HOW ALLEVITY TURNED A FOUNDER’S VISION INTO A 50-YEAR PEO LEGACY

Kent Ahlswede understood early on that for the emerging industry to succeed, PEOs needed more than a viable business model. They needed a collective voice.

HOURS, NOT HEADCOUNT: WHAT THE LABOR MARKET IS ACTUALLY TELLING US

Altogether, the labor market can best be described as a “no hire, no fire” environment.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

GET AI-SEARCH-READY BEFORE SWITCHING SEASON

For most PEOs, this shift in buyer behavior remains largely invisible because they are not yet tracking AI visibility as part of their marketing strategy.

• CYBERSECURITY & TECHNOLOGY

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF TRANSITIONING HUMAN RESOURCES FROM A COMPANY COST TO A REVENUE GENERATING ENABLER

While HR has been rightly viewed as a critical, necessary fixed cost for doing business, that’s simply not the case anymore.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

FROM ADMINISTRATIVE HR TO STRATEGIC PARTNER: THE PEO EVOLUTION

Most PEOs have the tools to make this shift. What they do not always have is the habit of walking into a client meeting and leading with the future instead of the last 30 days.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

WHO OWNS YOUR ACH COMPLIANCE?

Depending on how a PEO structures its ACH processing relationship, significant responsibilities including fraud monitoring, annual ACH Rules reviews, documented policies, risk assessments, and maintaining supporting evidence may remain with the PEO.

• LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW LANDSCAPE FOR PEOS APPROACHING 2027

The hodgepodge of local labor and employment policies that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction will continue to pose compliance challenges for PEOs that operate across state lines.

• LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE

BEYOND THE PAYCHECK: WHY THE REAL BATTLE FOR HR STRATEGY IS MOVING TO THE BOARDROOM

The real competitive battleground has quietly shifted — from how fast an HR partner processes routine paperwork to how deeply their guidance impacts a company’s bottom line.

• HR & BENEFITS

MENTAL HEALTH IS A STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PRIORITY FOR PEOS

Managers should not be asked to provide care. They should know how to recognize a change in behavior, start a respectful conversation and connect employees with available support.

• HR & BENEFITS

BEYOND THE MANDATE: WHAT PEOS SHOULD EVALUATE IN FERTILITY BENEFITS

A specialized fertility benefits partner can help bring together considerations such as provider quality, treatment patterns, pharmacy coordination, utilization, and benefit design.

• HR & BENEFITS

MAXIMIZING THE VALUE OF YOUR NAPEO MEMBERSHIP

In a complex and highly regulated industry, no PEO should have to navigate every challenge alone. Changes in employment law, tax administration, benefits, workers’ compensation and state licensing can quickly affect a PEO’s operations and its ability to serve clients. At the same time, PEO leaders must develop employees, enter new markets, evaluate emerging technology and respond to clients who expect timely, …

THE NEW SMB PLAYBOOK: HOW BUSINESS LEADERS ARE REALLOCATING RISK TO DRIVE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Supporting SMB success will require collaboration across the broader business ecosystem. Reducing administrative costs is not enough.

• RISK

ARKENSTONE DEFENSE: A MISSION-READY PEO

For Arkenstone, security is not an add-on. It is foundational. The company adheres to rigorous, Pentagon-level data and cyber security protocols.

RETIREMENT COULD BE THE PEO DIFFERENTIATOR HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

What now separates one platform from another comes down to a unified experience, and whether the retirement benefit feels like part of the product, or a place where the product ends.

• HR & BENEFITS

GROWTH BY ACQUISITION IS A SOLID STRATEGY. BUT DON’T MISS THE BOAT ON BRAND.

Brand structure should be addressed early in the integration, before new materials are created and different teams begin explaining the acquisition in different ways.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

OPERATING METHODOLOGIES THAT DRIVE SUSTAINABLE PROFITABILITY: MCHENRY CONSULTING’S CORE ELEMENTS

The highest-performing organizations identify the measures that truly influence enterprise value and incorporate them into everyday decision making.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR SMB CLIENT’S NEXT HIRE LIVES OVERSEAS

Global employment is an adjacent need, not a competing one, and PEOs are better positioned to understand the solution than almost anyone.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

HOW AI-DRIVEN LEARNING TURNS PEOS INTO STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Offering AI-driven learning moves the PEO from the cost column to the investment column.

• CYBERSECURITY & TECHNOLOGY

SCALING WITH CONFIDENCE: WHY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SMBS DON’T DO IT ALONE.

This is what separates the most effective PEOs from the rest, not just the ability to process information, but the ability to turn complex, evolving data into actionable insight.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

STATE-RUN RETIREMENT PLANS

If your PEO operates in any states affected by retirement plan mandate, businesses need your help.

• LEGAL & LEGISLATIVE

MARKETING THE PEO MODEL TO THE MODERN SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: CLOSING THE RETIREMENT GAP

The small business owner walking into your pitch today is not the same one who sat across from PEO sales reps a decade ago. According to NAPEO’s 2025 Annual Tracking Survey, 76 percent of business decision-makers now name economic uncertainty as one of the most challenging parts of running a business — the first time …

• SALES & MARKETING

THE GROWTH INFRASTRUCTURE SMBS DON’T SEE: WHY PEOS MATTER MOST DURING TIMES OF EXPANSION

Adding more staff is easy. Building scalable systems to support growth without increased operational risk is the true challenge.

• FINANCE & OPERATIONS

THE RISK YOUR SMALLEST CLIENTS CAN’T SEE AND WHY PEOS ARE POSITIONED TO FIND IT

A PEO that diagnoses where risk lives, targets development where it's actually needed, re-measures to confirm the shift, and sustains it over time becomes embedded in the client's risk posture rather than their back office.

• RISK

In Memoriam: Jim Bell, Sr.

James “Jim” Bell, Sr., founder of Abel HR and longtime NAPEO member, passed away on July 15.