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Brian Hedges, CPA
President and Chief Executive Officer
bhedges@paragoncompliancellc.com | Phone: 585-348-5019 | LinkedIn
Brian Hedges is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Mr. Hedges joined Paragon during September 2021.
Before joining Paragon, Mr. Hedges was a partner at a regional medium-sized accounting firm in Upstate New York, heading up the firm’s Investigative and Dispute Resolution Services and Business Valuation departments. Before relocating to his childhood home in Upstate New York to raise a family, Mr. Hedges spent eight years at two large professional service firms in Chicago, IL.
He has unique skills of reviewing large data sets and presenting his data analysis in concise charts, tables, graphs, and reports. Mr. Hedges has presented his findings to the Internal Revenue Service, internal and external counsel, and independent Board, Oversight, and Audit Committees. Additionally, he has defended his reports in New York State Courts, Federal Court, at Arbitration, and with the Internal Revenue Service. His forensic accounting expertise and experience is useful with prospective clients of Paragon, who are burdened with prospective penalties and assessments associated with the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) from a previous service provider. Mr. Hedges enjoys demonstrating the superior service, deep expertise, and results-based culture to new prospective clients to Paragon.
Mr. Hedges oversees all of Paragon’s business development and sales, finances, and company administration. He additionally acts as an expert for clients responding to the Internal Revenue Service relating to penalties pursuant to IRC Section 6721 and 6722 and assessments pursuant to IRC Section 4980H(a) and 4980H(b). He is also a frequent speaker and educator of professionals on many facets of the Affordable Care Act and the importance of proactive ACA compliance.
Mr. Hedges is a Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in New York State, and he previously maintained active Certified Fraud Examiner (“CFE”) and Certified Valuation Analyst (“CVA”) credentials. He resides in Pittsford, NY with his wife, three very active young boys, and their family chocolate lab.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) from the University of Notre Dame.
Keith Rachunok
Chief Technology Officer
krachunok@paragoncompliancellc.com| Phone: 585-348-5012
Keith Rachunok is the Chief Technology Officer of Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Mr. Rachunok joined Paragon full time in January 2018, he has been working with the ACA since 2015, including three years at the law firm in which Paragon’s ACA software was developed.
Prior to joining Paragon, Mr. Rachunok had consulted on infrastructure and software architecture for companies in industries including manufacturing, retail, and communications. His work has always had a focus on regulation and compliance, with reporting to various governmental agencies.
Mr. Rachunok’ s experience from software development to executive leader has given him a unique perspective of how and why things work and is always conscious of the impact on client’s business. He can translate business into “geek speak” by working with various stakeholders to deliver solutions.
He oversees all of Paragon’s IT systems, security, and software development, including the mentoring of his colleagues on the data team. Mr. Rachunok serves as software architect and as a data expert for clients during onboarding and filing with the IRS. He coordinated a significant Automated Programming Interface (“API”) engagement into Kronos Workforce for a significant Paragon client, including the architecture and development. Mr. Rachunok serves passionately in local university’s technology co-op programs and is active in the open-source software community. He resides in Rochester, NY with his wife and daughter.
Education
Master of Business Administration at the University of Rochester Simon Business School Bachelor of Arts Applied Physics, Bachelor of Science Computer Science at the State University Of New York At Geneseo
Yana Lender
Senior Account Manager
ylender@paragoncompliancellc.com| Phone: 585-348-5021 | LinkedIn
Yana Lender is a Senior Account Manager at Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Ms. Lender has been with Paragon since its inception, and this year will be her 8th ACA filing season.
Before joining Paragon, Ms. Lender began her 20+ year career in client service. She is a highly skilled account manager, with a history in the professional services industry. She has strong skills in account management, marketing management, retail, marketing analytics, and contact centers.
At Paragon, Ms. Lender is a primary contact for a diverse client base ranging from simple (one EIN, under 100 employees) to complex (10 EINs, 5,000+ employees) across many different industries. She also services many of Paragon’s school district clients (including five ESBOCES Participant schools) throughout New York State and leads Paragon’s quality assurance Account Manager team.
She has a passion for analyzing large data set. Ms. Lender reviews client data and provides input to consultants, health insurance brokers, and her clients. Her client responsibilities include reviewing document specifications and historical data files, determining if files are properly fit for processing, and performing detailed year-end review of her clients 1094-C and 1095-C Forms. She additionally oversees Paragon’s fulfillment services with tens of thousands of mailed 1095-C forms annually.
Ms. Lender is proud of the fact that: “We are not your average ACA services company—we do not like the approach of ‘garbage in, garbage out,’ when other companies take your information and provide reports with no questions asked.”
Outside of work, Ms. Lender is a busy soccer mom to two boys, so if there isn’t a practice, there are games. She takes client service so seriously that you may get an email or two from her from the sidelines!
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration & Master of Arts in Operations/Manufacturing, both
from the Rochester Institute of Technology
Samuel Vickers
Account Manager
svickers@paragoncompliancellc.com | Phone: 585-348-5018
Samuel Vickers is a Senior Account Manager at Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Pittsford, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Mr. Vickers has been with Paragon since its inception, and this year will be his 8th ACA filing season.
Before joining Paragon, Mr. Vickers first began at Excellus BCBS as an underwriter for small group insurance. He is a highly skilled account manager, with a history in the healthcare industry. He has strong skills in account management, health care knowledge, and extensive data knowledge from multiple HRIS systems.
At Paragon, Mr. Vickers is a primary contact for a diverse client base ranging from simple (one EIN, under 100 employees) to complex (10 EINs, 5,000+ employees) across many different industries. He also services many of Paragon’s school district clients throughout New York State and leads Paragon’s expertise in ACA knowledge from final regulations to filing requirements.
He has a passion for analyzing large data sets and enjoys diving into the details for client’s data. Mr. Vickers reviews client data and provides input to consultants, health insurance brokers, and his clients. His client responsibilities include reviewing document specifications and historical data files, determining if files are properly fit for processing, and performing detailed year-end review of his clients 1094-C and 1095-C Forms.
Mr. Vickers is proud of the fact that: “We have the most accurate and complete ACA reporting services of any vender available today and we provide the best piece of mind for our clients when it comes to following ACA rules and regulations for employers.”
Education
Bachelor of Accounting & Master of Forensic Accounting, both from the State University of New
York, Brockport
Brittany Malone
Account Manager
bmalone@paragoncompliancellc.com | Phone: 585-348-5013
Brittany Malone is an Account Manager at Paragon Compliance, LLC, a Victor, NY based HR Compliance business (“Paragon”). Ms. Malone has been with Paragon for the past two years.
Before joining Paragon, Ms. Malone based her 15+ year career in client services. She is an experienced account manager, with a history in the professional services industry. She has strong skills in account management, client service, marketing communications, business development, direct sales, and sales management.
At Paragon, Ms. Malone is a primary contact for a diverse portfolio of clients, including school districts, towns and municipalities, small and medium sized businesses, and health care entities.
Ms. Malone has a passion for analyzing large data sets and enjoys diving into the details of client data. She creates and reviews client reports and provides input to consultants and her clients. Her client responsibilities include reviewing document specifications and historical data files, determining if files are properly fit for processing, and performing detailed year-end review of her clients 1094-C and 1095-C Forms. She also assists Paragon’s sales and marketing team and attends regular internal meetings.
Ms. Malone takes her client service and relationships seriously and is always looking for ways to improve our processes for continued success.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the State University of New York, Brockport