Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust

What Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust does

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust is a non-profit Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) established in 1979 under a Federally approved 501(c)(9) plan and domiciled in the Portland/Clackamas, Oregon area. It pools contributions from small employers in the grocery, hardware, neighborhood pharmacy, and food industries so that these SMBs can collectively access employee health benefit pricing and plan designs typically available only to large employers. The Trust's stated focus is on employers with 100 participants or fewer, and it reports a 95% annual member renewal rate across more than 40 years of continuous operation.

The Trust's core product is a group medical insurance plan currently underwritten by Providence Health Plan (a transition made in 2026 from PacificSource Health Plans). Layered on the medical plan are add-on modules: Ameritas dental and vision, life insurance and short-term disability through United Underwriters, 125 Plan / FSA / HRA administration, COBRA administration, telemedicine, a 24-hour nurse hotline, and Medicare advisory services through Willamette Valley Benefits. The technology base is the MEWA regulatory structure rather than proprietary software, with member-facing digital tools provided by partner carriers and administrators.

The Trust generates revenue through recurring employer contributions tied to employee census and plan selection; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, anchored by an Insurance Benefits Consultant and Eligibility & Enrollment Manager, with channel support from the Washington Food Industry Association (WFIA) and direct quote requests via website, phone, fax, and mail. The Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from member employers. As of mid-2026, the Trust is operating normally for the 2026 plan year but is negotiating a new primary carrier for 2027 after Providence Health Plan announced it will exit the health plan market after December 31, 2026.

Name

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust

Legal name

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust

Website

https://westerngrocerstrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust is a non-profit MEWA founded in 1979 that pools contributions from small grocery, hardware, pharmacy, and food employers in the Pacific Northwest to provide group health insurance and ancillary benefits to employees of its member companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Group Health Insurance

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (525120), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Health and Welfare Funds (52512)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324), Accident & Health Insurance (6321), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & PEO Group Health Plans (AHP/PEO-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ancillary Employer Benefits (Life/Disability/Accident/Critical Illness) (HLAEAAAK), Group Disability Income Insurance (Employer-Sponsored) (FSAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Group health insurance
• Multiple employer welfare arrangement
• Employee benefits trust
• Dental and vision coverage
• Grocery industry benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Clackamas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Group Health Insurance Premiums: The Trust acts as a Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA), pooling employer contributions to fund health insurance plans for employees. Employers pay contributions into the plan based on the number of employees and estimated costs. The Trust provides medical coverage through Providence Health Plan and dental/vision through Ameritas. Revenue is generated through insurance premiums paid by participating employers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust is a nonprofit Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) that pools contributions from grocery, hardware, pharmacy, and food industry employers to provide group employee health insurance and related benefits. Its core offering is medical coverage delivered through Providence Health Plan, supplemented by dental and vision coverage through Ameritas, life and short-term disability through United Underwriters, and ancillary services such as COBRA administration, telemedicine, nurse hotline, HRAs, FSAs, and 125 Plans.

Product overview

Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust is a Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) that provides employee health insurance and benefits solutions exclusively for Grocery, Food, Neighborhood Pharmacy, and Hardware Industry Employers. The core product is the trust-based health benefits program that pools contributions from multiple small employers to provide access to quality benefits like large employers. The offering consists of medical insurance through Providence Health Plan (transitioning from PacificSource for 2026), with add-on modules including Ameritas dental and vision coverage, life insurance and short-term disability through United Underwriters, flexible benefit options (HRA, FSA, 125 Plans), telemedicine services, 24-hour nurse hotline, COBRA administration, Medicare consultation services, and various behavioral health and wellness programs. The trust operates as a non-profit 501(c)(9) plan established in 1979 and currently serves employers in Oregon and Washington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Health Insurance Plans Comprehensive medical insurance coverage provided through Providence Health Plan, offering a wide network of providers in Oregon, Washington, and nationally. Plans include various deductibles, co-pays, and network options to meet the needs of grocery, hardware, and pharmacy employers and their employees.
• Ameritas Dental & Vision Plans Optional dental and vision coverage available to Trust members through Ameritas, including provider directory assistance, member ID card requests, and claims support, with administrative contact Kassi Busboom at 1-800-659-2223.
• Life Insurance & Short Term Disability Term life insurance and short-term disability coverage provided through United Underwriters to Trust member employers and their employees, with quotes coordinated by Tom Newton (503-718-6236, [email protected]).

