Burnham Benefits Designated a Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 1, 2012) - Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, a leading employee benefits consulting and brokerage firm based in Orange County, Calif., has earned the Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) designation from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) -- a distinction accepted by over 800 national corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies across the country.

WBENC is a coalition of corporations, WBEs and regionally focused women's organizations. It serves a community of women business owners who strive for increased visibility and expanded opportunity, helping them to expand their customer bases and marketplaces and helping corporations and government agencies find reliable, professional vendors.

Kristen Allison's leadership at the firm has repeatedly guided the firm into the spotlight as President of Burnham Benefits. Her industry awards and charitable works have earned Burnham Benefits much deserved attention from the industry and the community.

"I'm particularly pleased with the WBENC certification, because I began in this industry when there were many fewer women's faces in the boardroom," says Allison. "It's been a priority for me to mentor and cultivate a much more diverse workplace and to give women the opportunity to thrive fairly in the industry. WBENC is an organization that furthers women's success in many industries."

The achievement follows a number of recent accolades for Burnham Benefits, including a first-place ranking among small companies in the Orange County Business Journal's annual survey of the best places to work.

Burnham Benefits is an employee benefits firm with over 40 years' experience serving over 300 employer groups representing over 50,000 employees. The company specializes in the mid- to large-sized marketplace and manages over $500 million in benefit expenditures.

ABOUT BURNHAM BENEFITS INSURANCE SERVICES: Based in Irvine, Calif., Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, Inc., is one of the largest employee benefits brokerages in Southern California and one of the few to specialize solely in employee benefits. Kristen Allison, President of Burnham Benefits and a 30-year industry veteran, acquired the firm in 1995 from John Burnham Insurance Services, an Orange County mainstay for more than 50 years. Boasting the in-depth industry knowledge and Fortune 500 resources of a large firm, Burnham Benefits prides itself on retaining the flexibility, creativity and consultative service of a boutique. After steady growth of 20% annually for the past 10 years, the company serves more than 300 corporate clients throughout the United States and manages more than $500 million in premiums. Working with its colleagues at Burnham Gibson Financial Group, and having the added expertise of in-house underwriters as well as a health and wellness solutions expert, health care reform and compliance officer and communications specialists, Burnham Benefits provides an integrated approach to managing a client's full spectrum of employee benefits. Named the best small company to work for by the Orange County Business Journal in 2011, the company has three offices in California: Irvine, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; as well as offices in Oregon and the Washington, D.C. metro area. For more information, visit www.BurnhamBenefits.com.