What if your benefits package wasn’t just an expense line—but your secret weapon for winning talent and keeping your best people?

In this episode, Coach Misty Carson sits down with Stephanie Porrino (Koch) one of the nation’s top 25 HR and benefits leaders, to uncover how she turned a traditional benefits program into a competitive edge that fuels both engagement and profit.

From navigating double-digit healthcare increases to transforming culture through empathy and data-driven decisions, Stephanie shares how she coached her company to become Florida’s Most Engaged Employer—and why HR is not a cost center, but a strategic driver of business growth.

🔑 What You’ll Learn

• How to transform HR from a “cost center” into a profit driver
• What reference-based pricing really means and how it can cut healthcare costs
• Why “stay interviews” outperform exit interviews every time
• The role of culture in building a championship-level team
• How listening and respect can outplay any retention strategy

💡 Key Quote

“We control two of the largest line items a company has—people and healthcare. If we understand those, we can change the game.” — Stephanie Porrino (Koch)

⚡ Takeaway Play

Your benefits strategy isn’t a policy—it’s a play. When you design it around people, it becomes your most powerful recruiting and retention advantage.

📬 Next Week

Coach Misty throws penalty flags—calling out the five most common violations brokers commit and the five questions every leader should ask before renewal.

Tagline: Smart strategies. Straight talk. Zero BS.

Links:

🔗 Subscribe → The Policy Playbook

💌 Join the newsletter → Play of the Week

🤝 Connect → LinkedIn

💻 Website → The Playbook Consulting Group

Guest: Stephanie Porrino (Koch), Director of HR at Hendry Marine Industries

Host: Coach Misty Carson, Business Development Executive at OneDigital and Founder of Playbook Consulting Group

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