Nirvana Insurance Unlocks Six-Figure Savings and Strategic Bandwidth  

Nirvana Insurance is redefining trucking insurance with AI-powered insights that help fleets operate more safely and efficiently. As a fast-growing company in a complex, highly regulated industry, Nirvana is a compelling total rewards strategy, modern tools, and expert partners that free the people team to focus on high-impact work.

Nirvana wanted to exit an expensive PEO model, build a more tailored benefits strategy, and stay ahead of a rapidly shifting market, all without expanding its internal HR team. With Sequoia, the company has found a true partner to architect total rewards, reduce costs, and unlock time for what’s next: leading the way on AI in the people function.

The problem

When Theresa Cortese joined Nirvana Insurance to lead total rewards, the company had reached a familiar inflection point: they had outgrown their PEO but weren’t sure what to do next.

“My primary responsibility is driving the total rewards strategy for the organization,” Theresa said. “I want to make sure the dollars spent on this important piece of our employee experience are directed in the most effective way that benefits the highest number of employees.”

Staying on the PEO meant:

• High ongoing costs as the company crossed key size thresholds
• Limited flexibility to design a benefits strategy that truly fit Nirvana
• Heavy internal lift to maintain compliance and manage vendors

Theresa needed a partner who could guide a complex PEO exit, help craft a modern total rewards strategy, and provide the data and support to keep Nirvana ahead of the market.

The solution: A collaborative, data-driven partnership

Theresa’s relationship with Sequoia began years earlier while working at a prior company. “I realized that Sequoia was very much in line with the type of broker relationship I was looking for,” she said. “Sequoia is very involved in the decision-making process. They’re able to provide the data I need to make data‑informed decisions.” That partnership followed Theresa across two companies, and through two successful transitions off PEOs. “It’s sort of turning into my specialty,” she joked. “Partner with Sequoia and get companies off of a PEO.” With Sequoia at her side, Theresa has realized significant cost savings and felt supported every step of the way. “I really felt like I had a true partner to direct our total reward strategy in the most effective and impactful way.”

Exiting the PEO and saving $120,000 a year

In both companies where Theresa led a PEO exit, Sequoia acted as the guide and project manager, ensuring nothing fell through the cracks.

“The first time, I was completely new to it,” she said. “Sequoia leveraged their experience, connected me with experts in benefits, payroll, and retirement to ensure that nothing fell through the cracks.”

By the time Theresa needed to make the call at Nirvana, the path was clear: Sequoia would help the company step out on its own, with a benefits strategy that felt minimally disruptive to employees while maximizing the impact of every dollar.

“In the most recent company, we saved $120,000 a year by transitioning our benefits plans to the Sequoia Tech program,” Theresa shared. “That included no cuts to the benefits provided, no change to our financial contribution strategy, and our employees did not experience a cost increase.”

PEOs can be cost-effective early on, but once companies hit a certain threshold, they become expensive. With Sequoia, Nirvana was able to:

• Exit the PEO with confidence
• Maintain a strong employee experience
• Capture meaningful, recurring savings

Leveraging Sequoia Tech: The best of both worlds

When Theresa evaluated broker options after stepping outside of the PEO, she heard something striking from another broker:

“Sequoia’s Tech program is not something any other broker is going to be able to offer you. They got in early. They made these relationships with the carriers, and no other company has or will ever have that opportunity.”

For Nirvana, Sequoia Tech offered a unique advantage. The program allows the company to:

• Leverage the purchasing power and pricing benefits of a large group
• Access rates that aren’t comparable to what they’d see on their own
• Keep their plan experience and claims performance specific to Nirvana, not pooled with other employers like in a PEO

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Theresa said. “We’re able to leverage the benefits of a large group, but our claims and plan performance are only relevant to our plan when it comes to benchmarking and rate setting.”

Staying ahead of the market with fresh data

To keep benefits competitive, Theresa relies on Sequoia’s ongoing, data‑rich advisory model.

“Sequoia helps us remain competitive by quarterly touch points and meetings in which we review the data surrounding our own plans relative to Sequoia’s benchmarking and the freshest data available from the market,” she said.

Sequoia:

• Invites Nirvana to participate in benchmarking surveys
• Shares up-to-date market and peer data
• Uses those insights to inform plan design and renewal decisions

“They generously provide all the market data necessary for us to be sure that our benefit strategy is completely ahead of the market,” Theresa said.

Unlocking bandwidth with Sequoia’s platform and Advocate Team

Nirvana is an AI‑driven company, and Theresa’s team is expected to be builders, not just users of AI. That makes intuitive, accessible tools critical. “Sequoia’s benefits platform is one of the easiest tools to use,” she said. “The reporting capabilities make it very intuitive to leverage AI tools to streamline our internal processes.” Theresa can already envision deeper integrations between Sequoia and Nirvana’s internal AI workflows, building on her experience with past integrations like bswift. Just as important, Sequoia takes a huge amount of day‑to‑day work off the people team’s plate. “Sequoia handles the day‑to‑day employee questions,” she explained. “They handle the complicated issues that, before my relationship with Sequoia, I had to go track down and argue with vendors and clarify for our employees.” Now, instead of chasing down one‑off issues, the team simply directs employees to the Sequoia Advocate Team. “It’s unlocked so much bandwidth in the total reward space, allowing me to be more strategic and dedicate time to effective benefits decision‑making rather than chasing one‑off issues.” With Sequoia taking on the heavy operational lift and providing expert guidance, Theresa and her team are free to focus on this future —crafting what the next era of work will look like.

The impact

• $120,000 annual savings: By transitioning off the PEO and into Sequoia Tech, Nirvana saved $120K per year with no cuts to benefits and no increase in employee costs.
• Market‑leading benefits: Regular benchmarking and fresh market data ensure Nirvana’s benefits stay ahead of the curve.
• Large‑plan leverage at small‑plan size: Through Sequoia’s advisory relationship, Nirvana enjoys large‑plan treatment and support from providers like Fidelity.
• Significant bandwidth unlocked: Sequoia’s platform and Advocate Team remove daily admin burden, allowing the people team to focus on strategic work and AI innovation.
• A trusted extension of the team: With Sequoia as a true partner, Theresa has the expert support she needs to drive a modern, AI‑forward total rewards strategy.