Humboldt based Viking Benefit Solutions is being honoured again for their success in delivering the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan.

At their recent national convention the firm won Service Excellence Award for Highest Retention Achievement and the Sales Excellence Award for Highest National Sales Volume Runner-up, for the years 2014 to 2016.

President Doug Biehn explains why the program is so successful in the region.

"It services the needs of small business very well, I think the biggest reasons why the Chamber was established was to create the stability of funding necessary employee benefits needs without being exposed to those high swinging cost of premiums on an annual basis."

The Viking team, which now consists of Doug's son Eric, Rhonda Elmy, Shelby Lees and Preeceville based James Bodnar won these same awards at the last national conference for the years 2012-2014.

"We've got a tremendous group of individuals here that take pride in what they do," Biehn continued. "They've certainly proven that by going the extra mile. The community, the business owners, the Chamber itself, we don't get anything without them."

Since 2010 Biehn and his staff have been the marketing tool for the Chambers Plan.

The national non-profit entity has been in existence since 1971 and it now serves over 900 Chambers across Canada, that equals 30,000 businesses.

Despite those impressive numbers nation wide, Biehn believes it's their small town face-to-face business approach that has also propelled them to new heights.

"You lose touch with people these days, we get a 1-800 number and it goes somewhere. It's very difficult to get customer service anymore so I think that just drove the marketplace for us and businesses responded to that."

As a non-profit entity the program gives back to the Chamber it serves, that being the Humboldt and District branch which collects a large portion of their bottom line through Viking.

You can hear more from Biehn below in his interview with Bolt FM's Clark Stork.