Client Spotlight: Francis Parker School Prioritizes Fall Protection Training

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

Recently, Francis Parker School took a significant step in ensuring the well-being of their maintenance crew by organizing fall protection training.

The training was expertly conducted by Zee Reid and Laurel Tanaka-Regan, Senior Loss Control Specialists at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. Their experience in safety measures ensured that the maintenance crew at Francis Parker School received thorough instruction on fall protection. By partnering with professionals who prioritize safety, Francis Parker School not only demonstrates their dedication to their team's well-being but also their commitment to fostering a safe and secure environment.

Rancho Mesa is thrilled to support clients like Francis Parker School, who embrace safety as a core value and take proactive steps to protect their community.

About Francis Parker School
Francis Parker School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school for students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12 from across San Diego County. Parker's mission is to inspire a diverse community of independent thinkers whose academic excellence, global perspective and strength of character prepare them to make a meaningful difference in the world. To learn more, please visit francisparker.org.

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.

Understanding Client Risk: Rancho Mesa Account Executives Become Safety Star Certified

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

Pictured: Rancho Mesa’s Assistant Account Executive Jack Marrs and Account Executive Greg Garcia.

Earlier this year, several Account Executives at Rancho Mesa earned their Safety Star certification as part of the RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program.

Account Executives Amber Webb and Greg Garcia earned their certification in Construction Safety and Associate Account Executive Jack Marrs earned his Safety Star in Human Services.

“I personally decided to complete the Safety Star Program so that I could have a better understanding of the most frequently exposed risks my clients and prospects are facing,'' Amber Webb, Account Executive in the Construction Group said. 

The Safety Star Program is important for all business owners and their employees as it teaches important topics relating to safety in the workplace in order to mitigate job-related injuries.

“The Safety Star Program is an important tool that our clients can use to bring common safety topics to the forefront of their workforce and ensure they are properly trained on these topics. It also allows me to showcase my client’s dedication to safety to our carrier partners,” Webb said. 

Rancho Mesa takes safety seriously. We aim to be as knowledgeable and prepared as possible in order to meet our clients’ needs and understand their industry.

“It was important for me to complete the RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program because I wanted to make sure I understood the courses and training that I was sending out to my clients, and how and why it can benefit them,” Greg Garcia, Account Executive in the Landscape Group, said. “Now that I have my Safety Star certification I can better understand the value and content this training can bring to my customers.”

South Bay Salt Works Achieves Double Safety Star Certificate

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications & Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

Angie Jordan with South Bay Salt Works took it upon herself to go a step further than most. She decided to be the first RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ participant to complete both the Construction and Human Services Safety Star programs!

On top of completing both programs, she is extending her safety knowledge and continuing to take extra courses.

Since the inception of Rancho Mesa’s RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program in early 2019, over 70 certificate of completions have been issued. That’s more than 200 safety videos watched and quizzes taken. A Safety Star certificate can be earned in Construction Safety or Human Services Safety. Each program has different modules and quizzes based on relevant topics for each industry.

From all of us at Rancho Mesa, we want to congratulate Angie on her OneofOne® achievements!

The RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program is designed for construction and human services supervisors, foremen, safety coordinators, upper management, and administrators, directors of human resources, facilities/operations managers and safety committee members, respectively. To get your team on the path to becoming Safety Stars, please visit our RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program webpage and fill out the application form.

Client Spotlight: Advanced Painting Shines like a Star!

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications & Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

Advanced Painting & Wood Repair has been in the industry for over 40 years and with that comes experienced and expert staff.  The proof is in the pudding. Or, is it in the paint?  Recently, the Advanced Painting team had a number of their staff enroll in the RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program.  In just a few weeks they had a record number of participants achieve their certificates’ of completion and more keep coming in each week.

"Companies like Advanced Painting are exactly who carriers want to pair with when it comes to safety. Programs like Safety Star can help lower the probability of accidents on the job site, promote a safer culture and potentially lower your overall insurance costs," says Casey Craig, Account Executive with Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. 

Rancho Mesa congratulates to the entire Advanced Painting team for their achievements.

The RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program is designed for supervisors, foremen, safety coordinators, and upper management in the construction industry, or administrators, directors of human resources, facilities/operations managers and safety committee members in human services organizations.  

To get your team on the path to becoming Safety Stars, please visit our RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program webpage and fill out the application form.

Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Congratulates Jose Cuellar in Becoming a Star in Construction Safety

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

Recently, Rancho Mesa’s Jose Cuellar, Senior Account Manager for the construction industry, earned his RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ certificate in Construction Safety.

The RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program is designed for construction and human services supervisors, foremen, safety coordinators, upper management, and administrators, directors of human resources, facilities/operations managers and safety committee members, respectively.

The safety program requires its participants to study incident investigation, along with at least two additional safety topics based on their industry-specific risks. Jose chose courses that directly reflect the risks his clients face in the field.

Jose has been in the insurance industry for 20+ years specializing in the construction industry. He has been a member of the Rancho Mesa family for 5 years and continues to excel in his career in the commercial insurance industry.

If you, or a member of your team, are interested in becoming a Safety Star, please visit our RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program webpage and fill out the application form.

Rancho Mesa Congratulates Christina Haake in Becoming a Star in Safety!

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications & Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurances Services, Inc.

March 2021, Rancho Mesa’s own Christina Haake, Account Manager for the construction industry, earned her RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ in Construction Safety Certificate.

