SouthWest Benefits Association

What SouthWest Benefits Association does

SouthWest Benefits Association (SWBA) is a Dallas-based, non-profit professional membership association founded in 1975 that serves benefits executives and HR professionals across the Southwest United States. The organization provides networking, education, and compliance resources to a community of 40+ corporate member organizations spanning employers, insurance carriers, healthcare providers, financial institutions, and professional services firms. Its core offerings include a membership directory, an Annual Benefits Compliance Conference (currently in its 37th year), Benefits Administration Workshops in multiple states, virtual webinars, a job bank, and industry news content covering healthcare costs, HSA limits, wellness programs, and PBM reform.

The association operates its event registration, membership directory, communications, and mobile experience on the GlueUp platform, which functions as the underlying technology infrastructure for member-facing services. SWBA does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, GlueUp provides the membership management and event registration backbone, accessible via web and mobile applications for Android and iOS. The organization is led by Executive Director Marc Chappell, with Stephanie Kennedy serving as the contact for the Patrons Circle sponsorship program.

SWBA's revenue model relies on three streams: corporate and individual membership fees, event registration fees, and the Patrons Circle sponsorship program, which offers year-round brand visibility and exhibit access at events for a benefits package valued at over $17,800 annually. The organization distributes content and drives engagement through LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, email newsletters, and its website. Its geographic scope is regional, focused on Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and surrounding Southwest states, and it does not pursue national or international expansion based on the available evidence.

Name

SouthWest Benefits Association

Legal name

SouthWest Benefits Association

Website

https://swba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SouthWest Benefits Association is a Dallas-based non-profit professional association serving benefits executives and HR professionals across the Southwest U.S. through membership, an annual compliance conference, regional workshops, webinars, and a Patrons Circle sponsorship program for industry suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

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. Membership Fees: SWBA generates revenue through annual corporate and individual membership fees, providing access to networking, educational content, job bank, and member directory.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from registration fees for Annual Compliance Conference, Benefits Administration Workshops, webinars, and other educational events.
3. Patrons Circle Sponsorship: Year-round premium sponsorship program offering exhibit opportunities at all SWBA events, website recognition, communications recognition, VIP event invitations, and complimentary registrations. Patrons Circle benefits valued at $17,800+ annually including premier exhibit space at Annual Conference ($6,000 value), Compliance Conference ($5,000), multiple workshops ($1,000 each), webinars ($1,000), special badge recognition ($1,000), 3 complimentary event registrations ($3,000), and company-wide membership ($800).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SouthWest Benefits Association (SWBA) is a nonprofit professional membership association that brings benefits executives together for networking, education, and industry collaboration across the Southwest United States. It offers corporate and individual memberships, an annual Benefits Compliance Conference, regional Benefits Administration Workshops, webinars, a membership directory, a job bank, and the Patrons Circle sponsorship program for industry suppliers.

Product overview

SouthWest Benefits Association (SWBA) is a professional industry association serving Benefits Executives in the Southwest region, offering a unified membership platform rather than a traditional SaaS product. The organization provides a portfolio of member services including a membership directory for networking and insights, an events platform featuring Benefits Administration Workshops and Annual Benefits Compliance Conferences, a Job Bank for posting benefits-related positions, newsletters for industry updates, and the Patrons Circle sponsorship program for premium member recognition. All member-facing services including event registration, membership directory, job postings, and communications are powered by the GlueUp platform, which is identified as the underlying technology infrastructure rather than a product offering of SWBA itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SWBA Membership (Corporate and Individual) Annual membership program providing benefits executives and HR professionals access to networking, the membership directory, job bank, educational content, and member communications across the Southwest United States.
• Annual Benefits Compliance Conference Multi-day educational conference covering the latest trends and regulatory updates in employee benefits compliance for benefits executives and HR professionals.
• Benefits Administration Workshops Single-day in-person workshops held in various Southwest states (e.g., Arkansas) providing practical benefits administration training for benefits professionals.
• Patrons Circle Sponsorship Program Annual premium sponsorship program for benefits industry suppliers offering year-round brand visibility, exhibit opportunities at all SWBA events, website and communications recognition, VIP reception invitations, and complimentary event registrations.
• SWBA Job Bank Online job posting board for benefits-related positions, accessible to SWBA members.
• SWBA Membership Directory Online directory of more than 40 corporate member organizations enabling members to find peers, build business connections, and gain industry insights.
• SWBA Webinars and Networking Events Virtual webinars and informal networking functions (such as Happy Hour with the SWBA Board of Directors) that connect benefits executives throughout the year.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GlueUpcoreTechnology or IntegrationSWBA's website and event management platform is powered by GlueUp. GlueUp provides the membership directory functionality, event registration system, and mobile app infrastructure. Members can access the GlueUp Mobile App for Android and Apple iOS to manage their SWBA membership experience on the go.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WorldatWork: Global professional association for total rewards (compensation, benefits, wellness, work-life) professionals offering certifications, education, and research. Direct peer to SWBA in serving benefits/HR professionals, though at significantly larger national and global scale.
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP): National professional association serving benefits and compensation professionals through education, certifications, and the Employee Benefit Plan Review. Directly comparable to SWBA as a membership organization for benefits executives, but operating at national rather than regional scale.
• Business Group on Health: National nonprofit membership organization of large employers focused on health care, benefits strategy, and well-being. Comparable to SWBA in serving corporate benefits decision-makers, though at a larger enterprise-employer scale.

Regional players

• HR Houston: Houston-area SHRM-affiliated HR association serving HR and benefits professionals in the Texas Gulf Coast region. Regional peer with a comparable chapter-based professional association model in the same state.
• Dallas Fort Worth Association of Health Underwriters (DFWAHU): Regional NAHU chapter serving health insurance and benefits professionals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Comparable regional association for benefits-adjacent professionals, competing for similar membership and sponsor dollars in the same geography.
• DallasHR: Local Dallas-area SHRM affiliate chapter serving HR professionals in the same North Texas geography as SWBA. Comparable regional peer association model serving overlapping HR/benefits audiences at the city level.
• Greater Oklahoma City HR Association: Oklahoma City-area SHRM chapter for HR professionals. Regional peer association in SWBA's Oklahoma service area, illustrating the chapter-association competitive landscape SWBA operates within.
• Tulsa Area Human Resources Association (TAHRA): Tulsa/Oklahoma regional SHRM-affiliated HR association. Comparable regional chapter model serving HR and benefits professionals in the same Southwest region SWBA targets.

Broad incumbents

• American Benefits Council: National trade association representing employers on employee benefits policy and compliance. Overlapping with SWBA's compliance focus and benefits-executive audience, but oriented toward advocacy and policy rather than regional peer networking.
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): The largest HR professional membership organization globally, serving generalist HR professionals. Broader incumbent to SWBA; overlapping membership base of benefits executives but with a much wider HR scope, certifications, and national advocacy footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swbenefitsassoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzeMPTJY2R8VO0fGYG9mB2g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-benefits-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 SouthWest Benefits Association