John Garven

John Garven, the founder and president of Benico, Ltd., holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) designations conferred by The American College, the nation’s leading educational institution serving the insurance and financial services industries. He also holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation awarded by The Center for Fiduciary Studies, and is a Registered and Investment Advisory Representative of Financial Services International Corp. (“fsic”) member FINRA/SIPC.

A graduate of Trinity International University, Garven is enrolled in and will soon complete The American College’s new Chartered Healthcare Consultant (ChHC) program that includes coursework around the essentials of healthcare reform, best practices for healthcare consultants, and a full overview of benefits laws and compliance regulations as they impact healthcare coverage, individual health insurance, and group insurance benefits. Having completed the first two courses in the ChHC curriculum, The Essentials of Healthcare Reform and The Healthcare Consultant, John was one of the first employee benefit professionals in the United States to have earned The American College’s Certificate in Healthcare Reform Studies.

Garven began his career in 1977 as an agent for AXA Equitable, and in 1981 founded Benico, Ltd. after working for Great-West Healthcare as a group insurance sales representative for two years. 

Garven is past president of the Illinois State Association of Health Underwriters, a state affiliate of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), a national trade organization representing more than 100,000 agents, brokers, and consultants who are professionally engaged in the distribution of private health insurance and related products and services.  He is an active member of the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America (PSCA), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the Benefit Advisors Network (BAN).

Throughout his career Garven has been a featured speaker at numerous national trade association meetings, and since 2005 has been associated with the Heartland Institute in Chicago as a policy advisor covering health care issues.

John and his team members are ready to assist any size business or organization by providing service and advice around the design, risk management, communication, and enrollment of its health and welfare and qualified retirement plans and keeping it compliant with respect to the federal and state laws and regulations that impact upon such plans.

Garven resides in Huntley, Illinois with his wife of 35 years, and has two adult children and three grandchildren.