Meet The Team

Ben Belur

Ben was born and raised in Issaquah, WA where he now resides with his family. He attended WSU where he met his wife Brittany, and are now loving raising their two daughters and son. Ben has spent his entire working career in the employee benefits space and couldn’t be more thrilled to use that experience gained to join forces with two of his most trusted friends and business associates in starting their agency together, BTG Benefits.  

Ben’s primary goal is to help strategize with companies to find them the most affordable and comprehensive benefits for their employees. He brings an outside of the box approach and introduces innovative ideas to his clients so they are equipped with what’s relevant in today’s benefits world. Most importantly, Ben listens to what his clients want to accomplish and develops a custom plan to meet their specific needs. His belief that this business still revolves around relationships and trust is reflected in his approach and interactions with clients. He’s here to help make this process simple, fun, and affordable for all involved.

Jeremy Bright

Originally from the east side of the state, Jeremy attended Washington State University and chased his now wife, Heidi, to the west side of the state. Newcastle, WA is the place they call home, with their two daughters and dog. Jeremy has a passion for all sports and loves watching his girls follow in his footsteps!
 
As an employee benefit consultant for most of his career, Jeremy places great value in earning the trust and confidence of his clients as he recognizes a lasting partnership cannot exist without this foundation. Each client is unique, and Jeremy understands the complexities and challenges employers face with regards to selecting the appropriate benefit package. His emphasis is in his consultative and creative approach as it is his goal to find a solution that meets both the budgetary needs of his clients and the needs of their employees. Jeremy looks to maintain the value of his service and client’s interests to create a partnership that will prosper for years. 

Tim Hirshberg

Tim is a long time local to the Seattle area and is proud to have made the Pacific Northwest the home to his family. He and his wife Melissa met at their alma mater, The University of Arizona, and have two sons, a daughter and a dog. Tim has spent most of his career in the employee benefit space, where he started alongside his two partners over 10+ years ago. He is extremely excited to have co-founded BTG Benefits with two people that he’s worked with from the beginning, and trusts and respects so deeply.

As a consultant to his clients, Tim works diligently to create a strategic approach, focusing on value driven benefits, without the compromise of the employee “benefit.” In today’s embattled healthcare landscape, this provides meaningful challenges, but with his established carrier partners, and unique approach, Tim welcomes this opportunity. He works diligently to make every encounter a contact to remember and looks forward to being the “bridge” between your team and the best value in benefits.

Michelle Davis

Michelle was born and raised in Seattle, WA where she raised her daughter Alyssa. They both moved to Dallas, TX nine years ago but are true Washingtonians at heart! In her spare time she loves to travel, especially back home to Seattle to spend quality time with her parents and two sisters. She enjoys boating on Lake Washington, wine tasting, exploring the beautiful Evergreen State and finding some good Texas BBQ.  

Michelle brings over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. She is excited to join the BTG Benefits Team where she finds purpose and value in building long lasting client relationships. 

Lisa Deese

Lisa has been the bookkeeper for BTG since June 2020. She brings a strong background to BTG having spent over 20 years of her career in the payroll administration and bookkeeping space. Her personal philosophy regarding her profession is that trust is number one, and it is her goal to do whatever she can to contribute to BTG and out client’s success. 

Lisa lives in Bonney Lake with her husband and is surrounded by her blended family of six! An interesting fact about Lisa is for many years she was a lead singer/vocalist in various bands and still loves to sing karaoke whenever she gets the chance. In her free time, she loves hanging out with family and friends, and in the summer months enjoys boating and an occasional game of tennis with the kiddos. 

Deb Edmondson

Deb is a proud lifelong resident of the beautiful Pacific Northwest specifically in the North Seattle area. She joined the Employee Benefits account management field after graduating from University of Washington in 2003. Deb’s focus is to help her clients control their insurance spend while also providing meaningful benefits. She assists her clients with plan design, funding options, employee communications, education, and compliance. Specializing in client satisfaction, Deb strives to be an integral resource and extension of her client’s HR.

When Deb is not working, she can be found alongside a field or court cheering on her children at sporting events, traveling, or enjoying an evening out with her husband and friends. She is also a proud volunteer with a number of local organizations and thrives to always make today the best day yet!

