Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/548712
w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m A u g u s t 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 25 ONLINE: CLICK to hear Debbie Ludka, senior vice president of customer operations and chief compliance officer at Navitus, talk about expanding the Appleton campus. [ c o n t i n u e d ] » It's been a huge difference for Navitus' clients, who have been able to save money on their prescription drug plans and are reassured their enrollees' needs are being met. "Navitus is a great partner. ey are excellent at communicating with us if there's a better, lower-cost drug alternative for our enrollees, for example," says Shane McPeak, employee benefits manager with Trek Bicycle Corp., who has used the company to administer its prescription drug plan for the past several years. "All the way around, from working with our employees to administering the plan, they do a fantastic job." FILLING A NICHE N avitus was created when the leaders of Appleton's Touchpoint Plan (which was operated by edaCare) and Dean Health Plan in Madison decided to spin off their prescription drug plans into a new company. Four years later, Dean Health purchased Touchpoint's shares, becoming Navitus' sole owner. Dean Health is owned by SSM Health, which operates 19 hospitals in four states. Navitus originally operated locally out of Touchpoint's building in Grand Chute across Bluemound Road from Fox Valley Technical College, but as the company grew it became obvious more space was needed. e company opened its three-story, 70,000-square-foot building — which has high visibility to drivers on Interstate 41 — two years ago. "But we're growing out of this space, so we decided to go ahead and build the companion building to it — which was always part of the plan — but we're doing it sooner than expected," Ludka says. e new building will be about the same size as the original, and the two will be connected. Appleton isn't the only place Navitus is growing. e company plans to add more than 5,000 square feet to its Madison headquarters and also has regional offices in Austin, Texas, and Phoenix. Seligman says the regional offices allow the company to be more responsive to its clients in those parts of the country. Navitus, for example, handles the prescription benefit for LA Care Health Plan, the nation's largest publicly-operated health plan that serves 1.5 million people in Los Angeles County. While Navitus started out growing slowly — in 2007 the company had 20 clients, which climbed to 100 by 2011 — it has seen explosive growth in the past couple of years. "Today, we have 300 clients and there's no slowing down," Seligman says. "Word-of-mouth about our transparency as well as great customer service are leading to the growth." Julie Herschleb, director of total rewards at Johnsonville Sausage, says Navitus' reputation as a straight-shooter led the Sheboygan Falls company to choose it to manage its pharmacy benefits plan in 2009. "We were very intrigued with Navitus' transparent business model. ere are no hidden costs. ey pass 100 percent of discounts and rebates through to » Navitus Health Solutions » Company leadership: Terry Seligman, president and chief executive officer » Founded: 2003 » Headquarters: Madison, with a large operational facility in Appleton and regional offices in Phoenix and Austin, Texas. » Number of employees: 500, including 318 at its Appleton campus » On the web: www.navitus.com A closer look L ike many companies, Navitus has an original name. Debbie Ludka, who was one of the original employees with Navitus and is now the top local corporate leader, recalls that a handful of employees met as the company was forming to think of an appropriate name. She said they decided on Navitus because it "evoked the word 'navigate' and spoke to the company's forward-thinking business model in the industry." After trademarks were checked, the name was finalized. About the name