Rancho Mesa Attends UCP's Annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon

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

On Friday, September 26, 2025, United Cerebral Palsy Association of San Diego County (UCP) hosted its 42nd Annual Celebrity Waiters Luncheon on Coronado Island, CA.

The event featured San Diego firefighters, prominent local figures, Hollywood personalities, as well as dedicated supporters, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the San Diego Bay at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa.

The proceeds from the event supported UCP’s mission to empower individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Our team was honored to attend as guests of Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. Rancho Mesa looks forward to 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 that provide assistive technology, children's services, equipment recycling, family support, grants & funding, respitality, and more. For more information, please visit www.ucpsd.org.

Employee Spotlight: Emily Feemster Becomes Safety Star™ Certified in Construction

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

Rancho Mesa congratulates Client Data Analyst & Technology Coordinator, Emily Feemster, for earning her certification in construction safety as a part of our RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program.

Emily joined the team in July 2025. The courses in the Safety Star program allowed her to learn about the safety issues that impact our clients, teaching important topics relating to construction safety in the workplace. Fall protection, ladder safety, heat illness prevention, and fleet safety are a few of the courses that must be passed in order to earn construction safety certification. Knowledge of these topics help employers mitigate job-related injuries.

The Safety Star program is one of the ways Rancho Mesa ensures clients are equipped with the tools and knowledge to navigate workplace risks effectively.

New Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Elia Gonzalez

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

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome the newest member of its team, Elia Gonzalez, as Assistant Client Manager.

Elia has over 25 years of experience in the industry, working with a range of roles and insurance types, including commercial, auto, and private lines. She will now support the client management team in the Construction group.

Elia also holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. Her well-rounded experience and education make Elia a valuable addition to the team. We are excited for her future at Rancho Mesa.

Elia was born in Tijuana and has lived in San Diego for over 30 years. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her three adult daughters, pet bearded dragon and cat. She also loves watching movies and going to concerts.

New Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes John Turner

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

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome its newest member of the team, John Turner, as Assistant Client Manager in the Construction Group.

John joins us with over a decade of experience in the insurance industry, having worked in a variety of roles that have developed his skills in customer relations, sales consulting, and commercial account servicing. In addition to his industry experience, John has an educational background in legal administration, graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration. John’s well-rounded career and education make him a valuable addition to the team.

A fourth-generation San Diegan, John continues to reside in San Diego with his wife and child. Outside of work, he enjoys gardening, restoring his '73 Roadrunner, and making gelato for friends and family.

We are excited to have John join the team, and we look forward to his contributions and success at Rancho Mesa.

Rancho Mesa Sponsors NAWIC San Diego Annual Golf Tournament

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

On Friday, July 25, Rancho Mesa was proud to sponsor NAWIC San Diego’s 3rd Annual Paula Covert Memorial Golf Tournament at Twin Oaks Golf Course in San Marcos, CA.

Partner Alyssa Burley, Marketing & Media Communications Specialist Megan Lockhart and Client Technology Specialist Brenda Khalil handed out snacks, refreshments and Rancho Mesa koozies while connecting with tournament participants at our table on Hole 11.

Players could also subscribe to one of our email newsletters for a chance to win two Padres tickets.

Rancho Mesa was grateful to NAWIC for hosting this fun-filled event that offered us the opportunity to network and build stronger relationships within the industry.

Employee Spotlight: Andy Roberts Takes Lead of Surety Group

Rancho Mesa is excited to announce Andy Roberts’s new leadership role as Surety Group Leader.

Andy has been with Rancho Mesa since 2018 when he joined the team as a Surety Account Executive.

“Seven years ago I made complete change in my career and came over to Rancho Mesa to start working with Matt Gaynor in the Surety Department, and it has been one of the best decisions I could have made,” Roberts said. “I’m incredibly excited to step into the role of Surety Group Leader and I'm very grateful for the trust that ownership is putting in me to keep building something special within RMI.”

Andy’s dedication, expertise, and team-first mentality have made him an excellent fit for the leadership role. Rancho Mesa congratulates Andy on his achievement and looks forward to his continued success with the Surety Group.

Rancho Mesa Celebrates Partners and Clients with Fiesta Friday 2025

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

Fresh tacos, live music and sunshine set the scene on Friday, May 9, as Rancho Mesa hosted its annual Fiesta Friday event on the lawn and recreational space of its Mission Valley office.

A beloved tradition, the event brought together employees, clients, and carrier partners to an outdoor Cinco de Mayo-inspired party.

The event featured a live band, street tacos, a churro stand, and tequila tasting. Guests socialized, enjoyed delicious food and sipped Don Pilar Extra Añejo and Komos Añejo Cristalino at the tequila tasting table, and voted on their favorite.

Rancho Mesa President Dave Garcia thanked guests for attending and drew names for the raffle. Winners took home one bottle of tequila.

Rancho Mesa is grateful for the clients and partners who attended Fiesta Friday 2025, making it such a success. We enjoyed spending the afternoon connecting with our guests and are thankful for their dedicated relationship to the brokerage.  

Grow With Us: Rancho Mesa Expansion Brings New Opportunities to Mission Valley

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

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. is excited to announce the expansion of its Mission Valley office. In response to our continued and steady growth since moving into this new space 2 years ago, Rancho Mesa’s latest office expansion is expected to provide additional career opportunities to both current and future employees in the San Diego insurance community.

Rancho Mesa continues to grow organically as we build up our book of business one client at a time. To meet our growing needs, we recently acquired additional office space, expanding to occupy the entire second floor of our building in the Mission City Corporate Center. The new space underwent a three-month renovation to emulate Rancho Mesa’s rustic modern office style  including a second kitchen, lounge, additional offices and cubicles.

