2013 40 Under 40: Michael A. Brillati
Midwest Region Reprints
CEO
Salus Group
Age: 39
In 2005, Michael A. Brillati recognized an underserved market and saw a potential opportunity.
“I was at a large agency in Southfield, Mich.,” said Mr. Brillati, CEO of Sterling Heights, Mich.-based Salus Group. “I had a credit union at that time as a client who ultimately became a partner of Salus Group.”
Mr. Brillati saw the credit union market in Michigan was underserved by employee benefits consultants, and when he was asked if he was interested in partnering to start a company to serve that space, he took the chance.
“When I started the company, I saw a need in the marketplace for the services we provide,” he said. “It was an opportunity to continue to serve and be aggressive in our marketplace.”
Mr. Brillati, who received a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Detroit Mercy and also studied at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, started the employee benefits consultant, broker and administration firm Salus Group with a few clients.
The company, which he describes as a “very entrepreneurial organization,” has demonstrated rapid growth since. “We started at that time with five credit unions and 40 clients,” he said. “We're now at 200 financial institutions as clients.”
Robert Bava, president and CEO of Community Choice Credit Union in Farmington Hills, Mich., said what distinguishes Mr. Brillati and Salus Group are expertise and communications.
“What really sets Michael apart, Salus Group apart, was their expertise with the plan design, allowing us to structure the plans in a way that really met our strategic goals,” Mr. Bava said.
He said the combination of communications and expertise is particularly important now as his company deals with changes in the benefits landscape driven by federal health care reform.
“It provides us with a tremendous peace of mind that I don't think we otherwise would have,” Mr. Bava said.
