Human Resources: Everest Rolls Out Innovative Employee Benefits Solution

HOUSTON, April 3, 2007 – In the past, employers touted employee benefits
that offered cradle-to-grave coverage but in reality, families usually handled
end of life issues on their own. Today, companies have a new tool available
to ease the heavy burden of end of life decisions for their employees through
the invaluable planning and cost-savings services of EverestSM, the nation's
leading consumer advocate for funerals and the first nationwide funeral
planning and concierge service.

With the rollout of a new employee benefits solution from Everest, employers
can now offer cradle-to-grave coverage in its truest sense by providing
extensive funeral planning assistance to valued employees. Everest's highly
customized benefit packages empower employees with the resources they
need to make crucial decisions on difficult and costly issues facing their
families at the end of life.

Across the U.S., more than 65,000 employees, their immediate families and
retirees can already access Everest's extensive suite of planning tools and
products as an added employee benefit and several significant corporate
contracts are planned for the near future.

"We see a significant need in the employee benefits arena for what Everest
has to offer," said Mark Duffey, President and CEO of Everest. "In the past,
companies could provide little assistance to valued employees charged with
handling complex funeral issues for themselves and those they love. While
decisions such as these are never easy, Everest takes much of that burden
off of the employees and places it squarely on the shoulders of experts who
provide the highest level of assistance every step of the way."

Everest's advance planning tools afford personalized assistance so users can
create a plan specifying their individual end of life needs and desires. This
includes a comprehensive planning guide, phone-based assistance from a
well-trained and compassionate planning advisor to guide creation of a "My
Wishes" plan and ongoing storage and maintenance of the plan until it is
needed. At any time, users can revise and update their plan to ensure it
continually meets their needs. Employees and retirees will also have access
to Everest's newest product, the Everest PriceFinderSM Report which
empowers consumers with the ability to quickly and easily compare costs for
funeral services within their community.

During times of greatest need, Everest's concierge services will review
the "My Wishes" plan with the family, conduct price surveys, help the family
negotiate terms and pricing with the funeral home of choice, communicate
the plan to the funeral home and provide around-the-clock assistance for the
family throughout the process.

Everest's information technology services are delivered by EDS, which
enables the company to handle large-scale implementations such as their
employee benefits solution. As the founder of the information technology
outsourcing industry 45 years ago, EDS is a leading global technology
services company, delivering a broad portfolio of information technology
services to clients around the world.

About Everest
Everest is an independent consumer advocate providing funeral planning and
concierge services. Its sole purpose is to provide the information families
need to make the most informed decisions about all funeral-related issues.
As an impartial consumer advocate, Everest is not a funeral home, does not
sell funeral goods or services, and does not receive commissions from funeral
homes or other service providers in the funeral industry.

For more information, call
April Lynch; Stevens|FKM at 713.867.3128 or alynch[at]fkmagency.com

The HR industry´s premier online community and resource for Human Resource professionals: HR, human resources, HR community, human resources community, HR best practices, best practices in human resources, online communities for HR, HR articles, HR news, human resources articles, human resources news, HR events, leadership, performance management, staffing and recruitment, benefits, compensation, staffing, recruitment, workforce acquisition, human capital management, HR management, human resources management, HR metrics and measurement, organizational development, executive coaching, HR law, employment law, labor relations, hiring employees, HR outsourcing, human resources outsourcing, training and development
hr.com. human resources management resources for hr professionals. | HR menus | HR events | HR Sitemap