About BMB
Our Mission & Vision
With a combined experience of over 150 years, Benefit Management & Brokerage (BMB) is a full service, local and minority owned agency, servicing the entire Gulf Coast area. BMB specializes in helping individuals and employers find the best benefits possible to fit their lifestyles and their pocketbook.
Ray Guzman
Senior Partner
Since May of 1983, Ray Guzman and his staff have had great pleasure in serving their clients, community, and friends by earning their support and trust. Ray’s background is in business and marketing. Ray is the senior partner for our organization. His years of experience have made him very successful in helping his clients achieve their goals. He is committed to staying a leader in the field and his staff is looking forward to maintaining and building a strong base of happy, satisfied and loyal clients. Ray is also a Certified Health Care Reform Specialist who values his vast knowledge of Health Care Reform. He has spent many years working to cultivate the service oriented, proactive attitude shared by all at BMB.
Ray Guzman​
Senior Partner
Since May of 1983, Ray Guzman and his staff have had great pleasure in serving their clients, community, and friends by earning their support and trust. Ray's background is in business and marketing. Ray is the senior partner for our organization. His years of experience have made him very successful in helping his clients achieve their goals. He is committed to staying a leader in the field and his staff is looking forward to maintaining and building a strong base of happy, satisfied and loyal clients. Ray is also a Certified Health Care Reform Specialist who values his vast knowledge of Health Care Reform. He has spent many years working to cultivate the service oriented, proactive attitude shared by all at BMB.
Kristel Ducote Ontimara​
Managing Partner
Kristel has been with BMB since 2010 and a licensed broker since 2007. She started her career as an advisor focusing strictly on life insurance, annuities, and long-term care. Her goal in joining BMB was to learn [everything,] educate [everyone,] and lead [by example.] Today she manages all aspects of our operation while still educating agents, employers, employees, and individuals daily. Kristel spends her time with business owners strategically planning the most cost-effective benefit package for their employees and ensuring they maintain compliance with applicable laws. She prides herself on educating rather than selling products as she is known for repeating “My goal is to explain everything available to you so when you elect it or you turn it down, you know EXACTLY what you’re paying for or saying no to, but my feelings will never be hurt either way.”  Her core mission is to educate clients, so they choose the correct coverage as benefits are never one size fits all. Kristel is also a Certified Health Care Reform Specialist, Self-Funding Specialist, Medicare certified, and a Louisiana Notary Public. She is proud to be the current President for the Louisiana chapter of the National Association of Benefits & Insurance Professionals (NABIP.) past President of the New Orleans chapter of NABIP, the current Director of Slidell’s Gulf Coast Business Group, and a proud member of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM.)
Kristel Ducote Ontimara​
Managing Partner
Kristel is our Managing Partner who has been with BMB since January 2010 and has been a licensed life and health agent since 2007. Kristel’s main role in our agency is to oversee all aspects of our operation. Kristel spends her time with business owners strategically planning to determine the most cost-effective benefit plans for their employees while ensuring they maintain compliance with state and federal laws. She ensures all of our clients are taken care of in the best manner possible and our team works to their best potential. As a licensed agent, Kristel has been able to gain a vast knowledge of the insurance industry. She has successfully helped many clients get the coverage that fits their needs. Kristel is also a Certified Health Care Reform Specialist and Self-Funding Specialist who works with each of our employers to ensure they are compliant with the ever-changing laws.
Erin Guzman​
Accounting Manager
Erin has been with BMB since 2009. She administers and manages day-to-day duties related to our sales and services compensation, ensuring commissions are accurate, timely, and paid in accordance with carrier provisions. She serves as the point of contact for employees, agents, and sales leaders to address questions regarding commissions. She also performs research as needed to help resolve commissions issues and develop appropriate solutions. Erin’s strong background in accounting helps her to have a keen eye for detail, which is vital in keeping accurate records. This also helps to ensure clients receive help from a bookkeeping professional when the need arises.
Brandi Tamor
Producer
Brandi joined BMB in 2023 as an accomplished Insurance Producer and Employee Benefits Broker. Brandi excels in crafting tailored solutions that protect and enhance the well-being of organizations and their employees. Brandi's commitment to delivering exceptional service and expertise ensures that clients receive the best coverage options and personalized guidance.