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Providence Health PlancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026In 2026, the Trust elected to partner with Providence Health Plan as its new primary insurer, replacing PacificSource Health Plans. Providence provides the medical plan network and administration. Providence Health Plan is a not-for-profit healthcare collective with over 160 years of history, offering extensive provider networks nationwide and internationally. All eligible claims for 2026 services will still be processed even after Providence exits the market after December 31, 2026. The Trust is finalizing a partnership with a new carrier for 2027.
• Ameritas Dental & VisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeritas provides dental and vision coverage which will continue to be available in 2027. Contact: Kassi Busboom, Administrative Representative, 1-800-659-2223. Benefits include provider directory assistance, member ID card requests, and claims support.
• United Grocers / United Grocers InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal plan sponsor in 1979 when the Trust was established. United Grocers helped a group of visionary grocers create the non-profit health trust using a Federally approved 501(c)(9) plan structure.
• Unified GrocersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2000, Unified Grocers replaced United Grocers as the plan sponsor for the Trust.
• PacificSource Health PlansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, the Trust partnered with PacificSource Health Plans in a fully insured relationship to secure stable and competitive products. This relationship ended in 2023 in favor of direct services with PacificSource, and subsequently Providence Health Plan in 2026.
• Cypress Benefit Administrators / Lucent HealthminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn 2011, the team administering the Trust joined Cypress Benefit Administrators to expand capabilities and control expenses. In 2019, Cypress was acquired by Lucent Health. In 2023, the relationship with Lucent Health was terminated in favor of direct services with PacificSource.
• Pacific Benefits (Associated Grocers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2009, the Associated Grocers plan (Pacific Benefits) opted to join the Trust, bringing hardware store owners into the plan and expanding the category of eligible employers.
• WFIA (Washington Food Industry Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Trust coordinates with WFIA to provide health insurance resources to member employers. WFIA members are eligible for confidential consultation services from Western Grocers Benefits Services at no charge.
• United UnderwritersOthersThe Trust works through United Underwriters to provide individual or group life and disability insurance quotes to members. Contact: Tom Newton, 503-718-8236, [email protected].
• Willamette Valley BenefitsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrusted Medicare agency partner recommended to members for Medicare consultation services. Contact: Audra Fullan, 6400 SE Lake Rd, Suite 210, Milwaukie, OR 97222, P: 503-913-7333.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Providence Health Plan: Not-for-profit health plan currently insuring Trust members (2026 only) and itself exploring a sale or partnership. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest non-profit health insurer delivering group products to employer clients in overlapping geographies.
• PacificSource Health Plans: Not-for-profit health plan that served as the Trust's fully insured carrier (2019–2026). Operates a regional provider network and serves employer groups in the Pacific Northwest, sharing the Trust's geography and small/medium-employer focus.

Others

• Ameritas: Current Trust partner providing dental and vision coverage. Comparable as an ancillary benefits provider to small/medium employer groups and the broader MEWA/PEO ecosystem.
• HealthEquity: Largest HSA custodian and benefits administrator; complementary to the Trust's HSA/FSA/HRA products. Relevant as an enabling ecosystem partner for pooled employer benefit arrangements rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Insperity: PEO that co-employs SMBs and provides bundled payroll, benefits (including group health), and HR administration. Highly comparable because it solves the same SMB pain point - accessing large-employer benefits through pooled purchasing.
• TriNet: PEO serving small and mid-sized businesses with co-employment, benefits administration, and group health insurance access. Comparable business model: aggregating SMBs to obtain competitive group benefits and HR services.
• Justworks: PEO providing payroll, benefits (including group health), and compliance to SMBs through pooled purchasing power. Directly analogous model to the Trust's MEWA - giving small employers access to enterprise-grade benefits.

Emerging players

• Gusto: Cloud-based payroll, HR, and benefits platform targeting very small businesses, including health insurance offerings via partner carriers. Comparable in serving small employers needing simplified benefits access, though distribution model differs.

Broad incumbents

• ADP TotalSource: Larger PEO from ADP serving SMBs with benefits administration and group health. Comparable function (pooled SMB benefits access), but operates as part of a much broader HR/payroll portfolio.
• Paychex PEO / Paycor: Paychex's PEO/HR offerings bundle payroll, benefits access, and group health for small employers, mirroring the Trust's SMB pooled-benefits value proposition, though at much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-grocers-employee-benefits-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Grocers Employee Benefits Trust