The RM365 Advantage Safety Star certificate program requires it’s participants to study incident investigation, along with at least two additional safety topics based on their industry-specific risks. Christina chose courses that directly reflect the risks her clients face in the field.

Christina has been a member of the Rancho Mesa family for 10 years and continues to excel in her career in the commercial insurance industry.

If you or a member of your team are interested in becoming a RM365 Advantage Safety Star reach out to us or visit our Safety Star webpage.

Safety Spotlight: Klausing Group Celebrates 3 Years of Outstanding Safety

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

Rancho Mesa’s Vice President of the Landscape Group and Chairperson for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Safety Committee Drew Garcia had the opportunity to congratulate Klausing Group for three years without a lost time accident.

For 12 seasons, 156 weeks, 1,095 days or 6,245 hours, Klausing Group was accident free.  That level of commitment to safety is hard to achieve in the landscape industry.

Klausing Group is a commercial landscape company located in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky.  With over 20 years in business, they aren’t just focused on creating and maintaining landscapes, the group certifies and trains employees in the landscape industry and has become a leader in doing so.

Drew Garcia has been a Chairperson for the NALP Safety Committee for 4 years and champions companies to who take safety seriously.

“Nothing substitutes a strong safety culture.  You have to be about safety and talk about safety on a daily basis and obviously at Klausing Group, the safety culture is incredibly strong,” said Drew Garcia.

Rancho Mesa congratulates Klausing Group for their excellence in workplace safety.

Client Spotlight: Peak Landscape Featured on Cover of Lawn & Landscape Magazine

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

Rancho Mesa client Brian Connors, President of Peak Landscape Inc., can be seen on the cover of this month’s November 2019 issue of industry leading Lawn & Landscape Magazine.

Connors and his Truckee, CA-based landscape company were recognized in a cover article, “Report Card Time,” for their ability to use weekly performance evaluations to drive their employees’ work ethic.

“It’s no surprise that Brian and Peak Landscape are getting this kind of recognition,” says Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa. “He is such a smooth operator which is a reflection of his attention to detail and process-oriented style. On behalf of our team at Rancho Mesa we couldn’t be more excited for Peak Landscape. Well done!”

The article takes an in-depth look at Peak Landscape’s 10-item evaluation checklist, used to rate employee performance. Component’s on this list include safety, attendance, communication, and upkeep/appearance of company trucks and uniforms. The score an employee receives, depending on how well they complete each element on the checklist, directly effects the bonus they receive at the end of a season. As a result, Connors sees his employees exemplify an increase in productivity, higher quality of work, and an elevated respect for the job.    

“Report Card Time” and the November digital edition can be read at magazine.lawnandlandscape.com/issue/november-2019.

About Peak Landscape Inc.
Peak Landscape Inc. is a full service landscape contracting company, that specializes in the design, installation & maintenance of landscape, irrigation, patios, fences, gates, all phases of tree work and more. To learn more visit, peaklandscapeinc.com.

Client Spotlight: Rancho West Landscape Uses a Simple Newsletter to Drive Safety

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

To say Rancho West Landscape (RWL) is proactive in safety would be an understatement. They have made safety a top priority in their company. Their newsletter is among a variety safety initiatives they‘ve embraced. Each month, RWL is able to compress incredible content into a one-page company publication available in both English and Spanish. With the fast-paced schedule of daily business activities, maintaining the level of consistency in generating the newsletter is an achievement in and of itself.

Drew Garcia pictured with Christy Flores.

“Rancho West is always looking for a way to improve safety, training, process and communication,” says Drew Garcia, Vice President Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa Insurance. “This newsletter is a small example of their company’s culture that is rooted in safety. I always admire consistency in people and organizations. It has been a pleasure to work for Rancho West and watch activity like this continue with regularity.”

In the November 2019 issue, RWL announced their new safety program with Greenius. Greenius is an online safety platform designed to provide educational safety training to landscape professionals. To learn more, read Rancho West Landscape’s November 2019 newsletter Issue 16.

If you are interested in creating your own safety newsletter, Christy Flores, the writer, editor, and publisher of the RWL newsletter, broke down some of the key concepts she thinks about when generating the monthly issues:

• Look to make one key point and center the rest of the information around that point.

• Incorporate current events: time of year, weather, holidays, etc.

• Include company pictures to make it more personal.

• Recognize an employee or group of employees.

• Have fun with it (see the word search and incentive for participation).

• Keep it to one page, too much information is overwhelming.

• English and Spanish (hint: use Google translate and have someone read it over for clarity).

• Be consistent (Christy publishes monthly, but you can start off slow. Try publishing quarterly).

• Distribute newsletters with pay checks, post them in company common areas, and email if possible.

• Provide key contacts.  Christy keeps the area mangers phone numbers on every issue.

• Find the right person to own and enjoy creating the document.

• Find content online, in the news, through your association, and from your insurance broker/carrier.

• Newsletter templates are available on multiple websites and platforms. Christy uses Microsoft Publisher.

“I’m really proud of Christy for sticking to it. Without any recognition, she continued to create the newsletter to help make Rancho West a better company,” expressed Greg Duncan, President of Rancho West Landscape.

Rancho Mesa Insurance thanks RWL for allowing us to highlight their company in an effort to promote safety within the landscape industry.

About Rancho West Landscape
Rancho West Landscape has been servicing Southern California since 1990. As a local landscape contractor based in Murrieta, they have upheld the highest standard of service and continue to raise safety standards.