Client Spotlight: YardApes Featured in NALP Podcast

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

Rancho Mesa client, Shayne Newman, president of YardApes Inc., discusses professionalism and elevating the landscape industry in episode 8 of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ (NALP) Growing in the Green Industry Podcast.

The podcast is hosted by Miles Kuperus III, system architect at Include Software, Neal Glatt, managing partner of GrowTheBench, and Brett Lemcke, vice president of R.M. Landscape, all of which are members of the NALP. Newman has also been actively involved with NALP for about 20 years and currently serves on the board of directors.

In episode 8, “Modern Leadership: Giving Back While Moving Forward,” Newman discusses how he has grown his company while building a strong safety-based culture and raising involvement in his community. He has a lot of passion for his industry and speaks about the importance of enhancing public perception of the landscape industry.

About YardApes, Inc.
YardApes, Inc. is a full-service design, construction and maintenance company serving Northwest Connecticut’s residential and commercial clients since 1990. YardApes is one of thirteen Landscape Industry Accredited Companies in the United States and the only Landscape Industry Accredited Company in Connecticut. For more information about YardApes Inc., please visit www.yardapes.com.

NAWIC Today Magazine publishes Sam Clayton’s Cyber Threats Article

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

Rancho Mesa’s Sam Clayton, Vice President of the Construction Group, recently had an article published in the July/August 2020 issue of NAWIC Today, the National Association of Women in Construction's (NAWIC) official publication. This nationally-distributed magazine covers construction safety, technology, leadership and other important industry topics. Leading the CyberOne™ program for Rancho Mesa, Sam is has an extensive knowledge about how the construction industry can protect itself from losses due to cybercrimes.

Sam’s article titled “3 Cyber Threats of Employee Telecommuting” features helpful tips to minimize threats to businesses while many employees are currently working remote. Check out Volume 4/Number 4 of NAWIC Today for the full article.

Founded in Fort Worth, Texas by sixteen women, NAWIC’s core purpose is to “Strengthen and amplify the success of women in the construction industry.” For over 65 years they have been providing education, professional development, networking and more to their members. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services offers a CyberOne™ insurance program designed for NAWIC members.

Want even more information about cyber threats and how you can be prepared? Listen to our podcast StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Network on most major streaming platforms.

Edited 4/19/2021.

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.

StudioOne™ Podcast Downloads Increase 745% in One Month

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

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services’ StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Podcast network broke 500 listens and continues to increase rapidly! The podcast surpassed a massive 745% increase in downloads and streams from April to May.

The podcast series not only addresses safety and risk management issues that can affect a business's bottom line, but covers topics such as the effects of COVID-19 on the insurance marketplace, new executive orders, industry specific best practices, and more!

Subscribe to the StudioOne™ Safety and Risk Management Network podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, or Spotify to never miss an episode!

To find the StudioOne™ podcast in any of the above apps on your mobile device, type in “StudioOne Safety and Risk” in the search box. You can also listen from your computer by visiting www.RanchoMesa.com/StudioOne or anchor.fm/ranchomesa.

RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ Adds New Ladder Safety Module

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

Rancho Mesa is pleased to announce the addition of the Ladder Safety module to its RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ for construction safety.

ICW Group’s Tom Jolliff, Sr. Risk Management Consultant and Rick Fineman, Vice President of Risk Management Services provide 50 minutes of practical ladder safety information in the training module.

Ladder safety has been in the top 10 OSHA-cited violations for the past 5 years. As a business owner, supervisor or safety manager, you must find a way to get ahead of this problem and improve your safety program starting with ladder safety. In this module, you will learn:

• Alarming trends with ladder safety.

• Ways to reduce the frequency of injuries from ladder falls.

• Ways to ensure you are using the proper equipment for the job at hand.

• Components of a proper ladder safety program for your company.

To complete the RM365 Safety Star Program™, all participants will take the Accident Investigation and Analysis module while choosing two remaining modules from Mobility & Stretch/ABLE Lift Protocol, Fall Protection, Heat Illness Prevention, Ladder Safety, and Fleet Safety. 

The construction program can be completed 100% online or through a combination of online and in-person workshop modules.

