Rancho Mesa "OneofOne" Moments Campaign

At Rancho Mesa we are committed to providing risk management and client services that exceed expectations like no other agency; we call that being “OneofOne.”

Within San Diego we work and support 44 non-profits, one of those is the Family Health Centers of San Diego. They are one of the largest community clinics within the United States, offering a wide range of health care services that provides care to over 190,000 unique patients a year.  They provide these services through 23 primary care clinics, 8 behavioral health facilities, 7 dental clinics, 3 mobile medical units, a teen health center, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program, vision and physical therapy, and a pharmacy.  Through a financial commitment to help support their efforts we have been given the opportunity and privilege to have an examination room named in behalf of ourselves or anyone of our choosing.

Here is where the fun begins. We are asking you to share your “OneofOne” Rancho Mesa moment with us where you felt we exceeded your expectations through our customer service, risk management practices, industry expertise, workshops or any other way, big or small, where you felt that “OneofOne” moment with us.  We don’t need anything elaborate, just a quick sentence or two describing that moment.

“There is no way that Mauzy could’ve gotten where they’re at today, without Rancho Mesa as a partner.”

— Matt Mauzy, Mauzy Heating, Air & Solar

“Thank you so much for your incredible support of MAAC and our ongoing work to help families and individuals achieve self-sufficiency in San Diego County.”

— Arnulfo Manriquez, President & CEO, MAAC

“Working with Rancho Mesa, we have reduced our mod, reduced our costs, and increased our control.”

— Matt Ziskin, President, Tierra Verde Resources, Inc.

By doing this, we hope to create an “OneofOne” moment with you.  Let me tell you how.  For every client of ours that sends us their Rancho Mesa “OneofOne” moment, they will go into a drawing for the privilege of naming the examination room.

We believe strongly in supporting our entire non-profit community, so from all the entries we will draw a total of 11 companies names. For the first 10 we draw, we will make a $250 donation in their behalf to anyone of our non-profits or to the non-profit of their choice. The 11th and final name drawn will be awarded the naming rights to the examination room.  We will hold this drawing live online on April 2nd at 10:00 am.

Please join us; let's have some fun, share a Rancho Mesa "OneofOne” moment, help us contribute to our local non-profit community. And let's create that new "OneofOne" moment with you.

Submit your "OneofOne" moment to your Rancho Mesa broker.

Jackson Design & Remodeling and Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank Win Prominent BBB Awards

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client services Coordinator and Daniella Lopez, Marketing Communications Intern, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa is proud to acknowledge Jackson Design & Remodeling and Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank for their recent Better Business Bureau (BBB) Awards received on November 28, 2017, at the 20th Annual Torch Awards ceremony. 

Jackson Design & Remodeling received the Torch Award for Ethics.  "Being recognized with the BBB Torch Award for Ethics multiple times is one of my proudest business accomplishments," says Todd Jackson, president and CEO.  Jackson Design & Remodeling have earned this award six times for their ethical business practices.  

Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank received the Environmental Stewardship Program Award.  "The San Diego Food Bank has implemented a sustainability program to reduce their impact on the environment," according to a recent BBB article.  In 2017, the food bank distributed 26 million pounds of food to San Diego County residents.  

Rancho Mesa is pleased to work with these ethical organizations.  

Mobility & Stretch Program Reaches the Masses

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Upon a routine visit to Landcare Logic, President Craig Gerber proudly displayed his Mobility & Stretch poster to his insurance broker, Drew Garcia.  

The poster had been published in The Landscape Professional magazine, a publication by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) whose circulation reaches over 9,500.  The poster provides instruction on how to properly stretch before performing physical work.

Drew smiled and acknowledged he was very familiar with the poster.  His face is on it!  

The Mobility & Stretch Program was developed by Drew Garcia and personal trainer, Collin Dawson from Bodies By Collin.  It was designed specifically for the landscape and construction industries. The idea was to create a stretch program that would allow workers to stretch their bodies before starting their day. 

To learn more about the Mobility & Stretch Program, contact Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. at (619) 937-0164.

Sam Brown Presents Risk Management Techniques and Strategies to Nonprofit Leaders

Nonprofit leaders gathered from far and wide at the University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute’s 14th Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium on January 26th and 27th, 2018.