Joseph Ontimara
Benefits Consultant
Joseph joined BMB in 2020 as a broker and field service agent. Joseph meets with potential clients to discuss their insurance needs, researches all the available policy options for the client, and then implements the chosen benefits strategy. He educates employees on all aspects of the employer sponsored plans, while assuring the benefits meet their family's needs. He also works with individuals to enroll in health, dental, vision, and life insurance both on and off the marketplace. Joseph also serves as BMB's field service agent to ensure on site servicing and enrollment is available when needed.
Sarah Laprarie
Admin Assistant
Sarah joined BMB in 2022 after earning her associate degree in arts from Pensacola State College. She is currently completing her bachelor's degree in psychology at Mississippi State College. She currently assists all BMB staff with an assortment of tasks. Sarah runs proposals, dispatches requests for proposals, assists clients, facilitates enrollments, builds benefit admin systems, and creates benefit guides.
Ray Whatley Jr.
Partnered Broker
Ray Whatley Jr. CLU is an independent agent specializing in group and individual life and health insurance. After graduating from LSU in 1975, he built a successful practice in Baton Rouge. He was licensed in Property and Casualty in 1980 and Securities in 1983. Ray was recognized in 1987 as Young Agent of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Life Underwriters, an organization of 3000 members statewide. He served as President of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Professionals in Baton Rouge and was voted Underwriter of the Year in 1989. Ray lives in New Orleans and is a member of Rotary International as well as Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church on St. Charles Ave. With 40 years of experience, he has recently merged his employee benefits business with Benefit Management and Brokerage in order to better serve his clients.
Denny Ebersole
Partnered Broker
Denny began his career in insurance in 1983. He specializes in helping small businesses provide "Big Business" benefits for employees. A broker representing all of the major carriers and a member and volunteer of the National Association of Health Underwriters since 1991. He has studied the "Affordable Care Act" extensively and done numerous presentations for professional business groups on the subject. He is uniquely qualified to help you and your business prepare and plan for the implementation. Denny has been a major part of BMB for many years and continues to help us grow.
Rachel Fernandez
Operations Supervisor
Rachel has been with BMB since 2013 when she started as an admin professional and quickly worked her way up. She now specializes in working with business owners and their staff members. Her main duties consist of on-boarding current and new clients, presenting coverages, and helping with service-related concerns for our employers. Rachel's experience as a claims and enrollment specialist, individual account administrator and current position as group account manager has provided her with the ability to learn how to effectively supervise employees. Her role as an operations supervisor includes staff evaluations, scheduling/work assignments, work procedures, resolving conflicts and training. She is responsible for determining and recommending training needs and planning, coordinating, and overseeing the day-to-day operations.
Alyssa Duggan
Account Manager
Alyssa joined BMB in 2018. She specializes in accounts under 50 lives and for her accounts she serves as the lead point of contact for all customer benefit administration matters. She has a knack for building and maintaining strong, long-lasting client relationships. As a licensed agent, she has the ability to guide employers to the best benefits for their type of account and then takes a step further to help each and every employee navigate those benefit options. Alyssa strives to remove the burden of managing benefits from her employer contacts, as many of them wear an abundance of hats already.
Torri Chapman
Claims Analyst
Torri joined BMB in 2021 after graduating from Louisiana State University with a degree in English Literature. She works tirelessly to help clients when claims issues arise and also compiles and analyzes claims-associated data to track trends, note patterns, and watch to detect any irregularities. She works with carriers, providers, and the client to process or in many cases reprocess claims by verifying and updating information about submitted claims and reviewing the work processes required to determine reimbursement. She researches to validate the legitimacy of claims or verify the accuracy of invoiced amounts. Her main goal at BMB is to eliminate the burden our clients face when an unexpected bill arrives and to help our clients understand their claims data better.
Hailey Sermon
Admin Assistant
Hailey joined BMB in 2022 after graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She assists by answering phone calls, responding to emails, scheduling appointments, distributing mail, and directing customer inquiries to the appropriate party. She is also tasked with running proposals, distributing requests for proposals, data entry, and following inner office renewal procedures.
