When Amber Burkett began in her role as the benefits manager at commercial landscaping company LandCare, she wanted a strategy that closed a meaningful equity gap and ensured more of her team had access to foundational protection.
"I don't view benefits as a collection of plans and vendors," Burkett said. "I view them as a tool to improve the lives of our team members while supporting the long-term sustainability of LandCare."
The journey to improving their benefit approach started with acknowledging the clear gap between how benefits were designed and how our team members actually work. For example, LandCare had a large, field-based workforce, many Spanish-speaking team members, and a population that wasn't sitting in front of a computer all day. So while they offered strong benefits, access and understanding were real challenges.
To address those challenges, Burkett and her team introduced targeted health solutions, including cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and family support programs, to address high-impact employee needs.
One of the initiatives Burkett is most proud of is expanding company-paid life and disability benefits to frontline crew members through the launch of the WeCare Benefits Hub. This expansion closed a longstanding gap and provided thousands of employees and their families with meaningful financial protection. At the same time, the WeCare Benefits Hub reimagined the benefits experience by offering a bilingual, mobile-friendly platform with 24/7 support and Beni, an AI-powered assistant.
"We challenged ourselves to create a more equitable experience for our entire workforce," Burkett said. "We created a more inclusive and accessible benefits experience that better reflects the needs of our workforce."
The impact was significant. In 2026, open enrollment engagement increased by more than 40%, benefits utilization improved, and team members reported greater confidence in understanding the benefits available. Still, Burkett said the work is not yet done.
"I want to continue building a high-performing benefits function through collaboration and shared success," she said. "The progress we've made has been driven by strong partnerships across multiple support teams and executive leadership."
Amber will be honored at EBN's Benefits at Work conference in September, which you can
