Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Eileen Rojas

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Marketing & Media Communications Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa is excited to introduce our newest Client Coordinator, Eileen Rojas.

She brings valuable experience, having served as a Customer Service Representative and Claims Specialist at Geico for three years, and gained ten years of customer service experience at Cox Communications and Spectrum.

Eileen was born and raised in San Diego. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and exploring new restaurants and wineries, particularly those in Baja California.

Rancho Mesa is thrilled to have Eileen as part of the team!

RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program for Construction Moves to SafetyOne™ Platform

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa has officially released its RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program in the SafetyOne™ platform. Moving forward, clients participating in the construction safety program will complete the courses entirely through the platform or via an in-person workshop.

The Safety Star videos have been updated with the most current safety information, and the required courses are now accessed entirely via the online training feature.

The Safety Star program teaches important topics relating to construction safety in the workplace to help employers mitigate job-related injuries. Fall protection, ladder safety, heat illness prevention, fleet safety, and accident investigation are some of the courses participants must pass in order to earn their certification in construction safety.

If clients are interested in Safety Star certification for themselves or their employees, they can submit an application on the Rancho Mesa website, or reach out to their Client Technology Coordinator.

SafetyOne Updates Online Driver Training Courses

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

In an effort to provide the most current content in our SafetyOne™ platform, Rancho Mesa has updated the most popular driver training courses in the online training library. These trainings now have the most up-to-date videos and quizzes.

SafetyOne users now have access to the following updated courses:

• CDL Defensive Driver Training

• Driver Safety: The Basics

• Driving Safety: The Complete Program

• Distracted Driving

• Driving Defensively

Rancho Mesa continues to provide new content to ensure clients’ employees are equipped with the most current safety information. For questions regarding accessing online training in the SafetyOne platform, reach out to your client technology coordinator.

Rancho Mesa’s Fleet Safety Workshop Recap: Teaching Safety and Compliance

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

On Friday, May 17, 2024, Rancho Mesa welcomed attendees at the Mission Valley Library for Fleet Safety: Above and Beyond Compliance, a workshop presented by Jose Pineda from Travelers Insurance.

Clients enjoyed refreshments while Pineda highlighted important vehicle safety strategies and ways organizations can control their risk for fleet-related accidents.

The presentation proved to be both educational and entertaining as the presenter kept the audience engaged with frequent questions and anecdotes. After covering topics relating to insurance claims for commercial drivers and the many ways to prevent them, Pineda concluded by emphasizing the dangers of distracted driving and its threat to people’s lives on the road. 

“There is no claim amount that will replace a human life or the damage that will happen to a generation of people if it's removed because someone did something behind the wheel that they shouldn't have done. It's just not worth it. Let's make sure that you know that, and let's tell our folks that they need to know it too,” Pineda said. 

The presentation was recorded and will be available to clients at the end of the week.

Rancho Mesa is proud to host workshops on important topics such as these to assist clients in keeping their employees safe and their businesses secure.

Rancho Mesa’s Jeremy Hoolihan Attends Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting

Rancho Mesa Partner in the Construction Group, Jeremy Hoolihan, was honored to be invited by Berkshire Hathaway to attend their 2024 Annual Shareholders meeting on Saturday, May 4, in Omaha, Nebraska. Jeremy had the opportunity to hear Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO, Warren Buffet, speak about the State of Berkshire Hathaway, the first quarter results, and fielded questions the shareholders threw his way.

Guests of Berkshire Hathaway included independent insurance agencies from all over the US as well as several hand-picked Berkshire Hathaway team members.  Guests enjoyed visiting the exhibit hall where they could purchase Berkshire-owned products such as See’s Candy, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Pampered Chef at a discounted rate.

Guest also enjoyed multiple dinners at Omaha’s famous 801 Chophouse and the Boiler Room.

“This was an amazing trip and I’m so thankful for Berkshire’s invitation,” Hoolihan said. “My highlight of the Shareholder meeting was the tribute they had for Charlie Munger, who was Warren Buffet’s long time business partner”.

Rancho Mesa and BHHC Host OSHA 10 Course for Landscape Professionals

Author, Kathryn Zamora, Client Technology Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies hosted its OSHA 10 Landscape Focused Course in San Jose, California on Wednesday, May 8 – Thursday, May 9.  

During the course, BHHC’s Steve Hamilton taught clients the purpose of OSHA and how to identify safety hazards and prevent OSHA violations. Attendees became certified in OSHA 10 and received a certificate from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).  

