Steve Berryman took over in March as chief executive officer of Menomonee Falls-based SKYGEN, a provider of software services and third-party solutions for dental and vision benefits management. His appointment is part of the company’s succession planning process, which has out-going CEO Craig Kasten continuing as managing member. Berryman joined SKYGEN as chief legal officer in 2016 and was appointed president in 2020. As CEO, Berryman is charged with developing and executing SKYGEN’s growth strategy as well as driving profitability and client satisfaction. BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer talked with Berryman about what’s ahead for the company.
What are SKYGEN’s services and who are its customers?
“We’ve historically had two lines of primary business. Both of them revolve around our industry-leading technology platform. It’s an enterprise system, which we’ve built up over about 20 years. One line of business licenses that system to large insurance companies, and they use it to manage dental and vision benefit plans. The other part of our business serves as a third-party administrator, where we use our own system to administer claims and process benefits on behalf of large insurance companies.
“We have some amazing partnerships with Fortune 50 companies like United HealthCare Service LLC, Centene Corp., Aetna Inc. – a lot of household names you’ve probably heard of. But essentially, it’s insurers and people who are providing dental and vision benefits.”
What’s your vision for SKYGEN’s future strategy?
“I’m now responsible for leading efforts to raise our profile as the leader in dental and vision technology. At this point, we have about 36 million people who are served by our enterprise system technology, and it’s almost a spilt between dental and vision. Some of our customers are household names, yet, for the most part we tend to have a fairly low corporate profile. So, one of my jobs is to get us out into the industry more to become a better-known brand.”
How are you building brand awareness?
“We have really stepped up our efforts around social media, with several social media campaigns going at one time. We’re getting more engaged in what I would call industry interest groups. … All these industry organizations are where you tend to find the thought leadership and players in our space. We have a wonderful product and blue-chip customer base, and those are the harder things to develop. So now, it’s just a matter of letting more people know about us.”
What are some industry trends on your radar these days?
“We operate in what’s becoming an even further enhanced regulatory environment. … We do a lot of business in Medicaid, and each state has its own set of rules around their Medicaid program. That means you have to keep track of regulations in 50 different states and the federal government with the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. That’s a big lift for many companies.
“A second trend that we see is consumerism. There’s a stronger focus on providing clarity to individuals receiving care and improving the overall experience for patients and providers throughout the health care process. One thing that we’re doing to take advantage of that trend is developing a series of mobile apps for (insureds) to manage their care. … We’re also developing a dental hub that will connect all the different players in the dental space, providers, payers, patients, and equipment manufacturers. We forecast 40,000 registered dental providers using the hub by the end of 2022.”
