Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Account Coordinator, Mel Chibende

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

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is excited to announce the hiring of Mel Chibende, as an Account Coordinator with the Employee Benefits Department.

Mel brings with him several years of administrative and benefits experience, as well as a positive essence and energy that will add to Rancho Mesa’s dedicated team.

Mel was born in Zambia and moved to the U.S when he was 5-years-old. He has lived in Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, Florida, Washington, and now California.

Mel currently resides in Mira Mesa with his wife, Jojet, and their son, Judah. Mel enjoys reading, playing basketball, soccer and has recently gotten into hiking!

Rancho Mesa is thrilled to welcome Mel Chibende to the RMI family!

Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Account Executive, Trevor Frank

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

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce the hiring of Trevor Frank, an Account Executive for Plumbing and HVAC contractors.

Trevor grew up in San Diego East County. He recently moved back after seven years of playing baseball in over half of the United States and three different countries. In his free time, Trevor enjoys many outdoor activities.

Trevor’s background in management, customer service, and teamwork make him an ideal fit for Rancho Mesa’s growing team. He specializes in Risk Management for plumbing and HVAC contractors.

Trevor played seven years professionally in the most stressful job there is in baseball, a closing pitcher. Being in that role, he had to understand the meaning of teamwork, goals and plan of attack. When things were on the line he had to study the situation at hand, relax and get the job done for the team. In the off-seasons, he worked to perfect his communication and customer service skills, while building strong relationships. As a pitching coordinator for a very successful player development facility, Trevor used his skills and knowledge to inspire and fine tune the potential within his pitchers. His team-focused attitude and dedication translates well into coaching his construction clients with their insurance needs.

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome Trevor Frank to the RMI team!

Becoming a Star in Safety Just Got Easier

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa’s RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program is designed for supervisors, foremen, safety coordinators and upper management and now it’s even easier to become a Safety Star with our updated program.

To earn the RM365 Advantage Safety Star in Construction Safety, complete the required Incident Investigation and Analysis online module plus two additional approved modules. The modules can be completed 100% online over six months. The certification is valid for two years.

Previously, when assigned a training for Safety Star in Construction Safety program, you would have to watch the trainings and then take a quiz separately. Now, the quizzes will be available to complete right after the video trainings has ended. This will help to streamline the program, make it easier to complete in a timely manner and get more of you on your way to becoming a star in safety.

If you are interested or would like to register your employees for the RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program, please reach out to Emily Marasso at emarasso@ranchomesa.com.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson

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

Rancho Mesa is pleased to congratulate Rory Anderson, Account Executive of the Tree Care Group, and wife Alex Anderson on their recent wedding. The ceremony took place on Friday, September 25, 2020 at the The Belmond El Encanto in Santa Barbara, CA.

Due to COVID, the couple had to switch plans up bit by limiting the attendees to immediate family and closest friends. This ended up making their special day that much more personal and intimate. “It turned out to be perfect. We both enjoyed it so much and wouldn’t have wanted it to go any other way,” expressed Rory.

Design Updates Coming Soon to the Risk Management Center

To create a more intuitive and streamlined experience for you, we are excited to announce a fresh new look and feel coming to the Risk Management Center on December 11, 2020. Watch a short video of the changes, or keep reading for more details.

A New Login Page

When you navigate to the login page, you’ll immediately notice a different and more modern design:

A More Modern Dashboard

After you log in, you'll see the dashboard has also had a face lift.

We’re renaming the Home page to Dashboard. You’ll still be able to customize your top 6 Quick Links as well as your actionable Open Items. There are no functionality changes to any of the tools, only your Dashboard will look different and you’ll quickly be able to initiate key tasks like perform an audit or report a possible claim.

We hope these design updates will improve your overall experience and that the Risk Management Center continues to help you manage your workplace compliance and risk.

A Day at Petco Park

Rancho Mesa employees Daniel Frazee and Shane Medlin shared in a wonderful afternoon playing a new type of golf at The Links at Petco Park. Hosted by LISI Insurance’s Regional Sales Manager Tommy Gaffney, the foursome also included Stacy Moskowitz, Kaiser Permanente’s Senior Sales Executive.

The group immersed themselves in the nine-hole course which featured a combination of signature holes throughout the stadium. Golfers were escorted by their own dedicated caddy for the entirety of the course and finished their day on the Western Metal Rooftop, which was transformed into a socially distanced “clubhouse” with the opportunity to relax with additional food and beverages.

