What The Cerrado Group does

The Cerrado Group is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association (legally NAPPA, dba The Cerrado Group) that operates as a member-only network of independent Third Party Administrator (TPA) firms serving the US retirement plan market. Founded around 2019 and organized by 2021, the association curates a closed network of 16 member firms that collectively administer more than 19,000 retirement plans holding over $36 billion in plan assets. Membership carries eligibility criteria tied to industry credentials (QKA, ERPA, CPC, QPA, APA), establishing a credentialed-quality filter across the network.

The association's value proposition is delivered through peer benchmarking, annual gatherings (including the 2025 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, which hosted 13 recordkeeping partners), and a tiered sponsorship program (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) that connects member firms with technology and service providers such as Empower Retirement and Daybright Financial. In 2025 the association formalized a partnership with Stax.AI to introduce AI-driven technology offerings to members, extending its remit beyond networking into shared technology procurement.

Revenue is generated through annual membership dues paid by the 16 member firms and sponsorship fees from a curated set of approximately 22 vendors and service providers. The association is operated by a small team (1–10 employees) led by Executive Director Theresa Conti, who joined in January 2024. Recent activity has focused on geographic expansion, with new member admissions extending coverage into Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Florida, and on broadening sponsor engagement through the annual meeting format.

Name

The Cerrado Group

Legal name

NAPPA, dba The Cerrado Group

Website

https://cerradogroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cerrado Group is a 501(c)(6) trade association of 16 vetted Third Party Administrator firms that collectively manage 19,000+ US retirement plans and $36B+ in assets, generating revenue through member dues and tiered sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

Keywords

• Third Party Administration
• Retirement Plan Services
• Fiduciary Services
• Plan Administration Consulting
• Trade Association Membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Firm Dues: The Cerrado Group operates as a 501(c)(6) trade association funded through membership dues from its member firms. Member firms pay to be part of the association which provides industry advocacy, standards development, and collective resources.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: The organization generates revenue through tiered sponsorship programs (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) where industry partners sponsor the group to support its initiatives and gain visibility with member firms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Cerrado Group is a member-only 501(c)(6) Trade Association whose 16 independent Third Party Administrator (TPA) member firms collectively provide retirement plan design, reporting, compliance, administration, daily valuation, 3(16) fiduciary services, benchmarking, technical corrections, Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs), and industry education to plan sponsors and industry professionals. Member firms collectively administer over 19,000 plans and $36 billion+ in retirement plan assets across the United States.

Product overview

The Cerrado Group is a 501(c)(6) Trade Association representing 16 Third Party Administrator (TPA) member firms in the retirement plan industry. Rather than a unified software product, the association offers a collective of independently operated member firms that combine their resources to provide retirement plan design, reporting, compliance, administration, and industry education services. Member firms collectively manage over 19,000 plans with $36 billion+ in assets under administration. The core service offerings include Retirement Plan Administration, Daily Valuation, Retirement Plan Design Consulting, 3(16) Fiduciary Services, Benchmarking, Technical Corrections, and Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Plan Administration Services
• Daily Valuation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 19,000+ retirement plans managed by member firms
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 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

22 partnerships are on record, tiered platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

• Daybright FinancialplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor of The Cerrado Group. Daybright Financial supports the group's initiatives and industry advocacy efforts through platinum-level sponsorship.
• Empower RetirementplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor. One of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting, supporting the group's initiatives and TPA growth goals.
• Lee CPA GroupplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor providing accounting and CPA services support to The Cerrado Group member firms.
• METZ CPAplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor of The Cerrado Group supporting industry initiatives.
• NationwideplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• PenChecksplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor providing distribution and payment services for retirement plans.
• Principal Financial GroupplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• AmeritasgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• Inspira FinancialgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor present at the 2025 annual meeting supporting The Cerrado Group initiatives.
• Kimberlin CompanygoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• Lincoln Financial GroupgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• Stax.AIgoldTechnology or IntegrationGold sponsor providing AI technology solutions for retirement plan administration. Present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• TransamericagoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• Voya FinancialgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• American Funds/Capital GroupsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• John Hancock Retirement Plan ServicessilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor and one of thirteen recordkeeping partners present at the 2025 annual meeting.
• Colonial SuretysilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor providing fidelity bonds and insurance products for retirement plans.
• SinglepointsilverTechnology or IntegrationSilver sponsor providing technology integration solutions for retirement plan administration.
• TrustagesilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor supporting The Cerrado Group initiatives.
• American TCSsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor supporting The Cerrado Group initiatives.
• PCS RetirementbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze sponsor providing retirement plan administration services.
• PlanNoticebronzeTechnology or IntegrationBronze sponsor providing plan notice technology solutions. Present at the 2025 annual meeting.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Investment Company Institute (ICI): Broad incumbent: ICI is the leading association for regulated investment companies (mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds) and is a major voice on retirement policy. Operates in adjacent retirement-policy territory and overlaps with Cerrado Group's recordkeeper sponsor base.
• American Retirement Association (ARA): Broad incumbent: ARA is the umbrella parent of ASPPA, NAPA, NAPA-RETIRE, and related bodies, giving it a much larger membership and broader agenda. Comparable to Cerrado Group as a retirement-industry membership organization, but at materially greater scale and with broader scope.

Emerging players

• OneDigital: Emerging player: OneDigital is a large employee-benefits brokerage and consulting firm that has aggressively acquired regional TPAs (including several of Cerrado Group's addressable-member pool). It competes for the same retirement-plan-administration work and absorbs potential independent-TPA members.
• CAPTRUST: Emerging player: CAPTRUST is one of the largest independent retirement plan advisory firms with in-house TPA, investment, and consulting capabilities. Comparable in that it competes for the same retirement plan advisory/administration work and could be an alternative aggregation model to the Cerrado Group network.
• SageView Advisory Group: Emerging player: SageView is a national retirement plan advisory firm offering plan design, fiduciary, and TPA-adjacent services, similar in size and model to the larger Cerrado member firms. Competes with Cerrado Group members for plan-sponsor relationships while sharing the same independent-advisor constituency.

Direct peers

• Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA): Direct peer: PSCA represents plan sponsors of 401(k) and other defined contribution plans and publishes widely cited industry surveys. Cerrado Group's TPAs serve the same plan-sponsor constituency PSCA aggregates, making both associations part of the same retirement-plan ecosystem.
• NIPA (National Institute of Pension Administrators): Direct peer: NIPA is a national association specifically for retirement plan administrators, providing education, credentialing (APR designation held by Cerrado's executive director), and advocacy — directly overlapping the constituency Cerrado Group's TPA members serve.
• SPARK Institute: Direct peer: SPARK is a retirement industry consortium representing recordkeepers, TPAs, and service providers. Its participants (recordkeepers like Empower, Nationwide, Principal) overlap Cerrado Group's Platinum sponsor roster, and SPARK competes for the same limited advocacy bandwidth in DC.
• NAPA (National Association of Plan Advisors): Direct peer: NAPA is the leading trade association for retirement plan advisors, with overlapping advocacy, content, and conference properties. Cerrado Group's "Plan Sponsors" and "Retirement Plan Industry Professionals" segments directly intersect NAPA's membership.
• ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries): Direct peer: ASPPA is the dominant 401(k)/defined-contribution professional association serving pension professionals, actuaries, and administrators. Like The Cerrado Group, it provides advocacy, credentials (e.g., QKA designation held by Cerrado's executive director), and educational content to retirement-plan practitioners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Cerrado Group