Five questions with Robert Lemon & Matthew Koucky

Greenhouse Management: What does EBS do?

Mike Koucky: We are a technology company that solves the critical need for electronic applicant tracking, onboarding, I-9 with E-Verify, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and completing the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) Chain of Custody Metrics and Notification Compliance.

We also offer a Minimal Essential Coverage (MEC) and fixed-indemnity plan, which protects employers from schedule A fines and penalties, and allows them to offer insurance to all employees, part-time or full-time.

GM: What do you mean when you say, “electronic on-boarding process?”

MK: We digitize the entire new hire packet that an organization uses, such as company policies/procedures, I-9, W-4 and WOTC forms, as well as the ACA Chain of Custody. In other words, we are taking paperwork and digitizing it, which in turn drastically reduces the amount of time it takes the employee, back office and employer to complete these forms.

GM: How can EBS help greenhouses find employees in this tough market?

MK: We instantly post to more than 22 national job boards and local listings that are available in your community, as well as Craigslist and social media to attract employees. The entire system is mobile-friendly. With MEC and Fixed-Indemnity, employers are able to promote that they offer insurance to ALL employees. Having an affordable insurance plan to offer your staff is also proven to help with retention.

GM: How do you help companies navigate the ACA and how much of a risk is the ACA?

MK: We protect companies from the IRS by managing the entire ACA chain of custody process. Starting by showing proof at hire that the company offered insurance, tracking, calculating, and notifying employees if they become eligible for coverage. This allows the employee to either accept or decline coverage. Employers can then show proof to the IRS that the employee was offered coverage.

Completion of ACA forms 1094c and 1095c are then filed directly to the IRS, so [businesses] don’t have to. Our technology does all the work, so people don’t have to, and we eliminate human error.

Robert Lemon: HR managers do not have to take the blame for ACA fines and penalties. The risk of the ACA is terminal to any business. The fines and penalties will put you out of business for non-compliance. I can’t stress that enough. Fines and penalties are not just punitive, they are terminal.

Our technology manages this entire process, ensuring that our clients do not experience any fines and penalties. If, in fact, one of our clients receives a 226J [penalty form] from the IRS, we will work with the IRS directly to provide proof of everything, advocating for the fines and penalties to be removed.

At the end of the day, why allow the human element, that can make mistakes, and cause the company to go out of business, when you have technology that can do it for you and cost less?

GM: How much is this going to cost greenhouse growers?

RL: In short, absolutely nothing. In fact, we pay for ourselves through the unknown, what we call hidden asset or organic profitability that most organizations don’t know that they have — the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

According to the Department of Labor, 20% of all new hires qualify for WOTC. Our average credit value runs around $1,000 per employee and can go as high as $2,400, depending on how long they work for you.