To enroll in the RM365 Advantage Safety Star Program™ today, visit www.ranchomesa.com/rm365-advantage-safety-star-program and fill out the application.

Client Spotlight: Veterans Village of SD Receives Public Health Award

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

Image provided by the San Diego County News Center.

On April 16th, 2020,  Veterans Village of San Diego was awarded the Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion North Central Region Award by the National Public Health Week (NPHW), sponsored by the American Public Health Association. Veterans Village of San Diego is a non-profit organization focused on assisting homeless veterans; servicing more than 3,000 vets across San Diego County. Their motto is “Leave No One Behind” and they have been doing just that for almost 40 years.

The NPHW runs from April 6 - April 12, 2020 and is observed across the United States. It is intended to highlight issues and contributions to public health in order to improve the health of the nation. Each year, NPHW chooses a theme that carries throughout the week with each day focusing on a different topic relating to the Live Well San Diego initiative. Appropriately for this year’s theme, they have chosen COVID-19.

Alongside daily focus topics, the county holds an award ceremony recognizing people and organizations that have helped to improve the well-being and health of San Diegans. Due to social distancing, the ceremony was held virtually, but the recipients were announced by the county during their daily COVID-19 briefing. 

About Veterans Village of San Diego
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has served all veterans since 1981 and is dedicated to “Leave No One Behind.” VVSD is the only program of its kind in the United States and is nationally recognized as the leader in serving homeless military veterans. Each year VVSD provides services to more than 3,000 military veterans throughout San Diego County. For more information about Veterans Village of San Diego and how you can help support their efforts, visit www.vvsd.net.

Welcome Desmond - The Newest Rancho Mesa Family Member!

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

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. would like to congratulate Brittani Davis and family on welcoming their newest family member, Desmond Myles Davis. Mom and baby are doing great and big brother DJ said it was “the best day of his life!”

We could all use some more joy in our days right now and this squishy baby face will definitely do it for you. We would also like to take a minute to say a big congrats to Kim Vasquez as well, for being promoted to Gigi, again.

From all of us at Rancho Mesa, we want to wish your family health, happiness and prosperity.

RMI Sends Youngest Team Members Cookie Decorating Kits for Easter

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

Rancho Mesa sent their youngest team members cookie decorating kits to help spread some joy this Easter!

A smile was brought to faces of Rancho Mesa staff and kids as they had fun decorating their cookies with family.

This Spring, Rancho Mesa hopes you are able to connect with family and loved ones via video chatting, phone calls, and social distancing.

Rancho Mesa’s 7th Inning Stretch Goes Virtual

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

Rancho Mesa’s staff is accustomed to their twice daily “7th Inning Stretch,” a walk around the neighborhood designed to get people moving and away from their desks. It’s a time to take a break from busy schedules, talk to coworkers, build strong relationships and get outdoors.

Since Rancho Mesa’s staff members are now working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some have found a fun way to continue their daily “7th Inning Stretch” as a group, while still practicing social distancing.

Using video group chats on their smart phones, coworkers are able to take their “7th Inning Stretch” walks with their peers.

As they each walk around their respective neighborhoods, coworkers chat and exercise while keeping a little sense of normalcy in this unprecedented time.

If you are working remotely and miss the face-to-face contact you used to have with your coworkers, consider incorporating your own virtual “7th Inning Stretch” at your company.

Stay healthy and safe!

Drew Garcia Gives Best Practices Advice in Safety+Health Magazine

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

Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa and NALP’s Safety and Risk Management Committee Chair, Drew Garcia, was quoted in the article “Beware of Dog,” published on March 29, 2020 in Safety+Health, the official magazine of the National Safety Council Congress & Expo.

Drew Garcia, shared his insight with Barry Bottino about the threat that homeowners’ dogs may pose to working professionals.

Specifically addressing residential landscape professionals, Drew gives advice on performing a job hazard analysis, addressing any concerns with the homeowner, and then making a plan to keep any dog(s) away from the work area.

According to Drew, it is best practices to keep in mind that some dogs can be aggressive, and to never approach dogs you are not familiar with.

Drew’s complete responses and the full article can be found at SafetyandHealthMagazine.com.