Industry News
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Winter is on its way, and companies are preparing for the colder months still ahead. Lower temperatures, heavy rain, and illnesses caused by the cold can all take away from the safety and efficiency of a business or job site.
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Partner, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Running a successful janitorial company in California can often be cut throat. With low profit margins, janitorial companies continue to face daily challenges like increased wages and material costs, as well as aggressive competition that continues to under bid contracts. It is natural for business owners to explore ways of cutting costs to help their bottom line, but insurance should not be one of them. In fact, they should be looking to add coverages that are unique to janitorial operations and protect the long term health and viability of the company.
Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Starting January 1, 2025, a number of new laws will be on the books for employers in California. Here’s a look at two of the changes business owners need to be aware of at the start of the new year.
Author, Andy Roberts, Surety Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Surety Account Executive Andy Roberts sat down and interviewed Miggs Borromeo, Commercial Surety Underwriter for Merchants Bonding, and discussed the current climate of the commercial surety world in Southern California. They also covered the bonding trends most commonly seen today, and the programs that Merchants Bonding Company offers.
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
There are three major benchmarks that all landscape companies should consider when looking at how well they manage risk: average claim cost, claim indemnity rate, and claim frequency rate. Knowing the importance of this, we designed a key performance indicator (KPI) dashboard that highlights these industry benchmarks, as well as benchmarks them against other landscape companies in their geographic area.
Author, Matt Gorham, Account executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Within the construction industry, it is common for questions to arise about how to categorize work that a contractor performs. While organizations like the Insurance Service Office (ISO), Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB), and the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) have created classification systems, nuances in worksite demands can lead to confusion about which class code to use for a given business’s operations.
Author, Rory Anderson, Partner, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Whether you have a consulting arborist on staff or not, every tree care company has a professional liability exposure. Your general liability policy will likely exclude professional liability claims. A misdiagnosis of tree disease, damage to property, or an injury resulting from an error or miscalculation can be extremely costly. So, it is important to understand the risk, then make a decision on whether or not you would like to transfer that risk by purchasing a professional liability policy.
Author, Alyssa Burley, Partner, Media Communications & Client Service Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Imagine you are working in a highly productive organization. Over many years of trial and error, the team has streamlined their operations to the point of a well-oiled machine using good ol’ paper and spreadsheets. Then, your insurance broker offers a digital risk management solution and you are faced with the prospect of transitioning your manual processes to a digital platform. This is the scenario that many Rancho Mesa clients have faced and successfully overcome.
Author, Anne Wright, Surety Relationship Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Having represented contractors and developers of all types and sizes for many years, I have plenty of examples of what works best for clients to maintain a level of surety support that helps them meet their growth goals and objectives: updated financials and proper communication.
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa’s commercial clients purchase insurance to transfer financial risk to a third party and protect their business against claims of liability. These clients rightfully expect their respective insurers to fulfill the obligation found in black and white on the Insurance Service Office (ISO) general liability form that reads “We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury or property damage to which this insurance applies.” So, what must a policyholder do to ensure this obligation is fulfilled?
Author, Megan Lockhart, Marketing & Media Communications Special, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As students return to the classroom, the back to school traffic has also resumed. With more cars on the roads, this leads to more risk for commercial vehicles making their daily commutes.
In advance of a project bid, some owners and general contractors will want to pre-qualify the subcontractors to ensure they can handle a project of a certain size. A simple and efficient way to accomplish this would be to have the surety agent that supports the contractor’s bonding program prepare a surety prequalification letter.
Contractors have seen significant increases in commercial auto rates over the last few years. Because of this, it is imperative for companies to implement a written fleet safety program.
The fleet safety program must detail leadership’s expectation of what is required to be a driver for the company and the consequences if the policies are not followed.
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Landscape business leaders can now provide their management team with resources to better support their workers’ compensation program. Rancho Mesa offers its landscape, lawn care and tree care customers an industry specific Workers’ Compensation Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that can be used to help benchmark a company’s experience modification rate (i.e., Ex-Mod, Experience Mod), and the underlying performance trends that can help stakeholders stay informed.
Author, Jack Marrs, Associate Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Leaky roofs can be a major headache for commercial property owners, often leading to significant damage and costly repairs. Understanding how insurance policies respond to these situations is crucial in navigating the claims process.
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On July 1st, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to reform the Private Attorney’s General Act (PAGA). The legislation was enacted to help ensure workers retain a strong tool to resolve labor claims and receive fair compensation, while reducing shakedown lawsuits that hurt employers and employees.
Author, Kevin Howard, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Commercial real estate owners may face significant exposure nationally due to vacancy clauses and policy exclusions. The vacancy permit endorsement can potentially fill a major coverage gap within commercial property policies for landlords.
Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Recently, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board approved new requirements for California businesses, heat illness prevention for indoor work spaces. The new Section 3396 addition to the California Labor Code will go into effect as early as August 1, 2024.
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When sureties began offering credit-based programs, there were only a few companies who would offer this type of program and the limits were low, most often around $250,000 for a single project and aggregate.
Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
This year has seen several changes to minimum wage in the State of California. On January 1, 2024, the California general minimum wage increased to $16 per hour, regardless of tips. However, as of July, several individual industries across the State, including healthcare, saw minimum wage increases.
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