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2013 ANNUAL REPORT
Entrepreneurship | Education | Empowerment
A b ou t Th e A l l i a nce
Ta bl e Of C on t e n t s
Al∙li∙ance (uh-lahy-uhns), noun, 1: a union or association formed for mutual benefit, esp. between groups and organizations; 2: a relationship based on an affinity in interest, nature, or qualities; 3: a state of being joined or associated; 4: the act of allying or state of being allied
Who We AreThe Alliance for Affordable Services is a not-for-profit association that is dedicated to helping members keep more of their hard-earned dollars in their own pockets. To that end, Alliance uses the power of the group to negotiate savings for its members on a variety of benefits and services.
Our PurposeThe purpose of Alliance for Affordable Services is to inform and educate members on topics of importance — affordable benefits and services, promoting small businesses, and higher education.
President’s Letter .................................. 3
Legislative Advocacy
Advocacy Events ............................... 4
Legislative Surveys ......................... 5-6
Legislative Victories ........................... 7
2013 Alliance Scholarship
First-Time Recipients ...................... 8-9
Renewal Recipients ........................ 9-10
The Value of Membership .......................11
Stay Connected .................................. 12
2013 Annual Report 3
Greetings Alliance Members,
Alliance for Affordable Services has been providing access to valuable benefits and services for over thirty years. Through our years of experience, we have learned the importance of finding ways to help our members stretch
their hard-earned dollars and bringing our members’ voices to Capitol Hill on the topics important to building a brighter future for us all.
Over the course of 2013, member feedback led us to renew our focus on supporting the needs of small businesses — the lifeblood of America. That is why Alliance introduced a new membership level to help the self-employed and small businesses. The Select benefit package includes benefits such as Home Office Protection, coverage for lost or damaged business equipment, and the Business Interruption Expense Program, that assists the business owner when they are not able to work or generate revenue at their business because of a disabling injury.
Alliance also supports small business owners and entrepreneurs by consistently tweeting tips and links to resources that are important to this social circle. The numbers following @AffordableSvcs on Twitter are now over 13,000 and growing!
It was during 2013 that Alliance began expanding support of education in America beyond the popular Scholarship and Career Education Grant Programs. Alliance revamped the College Handbook by constructing a new Alliance College Guide website, providing students and parents a valuable resource of information and tools to help make attending college a reality. Alliance also began selecting organizations whose focus is on the empowerment of disabled
Americans to help them become productive members of their community. The chosen group receives a donation of computers from Alliance to enhance their overall learning environment. In turn, handicapped individuals are able to improve their skill sets and become more self-sufficient.
Families and individual members alike enjoy the convenience and savings of Alliance’s most popular benefits. These include TeladocSM, providing free access to board-certified physicians any time night or day; savings on prescription drugs; discounts on dental services; and emergency roadside assistance to provide aid when members need it most.
Whether it is through our legislative advocacy in Washington D.C., promoting education across America, or continuing to find ways to save you money, Alliance strives to enhance the quality of life for our members.
On behalf of the Alliance board of directors, thank you for being a member and we appreciate the opportunity to provide you with the value and savings you deserve.
Sincerely,
Paul H. Pevsner, M.D. President
For more information on your Alliance benefits, please visit AffordableServices.org. Benefit availability is dependent on membership level, package option, member’s state of residence, and may be subject to change.
E nt re p re ne u r sh ip | E d u c a t i o n | Emp o w e r m e ntP r e si de n t ’s Le t t e r
“ Alliance strives to
enhance the quality
of life for our members. ”
2013 Annual Report 4
Advocacy Events
2 013 R e p o r tLe gisl at i v e A dvo c ac y
SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
The Alliance co-sponsored a Small Business Workshop in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on April 20, 2013 with U.S. Representative/Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). This event was attended by over 500 small business owners from South Florida, who were able to interact with the Congresswoman, SBA officials, SCORE, and various other entities.
A second Small Business Workshop was held on September 30, 2013. This event was a partnership with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and there were over 100 small business owners from Broward County in attendance who were able to hear from U.S. Representative/DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), U.S. Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL), and U.S. Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL).