“The expansion to the office is going to look beautiful,” Senior Client Manager Christina Haake said.

The expanded office is vital for the growth goals of Rancho Mesa. As we continue to bring on  new clients, we are adding more team members to support them. Rancho Mesa hires top-tier professionals for roles as client managers, assistant client managers, client coordinators, producers, accounting assistants, client services, and media communications professionals in order to support our growth. The new space accounts for these positions and will allow for over 30 new employees, which we anticipate to fill within the next few years.

 “When I joined Rancho Mesa and its 18 staff members in 2010, our beautiful office in Santee seemed like it would fit us forever,” Sam Brown, Vice President of the Human Services Group, said. “I feel so fortunate that Rancho Mesa's high standards of how a workplace should look and feel have not wavered as we have grown the last 15 years. The new space is just as warm, welcoming, and beautiful as the day I first joined the company.”

As Rancho Mesa looks towards the future, we are excited and proud to not only further the careers of our current employees, but also to establish a greater commitment to the San Diego job market, creating more opportunities in the community.

“I’m so excited as we near the completion of the expansion of our office. It looks amazing and the timing is perfect to meet the needs of our continued organic growth. This expansion gives us the footprint we need to add new team members and create more career opportunities for all our employees,” Rancho Mesa President and CEO Dave Garcia said.

Rancho Mesa is looking for people who love what they do and want to join a winning team. Visit our www.RanchoMesa.com/careers page to learn more about joining our team.

Employee Spotlight: Brenda Khalil Promoted to Client Technology Specialist

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

Rancho Mesa is excited to congratulate Brenda Khalil on her promotion to Client Technology Specialist.

Brenda initially joined Rancho Mesa in November 2023 as a Client Coordinator supporting our landscape and tree care group. In July 2024, she transitioned to the Media Communications & Client Services department as a Client Technology Coordinator. In this role, Brenda quickly mastered the SafetyOne™ platform and RM365 HRAdvantage™ portal, and built-up her knowledge of workplace safety. She diligently met with clients, sharing the resources Rancho Mesa offers.

Through her expertise, job ownership, and teamwork, Brenda is ready to further support clients as a Client Technology Specialist where she will be more active in the development and presentation of various training content as well as analyze platform usage.

"I'm super excited for the opportunity to contribute more to our Client Services Team, as well as step up into a more involved role with our clients and the implementation of our SafetyOne™ Platform," Khalil said.

Rancho Mesa commends Brenda for her initiative and passion for her role. We look forward to her continued growth within the company.

Employees Overwhelmingly Vote Rancho Mesa Best Workplace

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

The insurance industry is a people business and Rancho Mesa is proud of the work we do in our community and the people on our team. The dedicated individuals who protect our clients are truly what sets us apart.

We value employee satisfaction across all areas of life. So much so, we decided to ask employees about their job satisfaction and we found that 93.5% of our employees said they have a high level of overall job satisfaction. And, while many companies have purchased “best place to work” awards through various publications, Rancho Mesa wanted real data from our real employees. Last year, Rancho Mesa used MarshBerry’s reputable Employee Engagement Survey which allowed employees to voice their opinions honestly and confidentially. MarshBerry then evaluated the feedback and provided a summary of the results. These results offered insight into areas such as career advancement, management, and work/life balance. Here’s what they discovered.

94.3% of employees say their work schedule allows them to have a work/life balance.
Rancho Mesa prioritizes work/life balance by ensuring manageable workloads, encouraging employees to take regular breaks, and time off. The agency offers a strong PTO policy, wellness programs via its health benefit plans, all in order to support employees' well-being. Rancho Mesa leadership promotes deep respect for personal time, with no expectations for after-hours work. The agency believes in recognizing the team’s efforts, ensuring that everyone can maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives.

97.4% of employees say their careers are being advanced by working at Rancho Mesa.
The agency supports employees' career growth through continuing education courses, professional development workshops, and internal promotions. Rancho Mesa funds insurance licensing and certifications for team members, encouraging designations such as AIS, AINS, CRIS, and CISR. Furthermore, in 2024 Rancho Mesa promoted 16% of its entire workforce to more advanced positions. The agency is passionate about supporting its employees' professional goals, setting them up for a fulfilling and successful careers.

97.5% of employees say their immediate supervisor cares about their well-being.
Rancho Mesa upholds a leadership style that is committed to maintaining open lines of communication, regular check-ins and guidance when needed. Leadership also recognizes and celebrates achievements with initiatives like the OneofOne® Recognition Program, encouraging both leadership and employees to submit praise for when their team members go above and beyond. Based on the numbers, 67% of Rancho Mesa employees were publically recognized for their OneofOne work in 2024. The agency is proud to have cultivated a work environment where employees feel supported and truly cared for by their team.  

97.4% of employees say their job fully utilizes their knowledge, skills and experience.
The agency is committed to offer challenging and meaningful work that aligns with the team’s individual expertise. Rancho Mesa also utilizes employees' skills by creating opportunities for them to train and mentor others, encouraging continuous learning, and ensuring every team member can grow and contribute in their own distinct way.

92.1% of employees say they plan to keep working at Rancho Mesa for at least the next three years.
Rancho Mesa is proud to maintain a low employee turnover rate, which reflects the strong loyalty and satisfaction felt among the team members. Many employees choose to build long-term careers with Rancho Mesa, some even retire after 20+ years. Rancho Mesa believes this is the biggest indicator of its commitment to employees.

We’re honored to have the real voices of our team vote Rancho Mesa a best place to work, and we’re proud of the company culture that led to these results. If you are seeking a lasting career that values personal growth, professional development, and a positive work environment, you are invited to explore Rancho Mesa’s employment opportunities.