Dave Garcia, president of Rancho Mesa Insurance, interviews OneofOne® employee, Account Executive of the Tree Care Group, Rory Anderson on his upbringing, personal life, and professional career.

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www.ranchomesa.com/treeone

Director/Producer: Alyssa Burley

Host: Dave Garcia

Guest: Rory Anderson

Editor: Emily Marasso

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence, "Elevators Need Rock Too" by Spence

Transcript

[Introduction Music]

Dave Garcia: Hi, this is Dave Garcia, President of Rancho Mesa and thank you for joining me and listening to this week's “Getting to Know Your Rancho Mesa Family” brought to you by StudioOne™, our Safety and Risk Management Network.

Today's guest will be Rory Anderson, an account executive in the tree care group at Rancho Mesa. Hi, Rory. Welcome to the show.

Rory Anderson: Hey, Dave. Thanks for having me.

DG: You bet. So, Rory, let's start by finding out a little bit more about yourself. Tell me, where did you grow up?

RA: So, I grew up right here in San Diego. We call it North County, up in Encinitas. I found out later. I think North County consists more of the east side as well, but I'm not too familiar with that part so, I guess we would call it North County beach cities.

DG: Okay, North County beach cities, fair enough, and so what high school did you attend up there?

RA: Yeah, I went to San Dieguito Academy.

DG: Okay, and during your high school years, did you participate in any activities while you were there?

RA: I did. Yeah, I ran track and field and then I played basketball as well.

DG: You did? Okay, so in track and field, what events were you in?

RA: Yeah, I actually ran the hurdles. So, there's two hurdle events. There's the, uh, 110 meter high hurdles, and then there's the 300 meter hurdles as well. So I did both of those.

DG: Was that a hard skill to learn?

RA: Yeah, um, just kind of that back foot has to snap over and not hit that hurdle so that was always tough but I was a skinny kid in high school and I pretty much ran track just to stay fit for the basketball season.

DG: Okay, and then in basketball, were you a guard? Is that, was that your position?

RA: Yeah, shooting guard, yeah.

DG: Yeah

RA: Yeah. So I had some skill.

DG: Oh, nice. Okay, great. So, you know, when outside of work, what are some of the things that you enjoy doing?

RA: Well, I got married last year, so I like spending time with my wife and we got a, a little golden retriever puppy. His name is Asher. So, I like spending time with my wife and my dog. I enjoy being active, so, whether that's surfing or working out.

DG: Okay, so you like that outdoor lifestyle?

RA: That's right. I do.

DG: That's great. I think when you can share that with your wife and, you know, we have a family dog as well, Dakota. And he is just a part of the family like our child. So he goes everywhere with us and sounds like the same for you and your wife.

RA: That's right. Yeah, it's awesome.

DG: Yeah, that's great. So, aside from surfing and things like that, do you have any other hobbies?

RA: Yeah, I mean, I really I think I'm kind of obsessed with surfing its my number one thing that I love to do, and then when the waves aren't good or if I already surfed in the morning, I, I like to play golf, starting to get better at that and I've actually been playing guitar my whole life, too, so I can pick that up.

DG: Really?

RA: Yeah.

DG: Wow, we should've had you bring your guitar in today and play a few chords for us.

RA: Yeah, like we, like Andy said on the last episode, we have the studio, so. Yeah.

DG: Yeah. So does that mean you can sing too?

RA: Unfortunately, no. You know, maybe that's coming on later down the line, but right now it's pretty much just the guitar. Yeah.

DG: Okay, great. Well, we're definitely going to hold that for another episode of just live with Rory Anderson tonight in the StudioOne™ for sure. So, when you and your wife, Alex, get a chance to go on vacation, is there any particular place you like to go?

RA: Yeah, so, last October, we went to Princeville, which is in Kawaii. It's the north shore of Kawaii, and I absolutely loved it. It was, it's very rural and open and there's not a lot of stuff there still. So, it's really nice to get out and spend time over there.

DG: Yeah, I've been to that island before and been up to that end just once but as I recall, it's very tropical up there, a lot of big surf on that side of the island and things like that.

RA: Exactly. Yeah, that's why it works out pretty well for me. You know, we go during the winter months, there's good surf and Alex loves it. That's my wife. She has a good time. So, it's really nice.

DG: So, Rory, what's something about yourself that you think most people don't know?