COMPUTER DONATION
Alliance hosted our first computer donation event on May 28, 2013 at the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind. In attendance was Dr. Paul Pevsner, president of the Alliance for Affordable Services, U.S. Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX), and other members of Alliance. In partnership with Congressman Sessions, Alliance contributed ten refurbished computers. Congressman Sessions donated an additional eight computers and a copier/fax machine. The office equipment will help the Lighthouse carry out its mission of training and employing visually impaired individuals so they can live independently. During the event, attendees toured the facility and saw Lighthouse employees manufacturing goods sold to military, federal, state, and commercial customers.
SMALL BUSINESS FORUM
The Alliance co-sponsored our largest attended Small Business Forum on November 1, 2013, which was held at the campus of Bakersfield Community College in partnership with the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and CAL Chamber. This event featured U.S. Representative David Valadeo (R-CA), Senator Jean Fuller (R-18), Senator Andy Vidak (R-16) and Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D-32), and was attended by over 150 individuals, predominantly small business owners from the community.
Over the past year, the Alliance Legislative Advocacy Program has continued to grow and gain exposure with both Alliance Members and legislators at the state and federal level.
Small Business Forum Speaker Panel
Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind facility tour
2013 Annual Report 5
We received questions from U.S. Senator/Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), U.S. Senator/Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-LA), U.S. Representative/Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA), and U.S. Representative Tom Price (R-GA) pertaining to legislative concepts they asked the Alliance to test the favorability or opposition of, regarding comprehensive tax reform legislation. We submitted the questions to our membership and received strong participation of Alliance membership in this survey of 729 respondents. This survey/poll was provided to various Members of Congress and the respective Committee Chairs who participated in drafting the questions to assist them with the creation of legislation regarding comprehensive tax reform and its impact on small business owners and the self-employed.
Le gisl at i v e Su rv e ys
51% support a tax reform plan that eliminates complicated loopholes (and creates a top C Corporation and pass-through
marginal tax that are equal). 41% were still undecided.
Support 51% Oppose 8%Undecided 41%
46% are in favor of a simplified tax code and single-page form (and are even willing to pay extra for it).
46%Undecided 27%
Oppose 27%
Support 46%
The most important tax reform issues for small business are:
Lowering my tax rate
Simplification of the tax code
Creating a small business tax code
44%
42%
14%
Members ranked the most critical small business elements of the current tax code as:
Schedule C Expense
Deductions
Small Business Healthcare Tax
Credit
Simplified Home Office Deduction
Section 179 Depreciation
Deduction
57% 54% 45% 28%
83%83% support the deduction of healthcare costs for payroll tax purposes for the self-employed.
Undecided 14%
Oppose 3%
Support 83%
2013 Legislative Survey Results
This infographic below is based on responses to our recent survey of Alliance Members about the current federal tax system. The Alliance for Affordable Services is a not-for-profit association that has been helping small businesses, self-employed individuals and families for more than 30 years.
www.affordableservices.org© 2013 The Alliance for Affordable Services
2013 Annual Report 6
Le gisl at i v e Su rv e ys
© 2013 Alliance for Affordable Services www.affordableservices.org
When considering the Senate’s Immigration Bill, fully half still are undecided
15%
34%
51%
Support
Oppose
Undecided
57% support a Small Business Tax Extender package to provide small businesses temporary relief until 2014
57%
3%
40%
Support
Oppose
Undecided
81% of Alliance Small Business Owners will be maintaining the status quo with their labor force in 2014
59% feel that our country is on the wrong track when it comes to the economy and related matters
20%
59%
21%
Rig
ht T
rack
Wro
ng T
rack
Und
ecid
ed
56% feel that the health insurance mandate for individuals under the Affordable Care Act will cause more pressure on the family budget
56%29%
15%
No Change
Less Pressure
MorePressure
Leave Labor Force Unchanged 81% Hiring 15% Laying Off 4%
As a part of the fall Annual Member Survey, we again engaged the Alliance Members' questions about our advocacy program and received strong feedback.
2013 Annual Report 7
Le gisl at i v e Vic t or ie s
SIMPLIFIED HOME OFFICE DEDUCTION
Alliance celebrated a federal legislative victory in 2013 with the implementation of the Simplified Home Office Deduction for small business tax filers. Alliance actively worked on this measure for over three years.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, expressed appreciation for the efforts of Alliance. "I would like to thank the Alliance for its hard work and focus on ensuring that small businesses have the incentives
they need to grow and be successful in today's marketplace. Small businesses grow the number of jobs and keep them close to home. I will continue to work with the Alliance as an advocate for the Home Office Tax Credit and other smart small business financial incentives that help meet the needs of small businesses throughout the country."
