NALP's ELEVATE Conference Brings Landscape Industry Insights

Author, Megan Lockhart, Marketing & Media Communications Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

From Left: RMI Landscape Group VP Drew Garcia, BHHC Sr. VP Chief Marketing Officer Margaret Hatmann, and Loss Control Supervisor Steve Hamilton

From Left: RMI Account Executive Greg Garcia and RMI Landscape Group VP Drew Garcia, stand at RMI Booth

From Left: RMI Landscape Group VP Drew Garcia, RMI Account Executive Greg Garcia, BHHC Sr. VP Chief Marketing Officer Margaret Hatmann, and BHHC Loss Control Supervisor Steve Hamilton

On November 3-6, our Rancho Mesa team had spent time learning and networking at the National Association of Landscape Professionals 2024 ELEVATE Conference in Charlotte, NC.

RMI President David Garcia, Landscape Group Vice President Drew Garcia, and Account Executive Greg Garcia also enjoyed hosting clients and partners at our OneofOne© Reception prior to the conference.

Following the event, Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley sat down with Greg Garcia to recap NALP’s ELEVATE Conference and share important takeaways for the landscape industry.

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.”

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.

New SafetyOne™ Toolbox Talks Added for the Land Care Industry

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

In Rancho Mesa’s continued efforts to meet the industry-specific needs of our clients, 52 new toolbox talks have been added to the SafetyOne™ platform, specific to landscape and lawn care.

The new library covers a vast range of topics such as poisonous plant awareness, chainsaw safety, mulch and soil handling safety, green waste disposal, and PPE use for landscape contractors.

The 52 new toolbox talks are available in both English and Spanish, and are intended to provide a years-worth of lessons for land care companies.

For instructions about accessing the library of land care-specific toolbox talks, view the steps in the FAQ section of the Rancho Mesa website. For further questions about SafetyOne, clients can reach out to their client technology coordinator.

Supporting Landscape Professionals: Rancho Mesa Sponsors NALP’s Leaders Forum 2024

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

Rancho Mesa President Dave Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group Drew Garcia, and Account Executive Greg Garcia attended the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Leaders Forum in Litibu, Nayarit, Mexico last week, January 17 to 20.

Rancho Mesa continued its support of Leaders Forum 2024 as a Gold Sponsor this year. Our executives enjoyed networking with other landscape professionals and gaining more knowledge about their industry.

“Leaders Forum is a great opportunity to connect, build relationships and spend time with some of the industry’s best.  NALP does a great job hosting and cultivating plenty of opportunities for businesses and industry partners to network.” Drew said.

The team cultivated business relationships with the many green industry leaders who attended, as well as built more personal bonds while enjoying the destination’s offerings, such as surfing, cornhole, and live music.

“NALP and those who attend Leaders Forum all understand how to make everyone feel welcome,” Drew said. “We are very intentional at this event to listen, this helps our business better develop current and future needs of the green industry.”

Dave, Drew, and Greg were joined by Rancho Mesa clients, partners, and friends, including President of Stay Green, Chris Angelo, CFO of LandCare, Dan Krems, and Allen Sweeney, CEO of Aphix.

About NALP

The National Association of Landscape Professionals is the national trade association representing nearly 100,000 landscape industry professionals in the United States, with additional members in Canada and overseas. Member companies specialize in lawn care, landscape design and installation, landscape maintenance, tree care, irrigation and water management, and interior plantscaping. Members also include students, consultants, industry suppliers, state associations and affiliate members.  For more information, visit www.landscapeprofessionals.org.

Tree Care Specialist Rory Anderson Panelist During NIP Group Webinar

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

Rancho Mesa's tree care expert Rory Anderson, alongside fellow industry peer Eric Petersen, were panelists during a recent informative webinar designed specifically for tree care professionals.

The webinar on April 6, 2023 was hosted by NIP Group, a carrier specializing in insurance coverage for the tree care and landscape industries. NIP Group has provided specialized coverage and risk control to the industries for more than 30 years. Rancho Mesa is proud to partner with them to provide our tree care and landscape clients with the best service possible.

During the webinar, Rory and Eric discussed coverages that tree care professionals should have, but might be missing.

"The tree care industry has unique risks that many general policies don't cover,” says Anderson. “It was an honor to be asked to speak on specific coverages and risk management practices for tree care professionals. It's exciting and fulfilling to continue to help the tree care industry."

