About HBS…
Home Benefit Solutions is a startup company. I know what you’re thinking, oh great - these guys are amateurs. Before you close the screen or run for the door, please read just a little more. While HBS might be a new company, the founders are not new to this industry. A little more than 20 years ago, we were first to market with this concept and built a business that helped thousands of families achieve the American dream, saving each of them thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses along the way.
We started the Homeownership Program in the late 90’s after a crazy idea, conceived over one too many beers one night at a Mexican restaurant. We outlined (on a cocktail napkin) how we could expand our real estate and mortgage businesses by partnering with companies and organizations and offering our bundled services at a discount to their employees as part of their employee benefits package. It sounded easy so we decided, why not? After all, what could go wrong? The next day we picked up the phone and managed to get an appointment with King County; we were clueless how lucky we were. Fifteen months later, in 1999, we rolled out the King County Homeownership Program to all 15,000 King County Employees at once, and that was before we had the internet or email. The day King County made the announcement we were invited to an “event” at a facility that turned out to be an auditorium. Earlier in the day our computer had crashed taking our presentation with it, so we had to wing it. When we were introduced and stepped out on stage, we realized it was packed out with hundreds of KC employees who showed up to learn about their new benefit. It was intense, and scary, but it somehow worked, and we successfully ran that program for next 9 years. Because KCHOP was so successful, we opened Enhanced Benefits Group and partnered with over 125 companies, airlines, hospitals, cities and school districts around the Pacific Northwest with more than 250,000 employees in all. That business was eventually sold, and we took a much-needed break in part because we were exhausted and in part because we had to agree to a lengthy no compete clause when we sold the company.
Jim Myers, Founder and CEO
