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.

Rancho Mesa Hosts Heat Illness Prevention Workshop

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

On Friday, June 2, Rancho Mesa held its Heat Illness Prevention Workshop at the Mission Valley Library, presented by Zee Reid from Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies.

Attendees enjoyed bagels, pastries, and fresh coffee as they learned best practices for keeping themselves and their employees safe from heat illness on the job site.

Reid covered the symptoms of heat illness, tactics employees should follow to prevent heat-related illness, and how to develop written procedures to avoid heat-related OSHA violations.

Like many of Rancho Mesa’s live workshops, this training is a part of the RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program. Clients who chose to participate, took the quiz at the end of the presentation and earned credit towards their certification in construction safety.

Rancho Mesa values offering these workshops to promote safety and help clients manage risk.

Our next webinar is Cyber Liability Explained: Hacking Trends for 2023 on Friday, July 14.

About Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Company
The Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC) are a group of six regional insurance carriers that are part of the Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group. With more than 40 years in business, BHHC has earned an enviable record of success in the insurance industry that is supported by A.M. Best's highest financial strength rating of A++. Its financial strength provides employees, agency partners, and policyholders the security rarely available in today's marketplace. To learn more, visit www.bhhc.com.

Rancho Mesa Hosts BHHC at Aztec’s Game

Pictured Margaret Hartmann Sr. Vice President Chief Marketing Officer, BHHC; Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa; Danny Engell, Senior Vice President & Chief Underwriting and Analytics Officer BHHC; and Daniel Frazee, Executive Vice President, Rancho Mesa.

Rancho Mesa enjoyed hosting clients and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies’ (BHHC) Executive Leadership Team in their suite for another fun night watching the SDSU Aztecs play against the SJSU Spartans.

Special thanks to all our clients who attended on Saturday, November 12, 2022, and thank you to President of BHHC Rob Darby, who made the trip down from San Francisco in order to attend. 

Go Aztecs!

Client Spotlight: UCP San Diego Hosts 39th Annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon

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

On Friday, September 23, 2022, United Cerebral Palsy Association of San Diego County (UCP) hosted their 39th Annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon on Coronado Island, CA.

Rancho Mesa’s Dave Garcia, Lori Stone, Alyssa Burley, and Christina Haake were honored to attend as guests of Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. San Diego firefighters, local TV personalities, sports mascots such as the Padre’s Swinging Friar, celebrities, Hollywood look-a-likes, and generous supporters helped raise over $62,000. The proceeds benefit UCP’s mission to assist people affected by cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Rancho Mesa is excited to attend this event each year, and is a proud sponsor of UCP and its mission!

About United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego County
Since 1958, UCP is an agency committed to advancing the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people affected by cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Working throughout the years to improve services with every step, UCP has program centers in San Diego and Escondido and numerous community based programs serving hundreds of local citizens on a daily basis. For more information, please visit www.ucpsd.org.

Rancho Mesa Hosts Heat Illness Prevention Workshop in San Diego’s Mission Valley

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

On Friday, June 10, 2022, Rancho Mesa held its Heat Illness Prevention Workshop at the Mission Valley Library, presented by Zee Reid, Senior Loss Control Specialist from Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. 

Through the engaging presentation, attendees learned the importance of protecting employees from high heat conditions.

“[We go over] the basics of heat illness prevention programs, and what you need as employers and as supervisors when you're out in the field working with heat illness prevention,” Reid said.

Reid also covered the required procedures to follow in order to avoid heat-related violations since Cal/OSHA updated its section 3395 Heat Illness Prevention standards in 2015.

Rancho Mesa values offering workshops such as these in order to better prepare its clients, promote safety, and help businesses be more aware of their risks.

“This workshop is actually part of Rancho Mesa’s RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program,” said Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager from Rancho Mesa. “The majority of attendees participated and received credit towards their Safety Star Certificate for this course, which is really exciting.”

Clients will soon be able to access a recording of the workshop and complete the quiz to get credit for the course through the Risk Management Center.

Rancho Mesa’s next webinar is Cyber Insurance: The Business of Hacking on Thursday, July 28, 2022. Register online, today. 

About Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
The Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC) are a group of six regional insurance carriers that are part of the Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group. With more than 40 years in business, BHHC has earned an enviable record of success in the insurance industry that is supported by A.M. Best's highest financial strength rating of A++. Its financial strength provides employees, agency partners, and policyholders the security rarely available in today's marketplace. To learn more, visit www.bhhc.com.