Thank you NIP Group for hosting a beneficial forum for tree care industry professionals.

Client Spotlight: Munie Greencare Recognized with NALP’s Safety Award

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

Rancho Mesa would like to congratulate all of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) 2022 Safety Award recipients, with a special shoutout to client Munie Greencare Professionals.

“It’s no surprise that Munie achieved this type of safety recognition. President Joe Munie and his team are consistent in everything they do.” said Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa.

Munie Greencare received the Gold Overall Safety Achievement for having no injuries and illnesses, and zero days away from work.

“Munie Greencare Professionals has consistently demonstrated their attention to team member safety. They have applied their safe work culture to a large variety of customer offered services in their multi-state operations,” says Keith Smith, Loss Control Supervisor at BHHC. “Their employee commitment to applied operational safety continues to keep injury frequency low compared to similar companies.”

Congratulations to Munie on this well deserved accomplishment!

Bruce Wilson & Company Delivers Dynamic Leaders Event

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

On July 25-27, 2022, Rancho Mesa’s Vice President of the Landscape Group Drew Garcia attended Bruce Wilson & Company’s Thought Leaders Retreat in San Antonio, Texas at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.

The Thought Leaders Retreat is a conference crafted to bring landscape industry leaders together to enhance attendees’ professional and personal lives. The event was centered on building meaningful connections in a personalized setting and delivering pioneered professional education.

“Bruce [CEO of Bruce Wilson & Company] is a green industry legend, he also founded the first peer group program for the landscape industry back in the early 2000s,” Garcia said. “I really enjoyed learning from Bruce, his team and the professional network of landscape companies in attendance.”

Rancho Mesa is honored to have been selected as a sponsor for this event.

To learn more, visit brucewilsoncompany.com.

Safety Spotlight: LaBahn's Landscaping Training Day

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

Rancho Mesa’s Vice President of the Landscape Group Drew Garcia, pictured with LaBahn’s President Chris Gillespie at LaBahn’s Training Day.

LaBahn's Landscaping recently hosted their first annual Training Day for their employees. This was a creative and fun event to promote safety and merit amongst their team.

The day consisted of rotating training stations where employees were educated on proper equipment use, landscaping techniques, driver safety, human resources, and general safety.

“Training Day was an opportunity to educate our crew members on how to provide the best quality landscape maintenance care to our clients. While this day-long training covered the important topics, it’s just one of many training opportunities available to our team throughout the year.” said LaBahn’s Landscaping.

There was also plenty of fun and socializing to be had at this full day of learning, with team building soccer games and a delicious taco bar.

“We were so thrilled to support Chris and his team for this training day event,” says Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa. “The event was engaging; everything had a purpose and I think the residual impact will be long lasting. I think this will inspire other companies to try something similar. Great job LaBahn’s, this was OneofOne!”

Watch a short video highlighting the event, below.

About LaBahn's Landscaping
Information provided by LaBahns.com. LaBahn's Landscaping is a family-owned and operated design-build-maintenance firm serving San Diego County since 1984. With over 150 employees working throughout Southern California, LaBahn’s provides 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 their commitment to quality and service. To learn more, visit labahns.com.

Rancho Mesa Welcomes Back In-Person Workshops with Captive Resources

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

Information provided by Captive Resources.

On Thursday, April 28, Rancho Mesa held its Control Your Insurance Costs with a Captive Workshop at the Mission Trails Visitor Center, the first in-person workshop in two years.

Captive Resources’ Doug Hayden explained the benefits of business involvement in a captive to attendees while they enjoyed light refreshments amidst the beautiful hills of Mission Trails Regional Park. 

Captive Resources is an independent consultant insurance firm that represents over 5,500 shareholders and exceeds $3.1 billion in combined premiums for its clients.

In his workshop, Hayden shared how captives work and offered advice on ways businesses can get the most out of them. Captives are a valuable way companies can achieve both professional and fiscal success through controlling their insurance premiums, Hayden explained

Rancho Mesa is excited to reintroduce in-person seminars such as these for its clients, and looks forward to hosting future workshops, this year.

The next live webinar is Fleet Safety: Above and Beyond Compliance on Thursday, May 26. Register today.

About Captive Resources

Our mission is to help companies control their insurance costs through the member-owned group captive model. Our 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. For more information, visit www.captiveresources.com.