Employee Spotlight: David McCoy Moves to Client Coordinator

Author, Harriet Berholtz, Marketing and Media Communications Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa is pleased to announce that David McCoy has taken a role as Client Coordinator in Rancho Mesa’s Landscape and Human Services Group.

For the last two years, David has worked at Rancho Mesa as a Surety Client Coordinator assisting the team with surety bonds.

In his new role, he will be working with the property and casualty Client Managers.

 “I'm excited for the opportunity to try something new and challenging. I'm hoping my past experience with surety will ease the transition.”

David is a San Diego native. In his free time, he enjoys taking his dog places, spending time with friends, and watching movies.

Employee Spotlight: Yvonne Gallagher Leads Landscape Service Group

Author, Harriet Berholtz, Marketing and Media Communications Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Yvonne Gallagher, Senior Client Manager and Team Lead, started her insurance career right out of high school, thinking it would be a temporary job. However, after 20+ years in the industry, she has developed a highly successful insurance career.

Before joining Rancho Mesa, Yvonne entered the industry by typing certificates of insurance. She was quickly trained in both commercial and personal lines, and earned her Property & Casualty, and Life insurance licenses.

After many years working with a direct writer, Yvonne decided to move to an insurance brokerage as a Client Manager.

Yvonne then found a home at Rancho Mesa in 2016 as a Client Manager, before being promoted to Senior Client Manager in 2020, where she specializes in risk management for the landscape industry. In January 2024, Yvonne took on the role of Team Lead in addition to her other role, where she mentors others in her group and helps grow the landscape book of business.

“I absolutely love being a Client Manager but am really enjoying the challenges of my new Team Lead role.  It allows me to work closely with and mentor my incredible team” Yvonne said.

Originally from the East Coast, Yvonne lives in San Diego with her husband and two children. They enjoy bowling, camping, and taking trips to the desert and river.

Employee Spotlight: Welcome Client Manager Penelope Marquez

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

Rancho Mesa welcomes our newest Client Manager, Penelope Maquez.

Penelope brings over ten years of insurance experience, most recently working at an agency in Chula Vista, where she managed small business clients, including contractors, restaurants, and main street businesses. Her wide array of experience working across different industries will enhance the level of service that Rancho Mesa provides to its clients. 

Penelope was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She and her husband have one dog, Nox, and one cat, Noah. In her free time, she enjoys the company of family and friends, listening to audiobooks, and teaching Sunday school.

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome Penelope to the team!

Employee Spotlight: Surety Group Welcomes Manuel Ovalle

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

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome Manuel Ovalle as our new Surety Client Coordinator.

Manuel has 16 years of experience in various administrative roles, including the last nine years as a Records Control/Data Specialist. His extensive administrative background and skill set will transition nicely into his role with the Surety Group.

Manuel was born and raised in San Diego, CA. He enjoys spending time with his wife and their three boys, watching sports, movies, and going to the beach.

Rancho Mesa is thrilled to have Manuel as part of the team!

Employee Spotlight: Rancho Mesa Welcomes Eileen Rojas

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

Rancho Mesa is excited to introduce our newest Client Coordinator, Eileen Rojas.

She brings valuable experience, having served as a Customer Service Representative and Claims Specialist at Geico for three years, and gained ten years of customer service experience at Cox Communications and Spectrum.

Eileen was born and raised in San Diego. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and exploring new restaurants and wineries, particularly those in Baja California.

Rancho Mesa is thrilled to have Eileen as part of the team!

RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ Program for Construction Moves to SafetyOne™ Platform

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

Rancho Mesa has officially released its RM365 Advantage Safety Star™ program in the SafetyOne™ platform. Moving forward, clients participating in the construction safety program will complete the courses entirely through the platform or via an in-person workshop.

The Safety Star videos have been updated with the most current safety information, and the required courses are now accessed entirely via the online training feature.