Garcia Brothers Attend LANDSCAPES 2021

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

Pictured left to right: Margaret Hartmann, Senior Vice President & Cheif Marketing Officer, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies; and Greg Garcia, Account Executive of the Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa.

Rancho Mesa’s Landscape Group headed back to Louisville, Kentucky for LANDSCAPES 2021, the largest annual conference for the landscape and lawn care industry. Hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP),  the event took place on October 19-22nd, during which landscape professionals were able to learn from industry leaders and connect with peers.

Rancho Mesa’s Vice President of the Landscape Group Drew Garcia, Account Executive Greg Garcia, and President Dave Garcia walked away with gained knowledge of industry techniques, challenges, new technologies, and best practices through peer-to-peer discussions and insightful seminars.

“This event is a great opportunity for Rancho Mesa to network with other landscape industry professionals, from software providers, manufacturers, contractors and other industry leaders,” says Drew. “It’s important for our team to remain in the loop on things impacting the industry so we can remain proactive for our customers and anticipate change before it becomes an issue. The education sessions offered by NALP are incredible, it’s a great chance to learn and prepare for the future.”

Also in attendance, were Rancho Mesa partners Margaret Hartmann, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer and Steve Hamilton, Loss Control Manager with Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies.

Pictured left to right: Greg Garcia, Account Executive of the Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa; Margaret Hartmann, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, BHHC; Steve Hamilton, Loss Control Manager, BHHC; and Drew Garcia, Landscape Group Leader, Rancho Mesa.

LANDSCAPES is held every October in Louisville, KY. We hope you mark your calendar to join us, next year, for another incredible event!

Client Spotlight: Annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon Returns to Raise Funds for UCP San Diego

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

Coronado Island welcomed back San Diego firefighters, local TV personalities, Hollywood celebrities, look-a-likes, and caring patrons on Friday, September 24, 2021 to raise funds for United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego County (UCP) at the 38th Annual Firefighters & Friends Celebrity Waiters Luncheon.

Rancho Mesa’s Kim Vasquez, Lori Stone, Alyssa Burley, Sierra Stone, and Jack Marrs were gratified to attend as guests of Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. The event was filled with live and silent auctions, generous tips and sponsorships that raised funds for the organization whose mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people affected by cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Rancho Mesa is truly honored to have UCP San Diego as a client.

About United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego County

UCP is an agency committed to serving people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and their families since 1958. Working throughout the years to improve services with every step, UCP has program centers in San Diego and Escondido and numerous community based programs serving hundreds of local citizens on a daily basis. For more information, visit www.ucpsd.org.

Beat the Heat with Heat Illness Prevention Training

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

Summer is here and for most of us around the nation, it is about to get hot. 

Zee Reid, Senior Loss Control Specialist from Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, gave Rancho Mesa clients an in depth look at best practices for creating and implementing a plan to prevent heat illness at our June 24, 2021 webinar. 

With his energy and wit, Zee pointed out best practices while showing examples of what not to do. Tumbleweeds on sticks does not suffice as a shaded area for rest, nor can sugary sodas and sports drinks  take the place of clean potable drinking water on site. Instead, his presentation reinforced that preventing heat illness requires water, shade, and rest.

The Heat Illness Prevention webinar was highly engaging. Our webinar analytics show record tentativeness by the over 30 companies in attendance.

The presentation used by Zee in our webinar can be found in the Risk Management Center, as well as many other resources.

The Heat Illness Prevention training is just one of the topics covered in the RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program. Register for the program, today to ensure you and your employees are safety stars.

Rancho Mesa’s StudioOne™ Podcast Publishes 100th Episode

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

StudioOne™, Rancho Mesa’s media productions team, is very excited to announce the publishing of the Safety and Risk Management podcast network’s 100th episode!

In January 2020, the podcast originally launched as a way for industry professionals to share safety and risk management knowledge with their peers. What started out as the release of one to two episodes a month, soon became two episodes a week. StudioOne broadened their audience and began recording weekly industry news insights, law updates, and episodes to get to know the Rancho Mesa team and industry partners.

The 100th episode is close to Rancho Mesa’s hearts because it discusses how the podcast came to life, the motivation to start interviewing guests, how we are able to record, edit, and release content, and even includes some fun behind the scenes content.

Rancho Mesa could not do this podcast without our team, carrier partners, and listeners like you. We want to thank our sponsors Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, CNA, CompWest, ICW Group, Nationwide, Sentry, and Zenith for believing in Rancho Mesa and supporting our efforts to educate our clients and community.

Subscribe to the StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Network podcast on your favorite platform to never miss an episode. Episodes can also be listened to from your computer by visiting the StudioOne webpage.

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.