The House Small Business Committee Chair, Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), also commented on the changes, stating, "The recent IRS simplified option for the home office deduction is good news for the small business community, especially since half of all small business owners work from home. Many small business owners will be able to save money and save time using this simpler calculation. This is a common sense victory for small companies and I applaud all, including the Alliance for Affordable Services, who worked hard for years to advocate for a less burdensome solution."
ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
While it is disappointing that legislative action was slow to materialize in Congress during 2013, Alliance was not deterred in promoting the priorities of Alliance Members.
• Alliance was an active participant in the development of a bipartisan comprehensive tax reform package drafted by U.S. Representative/Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and U.S. Senator/Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT).
• As favored by Alliance Members in our tax reform survey, Alliance worked on a small business “tax extenders” legislative proposal (S.1498) with U.S. Senator/Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-LA). Alliance participated in a July roundtable hosted by the Senator, as well as other Committee Hearings and Forums regarding the issue. The proposal would be a reauthorization of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 tax credits for small business owners and the self-employed, legislation in which the Alliance played a pivotal role in its passage by Congress in 2010.
• Alliance advocated in the midst of the “fiscal cliff” negotiation process for an Amendment to exempt all Schedule C (small business “pass through”) filers from tax rate increases. Senior advisors to the Speaker of the House and House GOP Conference floated the idea, but failed to act upon and implement it in negotiations with the President. Various Members of Congress have indicated that, in hindsight, this should have been included in the final resolution.
• Alliance successfully advocated for the passage of various tax, regulatory reform, and access to capital measures in the states of California and Florida. In addition, Alliance participated in various policy discussions at the “Capitol Days”, Annual Policy Conferences, and as a member of the Six Pillars Caucus (FL Chamber) hosted by the California and Florida Chambers of Commerce.
• Alliance continues as an invited participant at the Bipartisan Policy Center and an active participant in the Small Business Leadership Council, including their February 5, 2013 annual meeting.
• Alliance was an invited guest at the U.S. Senate Finance and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, as well as the U.S. House Small Business Committee, Energy and Commerce, and Government Oversight Committee Hearings.
U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
U.S. Representative Sam Graves (R-MO)
2013 Annual Report 8
2 013 A l l i a nce S c hol a r sh i p
The Alliance for Affordable Services’ Scholarship Program was created to provide members and their dependents with financial assistance for college and to recognize the best and brightest scholars for their achievements. This year, Alliance awarded 132 outstanding students with $184,000 in scholarships, bringing the total awards to over $2.3 million during the program’s seventeen (17) year span.
Michael Z. AudiAlliance Member,
Charles Audi
Megan B. AutreyAlliance Member,
Larry Autrey
Philip N. BarkerAlliance Member,
Michael Barker
Jody J. BianchiniAlliance Member,
Peter Bianchini
Danielle A. BoyceAlliance Member,
Sherri Boyce
Christina W. ClouserAlliance Member,
John Clouser
Austin A. CoatesAlliance Member, Reginald Coates
Elijah CoryellAlliance Member,