The Safety Star program teaches important topics relating to construction safety in the workplace to help employers mitigate job-related injuries. Fall protection, ladder safety, heat illness prevention, fleet safety, and accident investigation are some of the courses participants must pass in order to earn their certification in construction safety.

If clients are interested in Safety Star certification for themselves or their employees, they can submit an application on the Rancho Mesa website, or reach out to their Client Technology Coordinator.

SafetyOne Updates Online Driver Training Courses

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

In an effort to provide the most current content in our SafetyOne™ platform, Rancho Mesa has updated the most popular driver training courses in the online training library. These trainings now have the most up-to-date videos and quizzes.

SafetyOne users now have access to the following updated courses:

• CDL Defensive Driver Training

• Driver Safety: The Basics

• Driving Safety: The Complete Program

• Distracted Driving

• Driving Defensively

Rancho Mesa continues to provide new content to ensure clients’ employees are equipped with the most current safety information. For questions regarding accessing online training in the SafetyOne platform, reach out to your client technology coordinator.

Rancho Mesa’s Fleet Safety Workshop Recap: Teaching Safety and Compliance

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

On Friday, May 17, 2024, Rancho Mesa welcomed attendees at the Mission Valley Library for Fleet Safety: Above and Beyond Compliance, a workshop presented by Jose Pineda from Travelers Insurance.

Clients enjoyed refreshments while Pineda highlighted important vehicle safety strategies and ways organizations can control their risk for fleet-related accidents.

The presentation proved to be both educational and entertaining as the presenter kept the audience engaged with frequent questions and anecdotes. After covering topics relating to insurance claims for commercial drivers and the many ways to prevent them, Pineda concluded by emphasizing the dangers of distracted driving and its threat to people’s lives on the road. 

“There is no claim amount that will replace a human life or the damage that will happen to a generation of people if it's removed because someone did something behind the wheel that they shouldn't have done. It's just not worth it. Let's make sure that you know that, and let's tell our folks that they need to know it too,” Pineda said. 

The presentation was recorded and will be available to clients at the end of the week.

Rancho Mesa is proud to host workshops on important topics such as these to assist clients in keeping their employees safe and their businesses secure.

Rancho Mesa’s Jeremy Hoolihan Attends Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting

Rancho Mesa Partner in the Construction Group, Jeremy Hoolihan, was honored to be invited by Berkshire Hathaway to attend their 2024 Annual Shareholders meeting on Saturday, May 4, in Omaha, Nebraska. Jeremy had the opportunity to hear Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO, Warren Buffet, speak about the State of Berkshire Hathaway, the first quarter results, and fielded questions the shareholders threw his way.

Guests of Berkshire Hathaway included independent insurance agencies from all over the US as well as several hand-picked Berkshire Hathaway team members.  Guests enjoyed visiting the exhibit hall where they could purchase Berkshire-owned products such as See’s Candy, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Pampered Chef at a discounted rate.

Guest also enjoyed multiple dinners at Omaha’s famous 801 Chophouse and the Boiler Room.

“This was an amazing trip and I’m so thankful for Berkshire’s invitation,” Hoolihan said. “My highlight of the Shareholder meeting was the tribute they had for Charlie Munger, who was Warren Buffet’s long time business partner”.

Rancho Mesa and BHHC Host OSHA 10 Course for Landscape Professionals

Author, Kathryn Zamora, Client Technology Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies hosted its OSHA 10 Landscape Focused Course in San Jose, California on Wednesday, May 8 – Thursday, May 9.  

During the course, BHHC’s Steve Hamilton taught clients the purpose of OSHA and how to identify safety hazards and prevent OSHA violations. Attendees became certified in OSHA 10 and received a certificate from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).  

“We really appreciate the support from BHHC, Steve Hamilton, Loss Control Supervisor for BHHC, as well NALP, and the landscape professionals who attended the two-day workshop,” said Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group at Rancho Mesa. “Rancho Mesa is proud to work alongside the landscape industry and we will continue to look for ways to help bring safety and risk management content to the industry.”