Oregon PERS wins third straight Leadership Award for annual retirement education expo

Oregon PERS wins third straight Leadership Award for annual retirement education expo

PERS/OSGP Expo ’18 recognized by NAGDCA for National Retirement Security Week event

TIGARD, OR – The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), on Monday, July 9, was awarded a 2019 Leadership Award from the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators Inc. (NAGDCA), which recognizes “the brightest ideas and most innovative solutions” in helping public employees save more for retirement.

PERS and the Oregon Savings Growth Plan (OSGP), the State of Oregon’s voluntary 457(b) deferred compensation plan, won the award in recognition of PERS/OSGP Expo ’18, which was held at the Salem Convention Center in October 2018 to celebrate National Retirement Security Week. View a one-minute video of the 2018 Expo.

PERS and OSGP also won NAGDCA Leadership Awards recognizing the Expo in 2017 and 2018, in addition to receiving separate participant education and communication awards from NAGDCA in 2013 and 2015. As the top-scoring submission in NAGDCA’s National Retirement Security Week category for 2019, PERS is also eligible to receive the newly founded NAGDCA – Art Caple President’s Award, which will be announced in August. In June, PERS was also recognized by the Retirement Advisor Council for the success of Expo ’18 with a 2019 Excellence Award – Financial Wellness Program.

The annual PERS/OSGP Expo provides education about the various benefits of state and local public employment in one place, at one time. PERS, OSGP, the PERS Health Insurance Program (PHIP), and other financial wellness partners, take over the entire Salem Convention Center for educational workshops and financial awareness activities. The collective efforts are aimed to help all Oregon public employees—from new hires to retirees—to learn about their benefits in a fun and educational space.

The theme for PERS/OSGP Expo ’18—“Explore Your Financial Future”—was developed by OSGP’s contracted record keeper, Voya Financial®, to promote awareness of the need for public employees to save for their financial future no matter where they are in life. The annual Expo also aims to raise awareness of the value of participating in OSGP as a complement to PERS, in pursuit of secure retirement goals. The Expo is also conducted to help fulfill PERS’ 2018-2023 Strategic Plan goal of engaging members throughout their careers so they are better prepared for retirement.

The 2018 event was the highest-attended Expo to date and featured representatives from PERS, OSGP, PHIP, Social Security, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, investment managers, and others. In addition to booths representing these resources, many also presented hour-long workshops with information critical to savings strategy and retirement goals.

The agency recently started promotion for PERS Expo 2019, which will be held Wednesday, October 9, at the Salem Convention Center. Registration for the free event for public employees is already more than half-full.

Learn more about OSGP at www.growyourtomorrow.com. Learn more about PERS at www.oregon.gov/PERS.

The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) serves the people of Oregon by administering public employee benefit trusts to pay the right person, the right benefit, at the right time. PERS, the agency, administers the retirement system in partnership with more than 900 Oregon public employers, including school districts, special districts, cities, counties, community colleges, universities, and state agencies. PERS engages with over 367,000 current and former Oregon public employees or their beneficiaries, and also administers a health insurance program for retirees (PERS Health Insurance Program) and a 457(b) voluntary deferred compensation program (Oregon Savings Growth Plan).