This year’s theme, People, Place and Performance: The Triple Bottom Line for Nonprofit Governance, provided attendees and speakers alike with the inspiration needed to make it the best nonprofit symposium in recent memory.

Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group at Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, offered insight into risk management for nonprofit leaders during his presentation titled "Risk Management: Strategy & Tools to Protect Vital Assets."

“I asked the workshop’s attendees to view risk management as an evaluation and decision-making tool when encountering uncertainty. Yes, we want to reduce the chance of an event that could harm a nonprofit’s objectives, but uncertainty can also provide opportunity. In other words, some risk-taking is worth the opportunity to further the Mission,” explains Sam.

Aside from offering terrific networking opportunities, USD states “the purpose of the Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium is to highlight current best practices, lessons learned from the field, and trends in effective nonprofit and philanthropic board leadership, as well as board recruitment and retention.”

“I found the event to be truly top notch,” commented Sam. “It’s exciting to visit with leaders in our field of expertise. So many great ideas and experiences were shared. I’m just happy to contribute to the community.”

 USD’s Nonprofit Institute will hold its next event in Fall of 2018. 

Drew and Dave Garcia Participate in NALP’s LEADERS FORUM, Punta Cana Dominican Republic

Author, Drew Garcia, NALP Program Director, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

This was our first experience attending the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) LEADERS Forum, and it will now be an annual “can’t miss” event.  The breakout discussions were presented by Sean Martin of Boston College University and Erica Dawson of Cornell University.  The speakers addressed common industry topics such as working with employees from different backgrounds and leadership decision making.

I’m so impressed with the vision and execution of the event, NALP did an incredible job finding a beautiful location and putting together an incredible agenda.  The association creates these focused networking and training events that attracts some of the strongest voices and leaders that the green industry has to offer.

While I work on the risk management side of business, my industry is without a doubt landscaping.  Working with landscape professionals and helping the industry grow is a true passion of mine.  At Rancho Mesa, we look forward to contributing our time, expertise, and overall enthusiasm to help OUR industry, the landscape industry, continue to evolve.

Drew with CEO of NALP, Sabeena Hickman.

Drew with President of NALP, Jon Cundiff, Weed-Man, Kansas City.

Rancho Mesa Welcomes LaBahn's Landscaping to the Family

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services would like to welcome LaBahn's Landscaping to our family.  We are very excited to be working together.

About LaBahn's Landscaping

LaBahn's Landscaping is a family-owned and operated design-build-maintenance firm serving San Diego County since 1984.  With 30 professional crews working throughout Southern California, we provide pro-active, sustainable landscaping solutions to homeowner and condo associations, apartment complexes, hospitals, corporate campuses, industrial facilities, shopping centers, hotels, resorts, and more. Excellent customer care, long-lasting relationships, and daily follow-through are the hallmarks of our commitment to quality and service. For more information, visit labahns.com.

NALP, in Partnership with Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Launch "Share Your Safety Stories" Campaign

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) in partnership with Rancho Mesa Insurance Services announced its "Share Your Safety Stories" campaign, in early January 2018.

The campaign was designed to share creative ways companies incorporate safety within their cultural.  Submissions can include fitness challenges, stretching routines, or other creative ways companies reinforce a safety cultural.

How to Participate

• Write a story, film a short video around 1:30 minutes or take a photo of the creative way you incorporate safety into the workplace.
  
  Example: Rancho Mesa's Drew Garcia made a video that highlights Rancho Mesa's 7th Inning Stretch, walking program.

• Submit your entry by email to marketing@landscapeprofessionals.org or post to social media on your own outlets using #NALPSafe or post to the NALP Facebook page. Don’t forget to tag your post – #NALPSafe.

• Submissions will be accepted until February 28, 2018.

The best and most innovative #NALPSafe safety stories will be shared with the NALP membership throughout the year.  The winner of the campaign will receive an Apple Watch.

Cal/OSHA Delivers Powerful Presentation

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Drew Garcia thanks workshop participants and Carmen Cisneros from Cal/OSHA.

Business leaders from across San Diego County gathered on Thursday, January 4, 2018 for the Cal/OSHA: Enforcement vs. Consultation Branches workshop hosted by Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. at San Diego Christian College.