Lita Gill

Lita joined BTG in 2023 as an Account Manager with 14 years in healthcare experience which includes accounting, decision support, process improvement, and informatics. She brings her experience and spirit of service to support BTG clients in navigating their employee benefits needs with confidence, clarity, and trust. Lita's happiest when she's watching her two sons play sports, enjoying the PNW outdoors, reading a good book with a cup of coffee nearby, and travelling to some place new with her family.

Spencer Heit

Spencer grew up all around the country (Portland, Chicago, Arkansas) but always considered Washington home. He graduated from the University of Washington where he met his now wife Haley and are busy raising a son and daughter, with a third baby on the way. In his free time, Spencer loves spending time with his kids, wing foiling, windsurfing, skiing, and traveling.

Spencer’s 10+ year career in the industry has focused on value-based care. He’s truly passionate about providing solutions that benefit both his client and their employees. Spencer has a deep understanding of both short and long-term benefits strategy and builds long lasting relationships with each person he works with. Spencer is always leading with genuine curiosity and understanding of your overall business needs and then seeing how strategically benefits can fit into that puzzle.

Paris Jackson

Paris is a Washington native having grown up in the South Sound. She utilizes her passion for storytelling to showcase BTG Benefit’s brand and culture through mixed mediums to connect with clients and prospects. Whether through marketing, social media, or public relations – Paris has successfully implemented strategies to increase brand growth in the digital space and brokerage recognition for one of the best U.S. workplaces.

Before BTG Benefits, Paris spent more decade as a broadcast journalist; most notably working in the Seattle TV market. She’s a proud alumna of Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communication. She, her husband, and their young children enjoy spending time together, watching sports and traveling.

Alex (AJ) Johnson

Alex is a Washington native having grown up in Bellevue, WA and is extremely proud to call the Pacific Northwest home to his family. Alex, Malia their two kids and dog live in Kirkland WA. In his free time Alex enjoys spending valuable time with his family and friends 

With over 15 years of experience in consulting, owning and operating small businesses, Alex has real life experience and can offer a unique perspective to the clients that he serves. He remains committed to helping clients and their employees navigate the complex world of healthcare and ultimately improve the employee experience. He is so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the BTG Team and takes pride in offering expert insight and guidance to clients.

Shawna Kono

Born and raised in Washington state, Shawna and her husband Michael made their home in Renton when they were married in 2009. They are overjoyed to have recently expanded their family with the addition of their little fur baby Rain. 

​

Shawna started her benefits career back in 2010, all of which was spent working with the three partners. She couldn’t be more excited to start this next chapter at BTG Benefits.

Liz Kroshko

Liz, the youngest of 4 children raised by her Ukrainian immigrant parents, was born and raised in Washington state. A brief 5-year stint relocated her to her husband’s first duty station – North Carolina. There, Liz and her husband took up many new hobbies, some of which include hiking, rock climbing, backpacking and camping! In March of 2020, Liz and her husband decided to move back to Washington to both pursue new careers and explore a new chapter of their lives.

In 2023, Liz joined the BTG team and said that on her first day, she felt like she was walking into her work family and knew immediately these were her people. She is so grateful for the opportunity to work with the BTG team, and while new to the insurance field, she looks forward to learning all the ins and outs while applying her 10 years of customer service experience to the job!

Kim Pankow

Kim is a lifelong resident of Washington state, having grown up in Eastern Washington and moving to the Pacific Northwest just after high school. She and her husband, Jason, were married in 2015 in Maui ~ their favorite place on earth! They now live in Burien with their two active boys. You can usually find them in their backyard playing with their crazy bernedoodle puppy or scheming their next home improvement project.

With a 15-year history in insurance account management and customer service, Kim is passionate about getting to know every client, no matter their size, to cultivate a unique experience dependent on their needs. Her primary role is evaluating proposed benefit contracts and creating comparison tools by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing employee benefit data and trends.

Sheri Schultz

Sheri is a Washington native that has been helping companies with their group benefits since the late 90’s. She believes that every company needs a trusted advisor that will take the time to learn about their group and guide them to a benefits package that is right for their employees. With a strong background in ancillary lines, Sheri will help you round out your benefits package with the extras that will help you compete for and retain the best employees in your market.  Sheri specializes in creating genuine and meaningful relationships with every client she gets to work with. In her free time Sheri loves to spend time with her family, watch sports and travel.