” said Nick Jocelyn, President of Jocelyn Pension Consulting. “But to see how far it has come continues to amaze me. We were the second partner to join Strongpoint in late 2022, joining before much of today’s Strongpoint leadership was even here. What we’ve been able to accomplish in partnership with that team is nothing short of astonishing.”

Jocelyn, like RSG, has seen high watermark organizational growth over the past year. From expanding its service profile through the introduction of Strongpay, to record-setting organic sales, to collaborating with experts from HowardSimon, Pollard, Carlson Quinn, and others to tackle unique and complex client demands, the growth has driven a change in perspective for Jocelyn's leadership.

“We knew what we were capable of,” said Jocelyn. “We just needed the tools to get there. Strongpoint unlocked something amazing in us and our team, supported us in building the tools we needed to support this type of growth, and helped us bring it to life. Now, we also get to contribute to the same for new partners by sharing our experience with what’s been so successful, why, and how it can be replicated. It’s amazing to be a part of something where we’re both learning and sharing our knowledge and experiences every day with the incredible team that calls Strongpoint Partners home.”

To learn more about Strongpoint Partners, please visit www.strongpointpartners.com or email info@strongpointpartners.com. 

About Strongpoint Partners

Strongpoint Partners is a fast-growing, tech-enabled financial services platform that provides third-party retirement administration (“TPA”), recordkeeping, and integrated payroll and HR technology solutions for small and medium businesses. Strongpoint’s suite of services prioritizes accuracy, compliance, and reduction of regulatory risk for its clients, delivered by local client success teams that understand the nuances of the markets they serve. With a coast-to-coast network of leading firms including HowardSimon, Jocelyn Pension Consulting, Retirement Strategies Group (“RSG”), Retirement Planners and Administrators (“RPA”), Pension Financial Services (“PFS”), Pollard & Associates, Carlson Quinn, SI GROUP, and Retirement Planning Consulting Group (“RPCG”), Strongpoint Partners combines a relentless passion for service and innovation with the experience and expertise required to make retirement work for everyone. For more information, please visit: www.strongpointpartners.com. 

About RPCG

RPCG was formed in 2018 through an acquisition from Rosen & Associates, a leading CPA group in Westborough, Massachusetts who specialized in accounting and TPA services for Dental Practices in New England. The origins of the RPCG TPA date back to the 1970’s and it has operated under various ownerships since then. Due to extensive experience with dental practices, RPCG understood their needs and custom-designed plans to meet their objectives. The introduction of Cash Balance Plans created a mutually beneficial situation for both the dental community and financial advisors. RPCG has built a solid reputation for high-quality, personalized services for plan sponsors and their advisors. RPCG’s staff includes Enrolled Actuaries, ASPPA credentialed Certified Pension Consultants, NIPA members and Pension Professionals.  

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in microcap companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, Industrial, and Real Estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk, through access to capital, world class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. From 2020-2023 Shore received recognition from Inc Magazine as a 4x Top Founder Friendly Investor and by Pitchbook research for being the global leader in Private Equity total deal volume. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has over $7 billion of assets under management and in additional investment platforms to which it provides business and operational consulting services. For more information, including with respect to these awards and investment platforms, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

Contacts 

Michael Heflin, Strongpoint Partners 
media@strongpointpartners.com