Charles J. Giardina
Partnered Broker
Charles Giardina has led a booming career as a Financial Services Executive since 1988. He graduated from Nicholls State University with a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration in 1987. His goal is to provide families and business owners with assistance in building their financial freedoms. With decades of knowledge and experience, he is able to meet any client’s customary goals. Charles is licensed in Life & Health insurance products in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and California. He is also licensed in Property & Casualty in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Along with being licensed in Life & Health and Property & Casualty, Charles’ expertise also extends to offer Security Products in the state of Louisiana, Florida and Colorado. Charles has a broad range of skills to be sure he is the one-stop-shop for all of a client’s insurance needs. ​
If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can't be erased.
Bob Agnelly
It is with great sadness that we lost one of our great team members Mr. Bob Agnelly in November of 2017.
He began his career in insurance and related products in 1976. He became property & casualty licensed in 1978 and securities licensed in 1979. In 1987. Bob began directing all of his efforts into personal brokerage production specializing in employee benefits. He was voted Health Underwriter of the Year by the members of the New Orleans Association of Health Underwriters for the 1992-1993 fiscal years. He taught several courses for the Life Underwriting Training Council and received the Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) designation in September 1984. He had a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University and in 2013 Bob merged his business with Benefit Management & Brokerage, Inc. in order to expand client services. Mr. Agnelly was a big part of our success and he will be greatly missed by all.Â
Bob Agnelly
It is with great sadness that we lost one of our great team members Mr. Bob Agnelly in November of 2017.
He began his career in insurance and related products in 1976. He became property & casualty licensed in 1978 and securities licensed in 1979. In 1987. Bob began directing all of his efforts into personal brokerage production specializing in employee benefits. He was voted Health Underwriter of the Year by the members of the New Orleans Association of Health Underwriters for the 1992-1993 fiscal years. He taught several courses for the Life Underwriting Training Council and received the Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) designation in September 1984. He had a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University and in 2013 Bob merged his business with Benefit Management & Brokerage, Inc. in order to expand client services. Mr. Agnelly was a big part of our success and he will be greatly missed by all.Â
Fred Holmes
Fred was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp where he served from 1966 to 1972 and was honorably discharged. He began working in the insurance industry with New York Life Insurance Company in 1972. He became an independent insurance broker and a financial consultant in 1978 and began Holmes and Associates. Fred was a Life member of the Million Dollar Round Table, as well as a member of NALU, IFAPAC, and the Society of Financial Planners. He received many awards and was recognized for his excellence in sales and planning throughout his career. He held designations as CLU, ChFC, MSFS, and LUTC and was devoted to his many clients. Fred passed away in 2016 and his loving wife Linda found BMB to be a new home for his clients.
Neil Williamson
Neil began his career in insurance in 1974. He offered Specialty products, Buy Sell Business planning, Group Life, Health, Disability, Dental, Estate Planning and Trust Selection, Excess coverage and Foreign Travel, Individual and Business Life. Neil owned and operated Group Health Plans of LA along with Williamson Properties. His untimely passing in 2017 left his clients without his caring touch and his daughter found BMB to be the best home for them. We are eternally grateful to be able to step into such big shoes and provide his clients with the same level of care he did.
Neil Williamson
Neil began his career in insurance in 1974. He offered Specialty products, Buy Sell Business planning, Group Life, Health, Disability, Dental, Estate Planning and Trust Selection, Excess coverage and Foreign Travel, Individual and Business Life. Neil owned and operated Group Health Plans of LA along with Williamson Properties. His untimely passing in 2017 left his clients without his caring touch and his daughter found BMB to be the best home for them. We are eternally grateful to be able to step into such big shoes and provide his clients with the same level of care he did.
Rai Lynne Jarabica
Rai Lynne Jarabica was a loving sister, daughter, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. As a single mother of four, she never let anything stand in her way. With her motto being “Don’t Quit” she couldn’t help but be successful in what she did. To know Rai Lynne is to know love and happiness. She was an educator, and a friend to everyone. She will be greatly missed at Benefit Management and Brokerage, but her legacy will live on through us and everyone who had the privilege to know such a beautiful woman.Â
Rai Lynne joined BMB as an independent Agent. She worked in the insurance idustry for 30+ years and specialized in retirement planning, life insurance, annuities, disabilities, health insurance and business insurance. With various other professional training in management, sales, real estate, finance and business planning, Rai Lynne had the know-how to work with our clients to determine what kind of protection is needed. Rai Lynne was a wonderful asset to BMB and she will be greatly missed.