“We really appreciate the support from BHHC, Steve Hamilton, Loss Control Supervisor for BHHC, as well NALP, and the landscape professionals who attended the two-day workshop,” said Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa. “Rancho Mesa is proud to work alongside the landscape industry and we will continue to look for ways to help bring safety and risk management content to the industry.”

Rancho Mesa Hosts Fiesta Friday 2024 with OneofOne Success

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

On Friday, May 3, Rancho Mesa revived its annual Fiesta Friday on the lawn and recreational space of its Mission Valley office.

After a four-year break from the event due to COVID-related circumstances, the team was ecstatic to bring back one of Rancho Mesa’s beloved traditions. The event brought together employees, clients, and carrier partners to an outdoor Cinco de Mayo-inspired party.

The event offered live music, fresh street tacos, a churro stand, and a tequila tasting while guests socialized, played cornhole and captured memories in the photo booth.

At the tequila tasting table, guests sipped Nicho Real Extra Añejo or Komos Añejo Cristalino and voted on their favorite. The Komos Añejo Cristalino claimed the winning spot among participants.

Near the end of the fiesta, Rancho Mesa President Dave Garcia thanked guests for attending and drew names for the raffle. Winners went home with either a bottle of Nicho Real Extra Añejo or Komos Añejo Cristalino as well as a flask.

Rancho Mesa would like to thank the clients and partners that helped make Fiesta Friday 2024 a success. We were thrilled to spend the afternoon with our guests and are grateful for their dedication to and relationship with our brokerage.

Rancho Mesa Hosts Captive Workshop for Clients

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

On Thursday, April 25, Rancho Mesa hosted its workshop, Control Your Insurance Costs with a Captive at our Mission Valley office, presented by Doug Hayden of Captive Resources.

Hayden detailed the concept of an insurance captive and the ways clients can effectively manage their insurance costs by being a part of one.

The presentation offered an in-depth understanding of the captive business model and how members play a role in the process, allowing for open discussion as attendees asked questions.

For more information about insurance captive and how they might work for your business, clients can contact their account executive.

Rancho Mesa values offering accessible and informative workshops such as these monthly. Our next workshop is Fleet Safety: Above and Beyond Compliance on Friday, May 17.

About Captive Resources
Captive Resources’ mission is to help companies control their insurance costs through the member-owned group captive model. Their industry-leading insurance professionals support every aspect of the group captives they advise, from claims advocacy to operational oversight, risk management, financial services, investment services and more. To learn more, please visit www.captiveresources.com.

Client Spotlight: Stay Green, Inc. Hosts Grow Summit 2024

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Marketing & Media Communications Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Pictured Sentry Insurance Senior Safety Services Consultant Capreece Serna, Stay Green, Inc. Owner Chris Angelo, and Rancho Mesa Account Executive Rory Anderson at Grow Summit 2024.

Stay Green, Inc. recently hosted Grow Summit 2024, a training event focused on enhancing employee development within the landscape industry.

The summit featured Capreece Serna, a Senior Safety Services Consultant from Sentry Insurance. Serna delivered a talk on Safe Driver Training and the Effects of Distracted Driving, educating Stay Green’s employees on crucial safety practices.

The summit covered additional topics such as client relationships, operational best practices, and leadership. The event also included a vendor showcase and awards dinner.

Grow Summit 2024 is a testament to Stay Green’s commitment to building a culture of safety and quality. Rancho Mesa is honored to support its clients' success by sponsoring events like these.

For a detailed insight into the event, including advice for other companies wanting to host a similar internal training event, please visit the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) featured article, where they interview Stay Green’s director of people operations.

SafetyOne™ Updates: Embedded Links Added to Observation Questions

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Recently, SafetyOne™ has released an update that allows users to add links to custom Observation questions.

In the Administrator website, when clients create their own questions for the Observation feature, they will now have the ability to link a website URL. When employees conduct the Observation on the mobile app, they will be able to follow the link in the custom question. Users can also add a share link to a file either stored in SafetyOne’s File Cabinet or any online file storage site. 

Rancho Mesa continuously strives to meet the needs of our client’s operations. This update was made as a result of client feedback to expand Observation feature function.

Our Frequently Asked Questions page on the Rancho Mesa website has a step-by-step guide detailing to add these links to Observations. Clients can also contact their client technology coordinator for further questions.