NAWIC San Diego Members Broaden their Performance & Payment Bonds Knowledge

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

In a virtual meeting so many have become accustomed, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) San Diego Chapter 21 met on November 10, 2020 to inspire each other, celebrate new members, discuss upcoming events and learn about performance and payment bonds.

NAWIC’s Professional Development & Education Committee is tasked with providing monthly programming that is relevant and educational for its chapter’s membership.

Andy Roberts, Account Executive in the Surety Group with Rancho Mesa Insurance led the presentation that addressed an increasing requirement many contractors in California are now dealing with on their projects, surety bonds.

Performance and payment bonds are becoming more popular in today’s construction climate. Contractors who previously never or rarely needed bonds, are now discovering a need for a formal bond program.

In the “Surety 101: Performance & Payment Bonding Basics” class, Andy discussed the different types of contract surety bonds (i.e., bid bonds, performance bonds and payment bonds). He explained the distinction between surety bonds and traditional insurance, when a bond may be required and who may require it, the benefits of a bond, the qualification process and indemnity.

While there is so much more to learn about performance and payment bonds, the attendees of the class are sure to better understand why their companies are being required to obtain contract surety bonds for their projects.

To learn more about performance and payment bonds or to book a presentation with Andy Roberts, contact him at (619) 937-0166 or aroberts@ranchomesa.com.

The RMI Family Keeps Getting Bigger

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

You know those favorite pair of Levi jeans we have all had; 501’s, 505’s, high-waisted and fit just right? Well there is a new favorite Levi in these parts, Levi Wesley Velovich!

Levi was born on September 30, 2020 at 7:27AM to Rancho Mesa’s own Employee Benefits Assistant Account Manager, Erin Thomas. Mom and baby boy are doing well and were welcomed home by big brother Jaxon, Dad - Kyle and furbabies Hank and Stella. He weighed 7.7lbs and 19.5” long.

When I asked Erin what the biggest difference was between having a baby and having one during a pandemic, she said, “no visitors and having to wear a mask during labor. It was weird not having family or friends be there this time. Jaxon couldn’t meet his baby brother, right away.” When Jaxon was asked for comment on his new brother, he told me, “I like being a big brother because my baby is so cute. My favorite part is cuddling and kissing the baby.” I couldn’t agree more!

Rancho Mesa Insurance is known for valuing family. We can’t express how happy it makes us to see our team growing personally and professionally. We want to say congratulations to Erin, Kyle, and Jaxon on baby Levi and we can’t wait to meet him, safely.

IIAB Hosts Annual Golf Day

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

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (IIAB) of San Diego, also known as the Big “I", hosted A Day of Golf at Maderas in Poway, CA.

On October 8, 2020, players came out to support the IIAB San Diego and its contributions to the San Diego community.

Rancho Mesa team members, Daniel Frazee, Shane Medlin, Sam Clayton, Dave Garcia, Chase Hixson and Sam Brown showed their support while including Nick Shureen and David Winthers from Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies.

To keep players safe, rather than the traditional awards dinner following the event, winners were announced via email. Players still enjoyed delicious food, as they were provided with lunch that had been placed on their carts before the round began.

About IIAB San Diego

IIAB San Diego is a group of local insurance professionals dedicated to upholding the ideals of the American Agency System. Our Association is founded on mutual respect and support of its members. Through our Association, members access information necessary to further their business. The continuing work of our Association benefits our members, the insurance industry and the San Diego community at large. They stand ready to meet the challenges of both the present and the future through involvement in both profession and the community. To learn more, visit www.iiabsandiego.com.

It’s a Rancho Mesa Halloween Spooktacular!

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

Halloween looked a little different for all of us, this year. But, that doesn’t mean we couldn’t have a little fun while still remaining socially distant.

The team at Rancho Mesa Insurance got to work putting together special goody bags for all the Ranch Mesa kids: candy (small and KING sized), glow in the dark toys, plus masks and “han-itizer,” as the kids at our house call it.

To add to the fun, the kids were invited to stop by the Santee office in costume to safely collect their bags. From scary jokers to minions, skeletons and Peanuts, we even caught a few dinosaur jockeys in the mix. We were visited by Scream, an adorable witch, and my personal favorite, a serial killer. It was nice to see familiar faces, or eyeballs, we haven’t seen a while, in person.

The kids at the Boys & Girls Club received their bags last week and couldn’t be more excited. The look on Max and Julian’s faces says it all!

We hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween, and don’t forget to book that dentist appointment, now!