Carmen Cisneros, Cal/OSHA's Consultation Services Branch Area Manager, delivered an informative presentation covering the differences between Cal/OSHA’s enforcement and consultation branches. She educated the attendees on how to take advantage of Cal/OSHA's free consultation services and provided real-world examples of her experiences in the Enforcement Branch which sparked discussions with the audience.

"Thanks for putting these on, they are valuable tool that you provide to your clients and we appreciate it," said Tyler Rogers, Heritage Landscape Services, Inc.

Mission and Purpose

Carmen began the workshop by describing her experience within Cal/OSHA's Enforcement branch before moving into the Consultation branch.  She explained the goal of Cal/OSHA is to keep people safe.  Its "mission is to promote, adopt, and maintain reasonable and enforceable standards that will ensure safe and healthful workplace for California workers."  She enjoys working within the Consultation Branch where she can help employers be proactive with their approach to safety in the workplace.

Online Resources

During the presentation, Carmen covered various pages on the Cal/OSHA website (www.dir.ca.gov/dosh) and how to navigate through the site.  She explained where to find information on how business owners can participate in advisory meetings to assist Cal/OSHA in its regulations.

Reporting

The presentation included practical information for business owners.  For example, Cal/OSHA's Enforcement Branch will respond to accidents, complaints, referrals, and imminent hazards. Carmen included definitions for terms like "catastrophe" (i.e., inpatient hospitalization of three (3) or more employees) and "serious exposure" (i.e., exposure to a hazardous substance sufficient to create a realistic possibility that death or serious physical harm in the future could result from the exposure). There was also a discussion on when and how to report an accident. When required, an employer must call to report the accident within 8 hours of knowledge of the event.  She also stressed the importance of documentation and recommended tracking the date and time the initial call was made to Cal/OSHA to report an incident.

Citations and Appeals

Carmen discussed the various categories of citations the Enforcement Branch may issue and provided maximum dollar amounts for each:

• Regulatory (up to $7,000)
• General (up to $7,000)
• Serious (up to $25,000)
• Repeat (no adjustment for good faith or history)
• Failure to Abate (maximum penalty up to $15,000)
• Willful (up to $75,000)

She also covered the Appeals Board process, including informal conferences and appeals.  The take away from this part of the presentation was that Cal/OSHA is willing to work with an employer who is genuinely taking steps to correct an issue.

Consultation Services

The main objective of the workshop was to inform employers that Cal/OSHA offers free consultation services. These are resources that are available to employers to ensure they maintain safe workplaces without the added pressure of citations or fines.  The Consultation Branch offers free:

• Onsite visits
• Offsite consultation (telephone support)
• Educational materials
• Educational outreach (workshops)
• Partnership programs

In order for the Consultation Branch to work with an employer, they must be invited and the employer must not have any current citations or penalties

The Catch.  While information is not shared with the Enforcement Branch, "serious and imminent hazards identified during a consultation are expected to be corrected in a timely manner."  So, when working with the Consultation Branch, an employer is expected to make the recommended changes within the set time frame (i.e., within 30 days, immediately); otherwise, the Enforcement Branch may become involved to prevent a serious accident.    

The Cal/OSHA website has an extensive library of educational materials that employers can utilize to ensure their workplace is safe.

Contact Cal/OSHA to schedule a free consultation.

Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Whitney Chiriboga

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce the hiring of Whitney Chiriboga who is working at the front desk and in the certificate department.

Whitney's customer service experience makes her a perfect fit for Rancho Mesa's front desk and certificate department.

Whitney was born and raised in San Diego. She grew up playing tennis and moved to Northern California to attend Sonoma State University where she graduated in 2017. She traveled for a month in Europe after graduating and besides traveling, loves spending time with friends and family and being near the beach, as much as possible.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services sincerely welcomes Whitney Chiriboga to the RMI team!

Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Erin Thomas

Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce the hiring of Erin Thomas, an Employee Benefits Account Coordinator.

With a background in employee benefits, Erin brings the knowledge needed to assist Debbie Milburn with the day to day paperwork involved with administering employee benefits. 

Erin was born and raised in San Diego. She graduated from San Diego State University in 2015. And, she currently lives in La Mesa with her husband Kyle, son Jaxon, and their dog Stella. She enjoys camping, traveling, and anything that takes her outdoors.  Her favorite destinations to visit are Big Bear,  Cabo San Lucas, and San Francisco.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services sincerely welcomes Erin Thomas to the RMI team!