Less Admin. More Time to Engineer.
See how a civil engineering firm reduced admin workload and stayed on top of compliance deadlines.
At a Glance
Situation
- An absentee advisor wasn’t giving HMH or its employees the attention they deserved.
- As a growing company with a small operations team, HMH was struggling to keep up with retirement plan administration.
- The company’s advisor failed to send compliance reminders, putting them at risk of missing important deadlines.
Results
- HMH receives on-demand support from Fisher\SMB, keeping the retirement plan
running smoothly. - The company has no trouble meeting compliance deadlines today.
- Fisher\SMB lowers HMH’s administrative burden managing the 401(k)
Challenge
HMH Engineering 1 has built its business on the strength of its relationships and a commitment to employees. With offices in Idaho
and Montana, the firm initially set up its 401(k) with a local advisor, but when that advisor moved on and handed the plan off to someone else, the attention and support HMH received plummeted. “He wasn’t interested in us,” said Alex Hall, Managing Member of HMH. “We didn’t feel like we were getting what we paid for.” Hall wanted a retirement provider who showed up for him and his employees, delivering service and expertise that helped the firm maximize the value of its 401(k). That’s why Alex and his team considered Fisher\SMB™.
Objective
Running a 401(k) plan can be complex. Most HR staff need help
understanding how to manage their company’s retirement plan,
especially when it comes to compliance. An absentee advisor puts
the company at risk during compliance season if they’re not helping
the company meet important deadlines.
Fisher\SMB’s experienced team provides sponsor services to help
small and medium-sized businesses keep their retirement plans
running smoothly. This level of commitment is a big reason HMH
chose Fisher\SMB.
Our Retirement Counselor has been a great asset to our 401(k) program. They provide guidance and clarifications as questions are presented, and as a trusted partner, they reduce the amount of administrative effort and oversight needed.
Solutions
From the beginning, Fisher\SMB showed up for Hall and his firm, providing information for employees about how to maximize their benefits, scheduling meetings, and answering questions. He also noticed that Fisher\SMB was more proactive than his previous provider when it came to notifying his firm of compliance issues and when to file paperwork such as Form 5500.
With Fisher\SMB, Hall felt that his company was finally getting what it needed from a retirement plan advisor. “The ability to build a relationship is most important to us. We like to develop relationships that are beneficial,”
he said.
The company’s office staff liked that Fisher\SMB provided a go-to person for all retirement plan questions and needs. HMH now have someone they know and trust to look out for what’s best for the company and its employees. “It was a perfect fit for our company,” Hall says.
“The ability to reach out at any time and have somebody answer the phone and provide guidance for our forms that need to be submitted—the regulatory things—that’s where we saw the difference,” he said. The result is a retirement plan that Hall and his whole team have confidence in.
Results
- Stronger Relationships: Fisher\SMB takes the time to understand HMH and its team and jumps in to help the company keep its plan running smoothly
- Compliance Confidence: Fisher\SMB helps HMH feel confident that it is doing what it needs to keep its retirement plan compliant.
- Better Service: Fisher\SMB is proactive about communications, regularly meets with HMH leaders and staff, and is available to answer questions at any time.
- Reduced Administrative Burden: HMH leaders and staff concentrate more on business activities than retirement plan admin with Fisher\SMB at the helm.
Our Investment Services
Fisher\SMB provides a dedicated team for all things related to the retirement plan. This includes fielding employee questions, assisting with plan compliance, coordinating with plan providers, and handling plan investments. The company holds a 96% Client Satisfaction rating 2 and a 96% Client AUM Retention rating 3 based on recent client surveys.
- 1This case is reflective of a specific client experience and is not representative of all clients’ experience. Fisher\SMB makes no guarantee that the same results will be achieved. Testimonials are representative of client views at the time collected. Clients are not compensated financially or otherwise for testimonials. There are no known material conflicts of interest between the client and Fisher\SMB that could influence the testimonial content.
- 2Results as of 2/13/26. Client surveys were completed in the years 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Client survey results are representative of client views at the time collected. Clients are not compensated financially or otherwise for participating in the survey. Survey participants are asked to rank their satisfaction with Fisher\SMB on a scale of 1 to 7, where 7 is very satisfied and 1 is very dissatisfied. Ratings of 6 and above are counted towards our overall satisfaction rating. The survey was made available to all of our plans that are under the dedicated service model; however, we do not survey our group plan populations. Ratings before July 1, 2024 were achieved while still under Fisher Investments.
- 3Client AUM retention rate as of 1/1/26. For each year, the annual AUM retention rate is defined as 100% minus the annual termination rate, where the annual termination rate is AUM terminations divided by BOY AUM for that year. The reported value is the average of the annual AUM retention rates, from January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2025. Ratings before July 1, 2024 were achieved while still under Fisher Investments.