Brett Coryell
Caleb T. DaviesAlliance Member,
Laurie Davies
Katherine E. DennisAlliance Member,
Brian Dennis
Mitchell D’saAlliance Member,
Loyola D’sa
Caroline FarinaAlliance Member, Kathleen Farina
Callahan FenertyAlliance Member,
Maria Fenerty
Samuel FishburnAlliance Member,
Mary Fishburn
Christian GorskiAlliance Member,
John Gorski
Christopher T. GrayAlliance Member,
Philip Gray
Alayna GunnAlliance Member,
Brian Gunn
Gabriel K. HindingAlliance Member, Michael Hinding
Megan E. HoAlliance Member,
Alan Ho
Elizabeth HoehnAlliance Member,
Jack Hoehn
Rodney P. HovleyAlliance Member,
Margot Hovley
James HuntleyAlliance Member,
Mark Huntley
Jamie L. IannaceAlliance Member, Madison Simpson
Nathan D. ImmermanAlliance Member, Ron Immerman
Elise M. JonesAlliance Member,
Jennifer Jones
Gabrielle L. KrzysiakAlliance Member, Matthew Krzysiak
Mari LancasterAlliance Member, Noricko Roberson
Mackenzie P. LittleAlliance Member,
Patricia Little
Edwin J. MakarevichAlliance Member,
Mercedes Makarevich
Daniel McCallAlliance Member,
Lorae McCall
Sierra McGrawAlliance Member,
John McGraw
Kayla R. MitchellAlliance Member,
James Mitchell
Jane ObradovichAlliance Member,
Stephen Obradovich
Danielle OseroAlliance Member,
Andrew Osero
Parth H. PatelAlliance Member, Harikrishna Patel
Adam ProtterAlliance Member,
Theresa Protter
Cole R. SchenewerkAlliance Member,
Gregory Schenewerk
Sarah M. SchulzAlliance Member,
James Schulz
Rebekah H. SerbinskiAlliance Member, Michael Serbinski
Linsey SextonAlliance Member,
Tami Sexton
First-Time Recipients
F ir st-T im e a n d R e ne w a l R ec ip i e nt s
2013 Annual Report 9
Tyler StecAlliance Member,
Jeff Stec
Douglas StephensAlliance Member
Recipient
Arthur SunAlliance Member,
Louis Sun
Rachel M. TroscinskiAlliance Member, Mark Troscinski
Caitlyn TullossAlliance Member, Richard Tulloss
Radmer B. Van Der HeydeAlliance Member, Wun-ling Chang
Thomas WaltersAlliance Member,
Ronald Walters
Monika WasilczukAlliance Member,
Wojciech Wasilczuk
Hannah WelshanAlliance Member,
Andy Welshan
Jennie WilburAlliance Member,
Jeffrey Wilbur
Kinsley B. WinnAlliance Member,
Jeffrey Winn
Grace WuAlliance Member,
Min Wu
Benjamin D. AdamsAlliance Member,
Arthur Major
Jackelyn AdamsAlliance Member,
Paula Adams
Siddharth AgrawalAlliance Member,
Anjali Agrawal
Carlos D. AndinaAlliance Member,
Carlos Andina
Ciara ArmstrongAlliance Member,
Gregory Armstrong
Jennifer K. AustiffAlliance Member, Timothy Austiff
Tara Avril-TuckerAlliance Member,
Pamela Tucker
Leigh BooneAlliance Member,
Terry Boone
Julianne A. BorgardtAlliance Member,
Jean Borgardt
Quinn S. BoyackAlliance Member,
Kevin Boyack
Courtney H. BrownAlliance Member,
Joe Brown
Bjorn T. BurkleAlliance Member,
Brad Burkle
Alana CarrollAlliance Member,
Jeffrey Kimsey-Carroll
Eric A. CarterAlliance Member,
Brenda Carter
Victoria C. CarterAlliance Member,
Andre Carter
Aaron ChartierAlliance Member,
Gilbert Garcia
Priya ChughAlliance Member,
Rakesh Chugh
Brandon CoatesAlliance Member, Reginald Coates
Owen T. CossAlliance Member,
Stephen Coss
Rachel A. DaleyAlliance Member,
Susan Barbieri
Danielle DorregoAlliance Member, Daniel Dorrego
Erica M. DostieAlliance Member,
Vincent Dostie
Courtney D. DuquetteAlliance Member, David Duquette
Joseph W. ElphingstoneAlliance Member,
William Elphingstone
Alex C. FiehrerAlliance Member,
Jane Fiehrer
Evan K. FiehrerAlliance Member,
Jane Fiehrer
Benjamin B. FlegalAlliance Member,
Gregory Flegal
Mario J. GagnonAlliance Member,
John Gagnon
Jacklyn GaribayAlliance Member,
Joe Garibay
Claire R. GillespieAlliance Member, David Gillespie
Haley L. GlennAlliance Member,
Monette Glenn
Amin GoslaAlliance Member,
Saeed Gosla
Renewal Recipients
The Alliance Scholarship Program provides $1,000 renewal awards to original recipients who maintain at least a 3.5 Grade Point Average for up to an additional three (3) years. Our congratulations go out to these outstanding scholars!
