“I reached out to (Nava) and said, am I crazy? Are we doing something wrong here?”
That was Brian Bustillos, Head of People for KMD Brands North America, after years of asking his previous broker to align benefits across their multi branded portfolio in North America; Rip Curl, Obōz, and Kathmandu and getting nowhere.

“More expensive and worse coverage” was the best their previous broker could deliver. “Every renewal felt like Groundhog Day…” He knew that aligning the brands should mean leverage, but instead, the company was paying more for less.

“With the big brokers, you sometimes feel like an afterthought,” Brian said. “I wasn’t clueless about benefits, but I wasn’t getting clear answers or progress. It just wasn’t happening.”

After two years of stalled progress, Brian turned to Nava. What convinced him was the promise of something different: a modern brokerage with the expertise, technology, and hands‑on support to finally deliver what others hadn’t. “We weren’t getting results from bigger brokers,” he said. “Nava gave us confidence they could actually get this done.”

From stuck to live in 90 days

KMD made the switch in April. By August 1, their entire multi brand benefits structure was live and aligned.

“This was a very, very quick turnaround,” Brian said. “We’ve gone through broker change, marketing the plans, selecting the plans... and now we’re going to be live.”

Meghan McAlpin, who leads benefits administration, called it “pretty incredible.” Nava moved both companies onto a single benefits platform, something their prior broker had not been able to do in over a decade.

“One of the biggest differences is Nava got us onto a digital platform quickly and at no extra cost,” Meghan said. “One of our brands had been stuck on paper enrollment for years. No one else could solve that until Nava.”

Before, enrollment meant stacks of paperwork, missed forms, and hours of manual follow up. With Nava, everything was digitized and seamless. What employees once dreaded became a process they could complete in minutes. What used to take months such as marketing plans, carrier negotiations, and employee communications was handled in weeks. Nava set deadlines, kept the project on track, and delivered a smooth, successful transition in just 90 days.

Open enrollment without the chaos

KMD’s open enrollment with Nava was smooth, modern, and well received.

“We just went through open enrollment and we have had good feedback from the employees,” Brian said.

For employees, the change was immediate. Instead of confusing paperwork, they had a simple digital experience that made enrollment fast and straightforward.

For the HR team, the relief was just as meaningful. “In the past, employees would flood our inbox with questions,” Meghan said. “This time, once they went through the platform, they did not need to come to us. It freed up hours every week.”

She added, “A lot of folks would ask, ‘Can I have a meeting with you?’ and I would tell them, why don’t you try the platform first. Once they did, most realized they did not have questions anymore.”

“It is just a much more efficient process,” Brian said.

Service that scales with you

What stood out most wasn’t the platform or the speed. It was the support.

“I appreciate the more kind of personal touch,” Brian said. “We're happy with being with Nava and it's the right size brokerage for the right size of the company.”

“The Nava team took the heavy lifting off our plates,” Meghan said. “They managed the details and kept us moving forward. It was pretty incredible what they pulled off in such a short time.”

A real choice at renewal

Nava also delivered what their old broker never did: real options at renewal. Instead of presenting a single plan with rising costs, the Nava team came back with multiple strategies modeled out for KMD. One option offered significant cost savings, while another prioritized stability with less disruption for employees.

“For the first time, we had two renewal options, one with major cost savings,” Brian said. “We had never had that before.”

Ultimately, the leadership team chose the lower‑disruption path, but the impact was clear. Nava gave KMD a seat at the table and the ability to make an informed decision rather than being handed a single take‑it‑or‑leave‑it plan.

Time back and a clearer path forward

Even in the first months, Nava’s impact was clear. Brian estimated the HR team is saving $20,000 to $30,000 worth of admin time annually, simply by eliminating manual enrollment work and repetitive employee questions.

And the benefits app rollout is just getting started. For employees, the app means 24/7 access to ID cards, plan details, and deductible tracking without having to email HR. For the HR team, it means fewer interruptions and a more self‑sufficient workforce.

“We advertised the app during enrollment and employees are starting to use it,” Brian said. “Now we can focus on engagement and new perks instead of chasing paperwork. Nava didn’t just fix open enrollment, they set us up for the future.”