Sunwest Bank's Bold Plan to Fix Employee Healthcare Wins National Award

SANDY, Utah – March 19, 2026 – Sunwest Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Sandy, Utah, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Benefits Innovator Award at the upcoming Thrive Summit 2026. The award recognizes the institution's radical rethinking of employee health benefits, a move that directly confronts the spiraling costs and complexities of the American healthcare system.

The bank will be honored at the annual health and wellbeing innovation event for its forward-thinking use of Personify Health solutions. Sunwest Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief Human Capital Officer, Kara Trebs, is set to accept the award and will also be a featured speaker at the summit.

A New Blueprint for Corporate Healthcare

For years, American employers have been caught in a vise, squeezed between the escalating cost of healthcare and the need to provide quality benefits to attract and retain talent. With some analysts projecting employer healthcare costs to jump by as much as 9% in the coming year, and annual family premiums already exceeding $26,000 on average, many companies have resorted to shifting more of the financial burden onto their employees through higher deductibles and contributions.

Sunwest Bank, however, has chosen a different path. Instead of accepting the status quo, the bank has engineered a new model focused on cost containment and transparency through direct action. The core of its award-winning strategy involves forging direct agreements between its employer-sponsored health plan and hospital networks. This approach effectively cuts out layers of complexity and cost, aiming to improve both the quality and accessibility of care.

"We are honored to be receiving the Benefits Innovator Award at Thrive Summit this year," said Carson Lappetito, President of Sunwest Bank, in a statement. "We have invested in and refined our program over the last year to build a platform that contains healthcare costs and delivers transparency for our team members."

This strategy represents a significant departure from the traditional, often opaque, arrangements between insurers, providers, and employers. By negotiating directly with healthcare systems, Sunwest gains greater control over costs and can ensure its employees have access to high-value care without the financial guesswork that plagues many health plans.

Beyond the Bottom Line: An Employee-Centric Approach

While the financial strategy is innovative, the driving force behind the initiative is a deep-seated commitment to employee well-being. This focus is championed by Kara Trebs, who, as Chief Human Capital Officer, has been instrumental in shaping the bank's people-first culture. With over 15 years of experience in human resources, Trebs has guided the development of a Total Rewards program that extends beyond simple compensation.

"It reflects our commitment to our employees and our willingness to challenge the system to ensure they have access to quality care while keeping money in their wallets," Trebs stated, emphasizing the tangible benefits for the bank's workforce.

In an industry where competition for talent is fierce, benefits are a critical differentiator. While many financial institutions offer attractive perks like tuition reimbursement or flexible work schedules, Sunwest's approach tackles a more fundamental source of employee stress: healthcare affordability and accessibility. By providing a clear, transparent, and cost-effective healthcare program, the bank is making a powerful statement about its values and its long-term investment in its people. This focus on foundational well-being can be a more potent tool for retention and engagement than more superficial benefits, fostering a sense of security and loyalty among employees and their families.

The Intersection of Finance and Health

It is perhaps no surprise that a financial institution is pioneering a solution grounded in strategic cost management. Sunwest Bank is applying its core expertise in finance and entrepreneurship—its motto is "For Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs"—to one of the most complex and inefficient sectors of the economy. This move signals a broader trend where companies are taking a more active, data-driven role in managing their healthcare expenditures rather than passively accepting annual premium hikes.

The bank's success is facilitated by partners like Personify Health, which provides the technology platform necessary to manage such a sophisticated benefits strategy. Personify Health's solutions help unify disparate benefits programs and use personalized communication to engage employees, guiding them toward high-value care options and helping them understand their choices. This combination of a bold direct-contracting strategy and a powerful technology backbone is what makes the model so effective.

During her session at the Thrive Summit, Trebs is expected to delve into the mechanics of this model. Her discussion will explore how direct agreements can serve as a powerful tool for other organizations looking to escape the relentless cycle of rising healthcare costs, offering a case study in how to actively manage, rather than simply finance, workforce health.

A Model for the Future?

With over $4 billion in assets and a growing national presence, Sunwest Bank is not a small startup experimenting on the fringes. It is an established institution demonstrating that significant, systemic change is possible. Its success provides a potential blueprint for other mid-sized and large employers across all industries who feel powerless against rising healthcare costs.

The recognition at the Thrive Summit elevates this regional success story to a national stage, positioning Sunwest Bank as a thought leader in corporate responsibility and strategic benefits management. As business leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem gather in Phoenix for the summit, the conversation will undoubtedly be influenced by the Utah-based bank's bold experiment.

By challenging traditional models and prioritizing both fiscal prudence and employee welfare, Sunwest Bank has done more than just build a better benefits program. It has offered a compelling vision for a more sustainable and equitable future for employer-sponsored healthcare in America.