Drew Garcia Provides Insight into COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation Claims in Total Landscape Care Magazine

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

As the country continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa and NALP’s Safety and Risk Management Committee Chair, shared his insurance expertise with Beth Hyatt Presley in her article “Take it out: Diving in deeper with COVID-19 preperation practices” published on March 20, 2020.

As a subject matter expert, Drew gives advice on COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims and business interruption as it pertains to property coverage.

According to Drew, each workers’ compensation claim is evaluated by its unique situation. In order for COVID-19 to be a covered workers’ compensation claim it, “must be caused or aggravated by a condition of employment.”

Drew says in order for COVID-19 to be considered a cause of loss, ones property policy must have pollution coverage. As a virus may be considered a pollutant.

Drew’s complete responses and the full article can be found at TotalLandscapeCare.com.

Podcast Episode 3 Now Available

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Episode 3 of the Safety and Risk Management podcast network is now available to be heard on demand.

In epsisode 3, Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, discusses landscape safety, operations, best practices, and industry advice with Fred Peratt, President of Enviornmental Enhancements.

About Enviornmental Enhancements
Founded in 2001, Environmental Enhancements is a landscaping company in DC and Sterling, Virginia that provides a full range of environmentally-friendly landscaping services to commercial property managers and homeowners. Washington Business Journal ranked them among the top ten leading landscaping companies in the DC and Sterling area. To learn more, visit eelandscaping.com.

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Subscribe to StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Network

Subscribe to the StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Network podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, or Spotify to never miss an episode!

To find the StudioOne™ podcast in any of the above apps on your mobile device, type in “StudioOne Safety and Risk” in the search box. You can also listen from your computer by visiting www.RanchoMesa.com/StudioOne or anchor.fm/ranchomesa.

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Latest Episodes

Business Owners Stay On Top of Ladder Safety

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Thursday, March 12, 2020, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services Inc. hosted the Ladder Safety workshop in La Mesa, CA.

Ladder safety has been in the top 10 OSHA Cited Violations for the past 5 years. As a business owner, it is important to find a way to get ahead of this potential oversight and improve your safety program, starting with ladder safety.

Owners, foreman, and safety managers gathered for an educational demonstration on ladder safety. This workshop covered:

• Alarming trends with ladder safety.

• Ways to reduce the frequency of injuries from ladder falls.

• Ways to ensure you are using the proper equipment for the job at hand.

• Components of a proper ladder safety program for your company.

The workshop was conducted by Rick Fineman, Risk Management Vice President, and Tom Jolliff, Sr. Risk Management Consultant at ICW Group. March is National Ladder Safety Month. This is the perfect time to review your ladder safety program an educate your employees on the importance of following proper protocols. 

About ICW Group
Based in San Diego, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest group of privately held insurance companies domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Property, Auto and Workers’ Compensation insurance carriers, including Insurance Company of the West and Explorer Insurance Company. For more information, visit www.icwgroup.com.

StudioOne™ Films NAWIC San Diego Contest Video Entry

Author, Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Amber Webb from Ryan Companies and Shelby Ballow from Dowling Construction pictured on the set of their upcoming NAWIC San Diego Chapter video.

NAWIC San Diego Chapter 21’s Amber Webb from Ryan Companies (who is the chapter’s President-Elect) and Shelby Ballow from Dowling Construction (Vice President for the chapter) visited Rancho Mesa’s StudioOne™ on Monday, March 9, 2020 to film a portion of the chapter’s new video.

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is hosting a nation-wide Marketing & Membership Contest. Chapters from throughout the country are encouraged to submit videos showing how NAWIC powers their members, the chapter and their community. Contest winners will be announced at the 2020 NAWIC Annual Conference in Houston, TX in August.

Good luck on the video contest submission and we look forward to releasing the finished video, soon!

Rancho Mesa is pleased to support the NAWIC San Diego Chapter and the local construction industry that it serves.

About National Association of Women in Construction San Diego Chapter
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) San Diego Chapter, chartered on April 30, 1959, is very active and involved in the construction industry and the community. Each year the chapter participates in a variety of events including educational seminars and conferences, Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), Block Kids (construction awareness program for children in grades 1 thru 6), CAD/Design/Drafting Contest (High School student activity), Camp NAWIC (a week long program designed to mentor high school girls planning to enter the construction industry), college scholarships, joint meetings with other San Diego professional organizations and various activities with local charities. For more information, visit www.nawicsd.org.

Rancho Mesa Sponsors CYT Musical

Author, Daniel Frazee, Executive Vice President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services was a proud supporter of Christian Youth Theater of San Diego’s recent production of Matilda The Musical. The show was performed across the final two weekends in February at the Joan B. Kroc Theater in San Diego.

Christian Youth Theater (CYT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational corporation celebrating their 40th year in existence. CYT is an after-school program promoting creativity, self-confidence, and collaboration through theatre arts training. They have grown to be the largest youth theater program in the nation, with programs across the country. To learn more about CYT, visit www.cyt.org. 