2013 Annual Report 10
Stephanie HellecksonAlliance Member, Brent Helleckson
Nina HillAlliance Member,
Andrew Hill
Hallie R. HollandAlliance Member,
Joe Holland
Maria F. KarrasAlliance Member,
Louis Karras
Patrick KennedyAlliance Member,
Mary Kennedy
Cody KernAlliance Member,
Theresa Kern
Amber KruppAlliance Member,
Karen Krupp
Clayton J. KruppAlliance Member,
Karen Krupp
Forrest G. KunkelAlliance Member,
Greg Kunkel
Linda LaAlliance Member,
Kim Lai
Rachel M. LawrenceAlliance Member, Thomas Lawrence
Robert MadfisAlliance Member,
Jeryl Madfis
Jamie MartinAlliance Member,
Tina Martin
Kyrie E. MartinAlliance Member,
Gail Martin
Connor S. MeiningAlliance Member, Thomas Meining
Anna K. MooreAlliance Member,
Kelly Moore
Alexander C. MorrisAlliance Member,
Gary Morris
Spencer W. MurphyAlliance Member,
Bruce Murphy
Emmeline PaintsilAlliance Member, Emmanuel Paintsil
Ashley R. PalesAlliance Member,
Michelle Pales
Nicholas PitsoulakisAlliance Member, Paul Pitsoulakis
Sheridan PrinceAlliance Member,
Martin Prince
Nichole M. RaafAlliance Member,
Robert Raaf
Alexandra RainesAlliance Member, Mitchell Raines
Rachel RoeAlliance Member,
Alison Roe
Bruce RuotsalaAlliance Member,
John Ruotsala
Jeriann SandrikAlliance Member,
John Sandrik
Zachary J. SaylorAlliance Member,
Michele Saylor
Carla P. SmithAlliance Member,
Patricia Smith
Haydan C. SmithAlliance Member, Shannan Hearne
Devin R. StubbsAlliance Member, Joseph Donovan
Krista M. SundeAlliance Member,
Thor Sunde
Elizabeth SwezeyAlliance Member, Rosalee Swezey
Alexandra M. SzotkaAlliance Member,
Eric Szotka
Kelsey TibbittsAlliance Member, Richard Tibbitts
Jeremy M. TjiaAlliance Member,
Joshua Tjia
Ryan A. TompkinsAlliance Member,
Kathleen Tompkins
Anthony T. TrinhAlliance Member, Jeanine Do Trinh
Rebecca A. TurnerAlliance Member,
Mary Turner
Marissa C. UptonAlliance Member,
Thomas Upton
Hannah WendelAlliance Member,
David Wendel
Colin WestphalAlliance Member, Larry Westphal
Brittney M. WhiteAlliance Member,
John White
Emily L. WilliamsAlliance Member,
John Williams
Julia N. WilliamsAlliance Member,
Harold Williams, Jr.
Nicole WorzelAlliance Member,
Guy Worzel
Pranay YeturuAlliance Member, Krupakar Yeturu
Audrey YungAlliance Member,
Bwo Yung
2013 Annual Report 11
Th e Va lu e O f Me m be r sh i p
Retail comparisons are based on an independent pricing study completed May 2014. Benefit availability is dependent upon membership level chosen, benefit partner, member’s state of residence, and may be subject to change.
ALLIANCE VALUE FAMILY MEMBERSHIP OPEN MARKET
TeladocSM – Included HealthNation – $360
Assist America – Included Medjet – $385
ID Theft Resolution – Included LifeLock – $150
Legal Club of America® Family – Included Legal Club of America® Family – $144
Association Motor Plan – Included AAA – $150
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES – $480 ANNUAL RETAIL COST – $1,189
Compare the Savings and Convenience Alliance Provides
Why pay retail prices? An Alliance membership conveniently combines many of the products and services that you would purchase individually at substantial savings.
SAVING YOU $709 EACH YEAR!
2013 Annual Report 12
THANK YOU FOR BEING AN
ALLIANCE MEMBER AND ALLOWING
US TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS!
WEBSITEwww.AffordableServices.org
TWITTER@AffordableSvcs
ALLIANCE MEMBER SERVICES 800-733-2242
HOURS OF OPERATION 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central
Monday – Friday
MEMBER SERVICES IS ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH:
• Detailed benefit information• Assistance with accessing your benefits• Any questions or changes to your account• Ideas or suggestions you have that
can benefit members
S tay C on n e c t e d
©2014 Alliance for Affordable Services
P.O. Box 612547 | Dallas, TX 75261-2547www.AffordableServices.org
Member Services | 800-733-2242Fax | 800-847-8889