Meet Our Team
Trusted. Knowledgeable. Local.
Gerna A. Benz
Life & Senior Benefits Services
Account Manager
Keys to Success:
I was taught from an early age that the benefit you reap is directly tied to the amount of effort put forth. Learn something new every day, if you don’t know the answer, be diligent until you have the answer. Be trustworthy and loyal to family, friends and people you work with.
Early Life
My father was in the US Army and that made me and my sister “Army Brats”. My family had to move every three years, based on deployment orders, which enabled us to live all over the world. I lived all over Europe, and all over the United States. I graduated from Lakes High School in Tacoma, WA. I received my AA Degree from Pierce College and then attended the University of Puget Sound majoring in marketing.
Work Experience
I was COO of SBC Inc from 1990 to 2004 which was a family manufacturing business with clients from the Western United States to all over the Pan Pacific countries. I became the Senior Partner of College Planning Specialists Inc. from 2005 to 2012 and then started Bay College Planning in 2012 where I am the principal owner. I opened a satellite office of Hawaii College Planners in 2017 on Oahu and am the Senior Partner thereof.
I am a Designated Certified College Planning Specialist with the Association of Certified College Funding Specialists and certified agent with Alliance, Sammons Financial and Pac Life, just to name a few.
Hobbies
I enjoy playing competitive tennis and have been playing since high school. I currently play league tennis with the USTA and enjoy playing matches all over California. I taught both my daughters to play tennis and both of them played all four years of high school. I also enjoy playing pickleball and just started playing a few years ago. I love hiking with my wife on the trails in our area and enjoy daily walks around our local parks. My favorite hobby is traveling with my wife and two daughters, usually to see my parents in Washington State or relatives in Hawaii.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Favorite Food: Sush, Teriyaki Chicken, Poke
Favorite Sports Team: San Francisco 49rs
Favorite Vacation Spot: Oahu, any part of the Island
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