Ticket to the CYT San Diego production of Matilda The Musical.

Daughter of Rancho Mesa Executive Vice President, Daniel Frazee, pictured with fellow musical participants.

Employee Spotlight: Julie Eversoll Joins Surety Department

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce the hiring of Julie Eversoll as an Account Coordinator for the Surety Department.

Julie has years of experience working in customer service and managing accounts as she has previously held positions in accounting, finance, and sales.

Julie was born and raised in San Diego. She and her late husband of 33 years raised 2 sons together. Julie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, golfing, hiking, and loves spending time at the beach and desert.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is excited to welcome Julie Eversoll to the RMI team!

Employee Spotlight: Sandra Broughton Joins Human Services Team

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce the hiring of Sandra Broughton as an Account Manager for the Human Services team.

Sandra has been in the insurance industry for 12 years. Her vast expertise and energetic personality makes her a perfect fit for the Rancho Mesa team.

Sandra enjoys hiking, gardening, playing sports, traveling, baking, spending time with her family & friends, and binge watching Netflix.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is excited to welcome Sandra Broughton to the RMI team!

Employee Spotlight: Megan Smidt Joins Account Management Team

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is excited to announce the hiring of Megan Smidt as an Assistant Account Manager.

Megan has been in the commercial insurance industry for over 5 years. She started out on the service side and shortly after moved into sales. She truly enjoys working with insurance and zealously takes on the challenges the industry throws at her.

Megan was born in Sandy, Utah, but moved to North County, San Diego as a young child. She has lived in Ramona, CA for almost 2 years. Megan is married to her husband, James, and they have a young daughter, Brynnley as well as her bonus son, David.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is ecstatic to welcome Megan Smidt to the RMI team!

Are you OneofOne? Take Your Career ‘Above and Beyond’ with RMI

“It’s a total team effort that makes us stand out from the rest.”

- Rancho Mesa Employee

“It’s a total team effort that makes us stand out from the rest,” writes a Rancho Mesa employee. Following an impressive 2019, Rancho Mesa has grown its staff over 10% and is looking for like-minded people to join the team and further their careers.

“I’m so excited to be a part of this energetic, diverse and creative group of people,” says Rancho Mesa President Dave Garcia. “As Rancho Mesa grows, our company culture becomes even more important for us to maintain and attract the right people.”

Part of that company culture includes an employee-driven yearly theme. Rancho Mesa’s theme for 2020 is going ‘Above and Beyond' in everything that we do, from providing clients with insurance guidance to filming workshops for those who were unable to attend. We are excited to accept the challenge and find a way to consistently raise the bar of expectation and services we offer to our clients and community. Learn more about Rancho Mesa through StudioOne™, where we produce media featuring our clients, partners, services and more.

Our clients are genuinely our biggest champions. “Rancho Mesa has been a true partner in our tremendous growth throughout the years as they serve all 7 of our Offices throughout the United States,” writes Susan Baldassari from Standard Drywall. We believe relationships, whether with our clients or employees, is where Rancho Mesa excels. Take a moment to see what our clients have to say about their relationships with us.

Rancho Mesa currently has open positions for experienced account managers (10+ years in the industry) and are always actively looking for people that share our vision, regardless of their experience.

With our aggressive pay scale, multiple bonus plans, comprehensive health benefits, and OneofOne® 401K offering, our benefits package is truly ‘Above and Beyond’ the norm.

If you’re thinking you would be a perfect fit for Rancho Mesa’s relationship-focused team-centric culture, please reach out to us for an interview by sending us an email/resume to info@ranchomesa.com and let us know how you share our vision.

Developing Solutions • Building Trust • Protecting Clients  –  ONE RELATIONSHIP AT A TIME.™

BHHC Celebrates 50 Years

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Box of See’s Candies BHHC delivered to the Rancho Mesa office as a ‘Thank You’ for partnering with them during their 50 years of success.

Rancho Mesa would like to congratulate their partner Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC) on 50 years of successfully insuring local businesses.

BHHC has been providing OneofOne® workers’ compensation services to Rancho Mesa clients for more than 20 years.

“Without a doubt their support and partnership has been a key to our success. We certainly respect their business acumen but value their integrity and how they “Do The Right Thing” over and over again. Congratulations!!!” expressed Dave Garcia, President and CEO of Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

BHHC’s Workers Compensation division is committed to providing injured workers with compassionate care and access to effective, timely treatment and support. The combined strengths of their specialized, in-house service teams, tailored risk management services, return-to-work programs, proactive claim management and fraud prevention help contribute to superior claim outcomes and set BHHC above competitors.

About Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
The Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies is a group of six insurance carriers that are part of the Berkshire Hathaway group of insurance companies. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with 50 years in business, BHHC has grown from a regional organization to a national insurance group, offering insurance products from coast to coast. For more information, visit www.bhhc.com/bhhc-culture.aspx