BECOMING A MEMBER OF RAM IS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
By joining you gain access to exclusive, money saving discounts on services and programs, legislative updates and advocacy as well as valuable educational opportunities. We aim to help you grow and protect your business, promote the retail industry and save your business money. Click here to JOIN NOW!
RAMHIC Offerings for 2023
RAMHIC continues to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to offer members access to the carrier's entire portfolio of high quality, small group health insurance plans.
All members purchasing their health insurance coverage through the cooperative will also receive an expanded list of ancillary benefits, FREE of charge.
Click image above to view a BCBS produced informational video on the power of the RAM/BCBS Cooperative.
Please see our brochure for more detail on the expanded 2023 benefit package. Specific information regarding each benefit may be found below:
For more information please visit the RAMHIC page of our website.
RAM PREDICTS 1% INCREASE IN HOLIDAY SALES
RAM is predicting a 1% increase in local holiday shopping sales based upon a survey of their membership. RAM’s prediction for holiday sales is lower than the national projections of 3-4% by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The annual RAM survey is exclusively based on Massachusetts small businesses, while the NRF figure is national, and includes all types and sizes of sellers.
“We are asking Massachusetts’ holiday shoppers to remember that how they invest their dollars makes a big difference for the local economy,” RAM President Jon Hurst said. “We know consumers today are cautious and budgeting for their holiday spending, but we ask them to commit to investing a good portion of their purchases right here in our communities.”
As published in Coverage
October 13, 2023
Small businesses take big steps to tackle rising costs
How the state’s largest health care cooperative and health plan are working together to make health care more affordable in the Commonwealth
RACHEL COPPOLA | NEWS SERVICE OF BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MASSACHUSETTS
Small business owners are facing steep challenges these days – including rising health care costs – and some are turning to the state’s largest nonprofit insurer for support.
“The cost of everything is going up,” said Bob Katz, President and CEO of My Grandma’s of New England Coffee Cake company, who noted that he is spending dramatically more on ingredients, boxes and shipping for his well-known (and delicious) cakes. “It’s crazy what’s happening right now.”
Jerry Michelson, the fourth-generation co-owner of Michelson’s Shoes with locations in Lexington and Needham Center, Mass., said he feels “the rising costs of opening our doors every day,” from flipping on the lights to ordering inventory to paying for employee health benefits.
National and local trends of rising medical costs contribute to the pinch these small businesses feel.
At the same time, a tight labor market means small businesses are competing with large companies to attract and retain top talent.
“Right now, having a quality workforce is a top priority of most small businesses because without that, they won’t get the repeat business they depend on. That means competing with much larger companies by offering top-tier benefits, including health benefits,” said Jon Hurst, president and CEO of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
Upcoming Webinars
There has never been a better time to start a retirement plan! The federal government recognizes citizens have not saved nearly enough to produce a comfortable retirement and have recently rolled out tremendous TAX CREDITS to help employers provide access to retirement savings vehicles, like 401k’s.
Additionally, legislation has been passed liberalizing the creation of Multiple Employer Retirement plans. These arrangements have shown the ability to streamline administration, decrease an employer’s fiduciary liability, and in many cases, save thousands.
RAM wants to help on both fronts! We offer a Multiple Employer 401k Plan to make the prospects of offering a plan simple and painless as well as provide a powerful alternative for employers who wish to decrease their administration, eliminate their annual audit, and save cost.
Please join us on DECEMBER 6th
to learn more about these TAX CREDITS and the advantages of our Multiple Employer 401k Plan.
Register for 9:30 am webinar
Register for 1:30 pm webinar
Winter is Coming… Learn How to Save on Your Energy Bills
Learn how small business owners can take steps to increase energy efficiency and reduce their expenses.
New programs and benefits available to small employers to help lower energy bills including:
- Mass Save is offering new incentives on energy efficiency measures that will make members’ facilities more comfortable and save them money
- Common measures, including insulation, weatherstripping, and air sealing, can be installed by professional contractors after a simple, free audit
- Special incentives are offered to customers who rent their space from a landlord
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