NAPEO
June/July 2026
THIS MONTH'S FOCUS: Risk & Safety
BETTING ON HERSELF: TRACY CULICERTO’S JOURNEY TO BUILDING ASCENDHR
When Tracy Culicerto talks about building AscendHR, she doesn’t start with growth metrics or expansion plans. She starts with people. She talks about her parents using retirement savings earned through decades in the coal mining industry to help fund her dream. She talks about bringing her infant son to client meetings during AscendHR’s earliest days. …
BY CHRIS CHANEY
June/July 2026CONTENTS
FEATURED
BEHAVIOR-BASED SAFETY: A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FOR PEOS
Some safety industry studies suggest that investments in workplace safety programs may result in cost savings of $3 to $6 savings for every $1 they spend on behavior-based safety programs.
BY PAUL BOUDREAUX
June/July 2026
INTRODUCING PYSCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND A PROACTIVE CULTURE INTO CLIENT SAFETY PLANS
For PEOs, the integration of BBS, psychological safety, and proactive culture create a powerful framework that can be embedded into client safety plans.
BY SCOTT A. JOHNSON
June/July 2026
THE PEO ROLE IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: HELPING CLIENTS PLAN FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CRISES
PEOs can help clients create backup systems, while ensuring that critical functions like payroll continue to move forward.
BY JAY MINCKS
June/July 2026
IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE SAFETY PROGRAMS FOR DIVERSE INDUSTRIES
An effective risk and safety professional that supports PEO clients must design safety programs that are both scalable and tailored to each industry and operation.
BY JIM VAN DUZEN, CHST, CIT
June/July 2026
FROM COMPLIANCE PARTNERS TO RESILIENCE STRATEGISTS: THE NEXT PEO CHAPTER IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RISK MITIGATION
PEOs already run LMS platforms, push benefits communications, and coordinate open enrollment. Layering in active threat response training, phishing simulation, and quarterly tabletop exercises uses infrastructure already in place.
BY KRISTEN FRADIANI
June/July 2026
SCALING WITHOUT LIABILITY: HOW PEOS USE EOR TO WIN AND RETAIN GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTED CLIENTS
The EOR is the legal employer in-country and takes on local payroll, statutory benefits, and labor-law compliance. The PEO stays focused on the relationship—guiding the client, setting HR strategy, and keeping the experience consistent across the workforce.
BY ANTHONY FALZONE
June/July 2026ADVERTISEMENT
TRACKS
“NAPEO’s advocacy efforts are only effective because members step forward to share their expertise, tell their stories and help educate lawmakers on the value of the PEO model.”
BY BILL MANESS
June/July 2026THE PREDICTABILITY PREMIUM: THE RISK PROFILE BUYERS ACTUALLY WANT
Risk is in the DNA of the PEO business. It is not a flaw in the model. It is the model. Top-performing PEOs make a calculated move: accept measured risk today to earn a multiple of it tomorrow. The core equation is simple: risk one dollar to make three, if not more. The best operators …
BY SCOTT SILVA
June/July 2026PEOS IN THE COMMUNITY: E3 HR’S SPIRIT OF SERVICE
At E3 HR, community service is integrated into the company’s values, creating a culture where giving back is a core part of the organization.
BY JAKE LEVINE
June/July 2026
“All the progress we have made this year reflects the strength of our strategic plan and the alignment of our membership behind it.”
BY CASEY M. CLARK
June/July 2026STRUCTURAL PROFIT EXPANSION: REWRITING THE ECONOMICS OF THE PEO CLIENT BASE
Structural profit expansion is based on the process of identifying and correcting these imbalances in a systematic and measurable way.
BY MATT CLAUS
June/July 2026SHAPING TRUST IN THE AI BUYER JOURNEY: FROM VISIBLE TO RECOMMENDED
AI tools match content to the vocabulary of the question being asked, and buyers ask questions in the language of their world, not yours.
BY AMANDA ORTEGA
June/July 2026UPDATES AND INSIGHTS ON THE WORKERS’ COMP. MARKET
California announced an 8.7% increase in advisory pure premium rates effective 9/1/2025 and again recommends a similar magnitude increase effective 9/1/2026.
BY FRANK HUANG, FCAS, MAAA
June/July 2026HOW PEO TEAMS ARE USING AI WITHOUT LOSING THE HUMAN TOUCH
One of the most useful ways to think about AI in PEO operations is not what to automate, but what to protect.
BY JAGANNATH PUTREVU
June/July 2026BEYOND TEMPERATURE CHECKS: NAVIGATING OSHA’S 2026 HEAT ILLNESS PREVENTION STANDARD AND EVOLVING VIEW OF WORKPLACE SAFETY
OSHA may no longer view heat hazards in isolation, but as part of a more integrated approach to worker health and safety.
BY BRIAN L. McDERMOTT, ESQ.
June/July 20264 THINGS PEOS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEW DOL JOINT EMPLOYER PROPOSAL
The Labor Department’s recent proposed joint employer rule is welcome news for the PEO industry. That being said, you’ve received similar welcome news every other time the DOL went through this same exercise in the past, only to see the helpful guidance unwound by a new administration. Watching the joint employer rule evolve is like …
BY JOHN POLSON, ESQ.
June/July 2026DELIVERING IMPACT THROUGH ABSENCE MANAGEMENT: HOW PEOS CAN HELP SIMPLIFY LEAVE, STRENGTHEN COMPLIANCE AND IMPROVE THE WORKSITE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Modern, well‑aligned absence management approaches help PEOs retain ownership of compliance, reduce administrative friction, and provide the consistent oversight worksites expect.
BY DORENE SOAVE
June/July 2026HR NEEDS MORE DAD JOKES: A WORK DAD’S CASE FOR HUMOR, CONNECTION AND GRACE IN THE PEO WORLD
A simple, safe moment of humor signals emotional steadiness. It communicates that the conversation is a process, not a confrontation.
BY KIRK DAVIS
June/July 2026ADVERTISEMENT