RA: Okay, here it is. I used to play in a reggae band in high school, guitar, so that was pretty fun. We used to play shows a lot on the weekends and-

DG: Really?

RA: Yeah, we played in Battle of the Bands at school. We were actually pretty good.

DG: No kidding. Where, is that group still in San Diego?

RA: Um, no, unfortunately. I mean, like once we got through high school and everybody kind of went to college, we broke up the band but sometimes for the holidays and stuff, we would get back together and do a jam session. Yeah.

DG: You know, when I was talking to Yvonne Gallagher a few weeks back about getting to know her a little bit more, do you know, that her favorite music is reggae?

RA: Reggae, yeah.

DG: Yeah. So, we're going to have to maybe get you guys, get the band back together or something.

[Both Laugh]

DG: Okay, let's switch gears and talk a little bit about your role within Rancho Mesa. So, as an account executive in the tree care group, what are some of your responsibilities?

RA: Yeah, so for my current clients I'm the face of Rancho Mesa, so I quarterback, you know, most of the communications back and forth and kind of just make sure that my clients are taken care of properly. And then also I get to find new ways to be creative and, and write new business for the agency.

DG: Okay, so since you're part of the tree care group, Rory, spend a second and talk a little bit about what exactly that is.

RA: Okay, so when I came onto the team, you know, we like to choose a specific industry here and kind of specialize in one area., and that was sort of where I focused my energy, and I have a team of a couple of people, and that's it, basically. We focus on the tree care industry, and that's where I specialize.

DG: Well, that's great. It's nice to have that expertize, I'm sure, to, to be able to go out and talk to people to really understand their industry.

RA: Exactly.

DG: Yeah. So, what are one or two areas of your role that you really enjoy about?

RA: I really like being a trusted advisor, and so when I decided to kind of get into this business, I really wanted to help small and mid-sized companies run a very important part of their business, and I feel like I've been able to do that and I've been able to, you know, build solid relationships with my clients based on trust, and that's really fulfilling to, you know, kind of be that trusted advisor and that partner.

DG: Yeah you bet, that's awesome. What areas are you looking to expand or grow within your group?

RA: Yeah, I mean, like you mentioned, I focus on the tree care industry, and what I've seen so far is that this industry is such a high risk, really a niche market, and it hasn't had a lot of attention from our industry or from insurance carriers just because of how high risk it is, and we've really kind of started to change that narrative since I've been here and there's a ton of potential even just in California, you know, and as long as trees continue to grow, they're also, you know, going to continue to be maintained, and as long as they're being maintained, those companies will need insurance and risk management. So, really, you know, if we just continue at this rate, I just see us dominating this space.

DG: Yeah, that sounds really exciting.

RA: It is.

DG: So, if you were to, you're out surfing and you come in, you take a little break and you run into somebody on the beach and you start chatting with them and they don't know you and you don't know them and how would you describe Rancho Mesa to that person?

RA: Okay, so the two characteristics that I believe really help define Rancho Mesa are integrity and then teamwork or team-oriented, and, you know, when I first got here, I didn't know anything about the insurance industry. This is my first position in this career space and I can't tell you, you know, the countless hours that the other producers spent with me and continue to spend with me to make sure, you know, that I'm on the right track and that I'm getting better every day, and that's really awesome. And the other thing is, is I've always wanted to work for an organization that kind of felt like a sports team and, you know, really practices integrity all the time, even when it's inconvenient, and that's exactly what I got when I joined the family here.

DG: Wow. I mean, from my chair, that's great to hear. I love both of those qualities and I hope that, you know, Ranch Mesa always keeps it to that standard for you, no doubt. So, what do you think is really unique about Rancho Mesa? Is there anything that pop, comes to mind?

RA: I think that in itself, you know, that that team family feel is really unique and it really is, you know, like a family. We work really hard together as a unit, and I've never felt that synergy or cohesiveness in a workplace. I've always kind of felt, not like a lone star, but you really do feel that here, you know, um, and I've felt that on competitive sports teams like in high school, you know, in sports and things like that but getting that same feeling in the office, you know, environment, is pretty special.

DG: Oh, that's great. So lastly, Rory, where do you see Ranch Mesa and Rory Anderson going in the future?

RA: Well, you know, I just think the sky really is the limit here. I mean, just from what I've seen, we're really ahead of the industry curve with technology and what we've been able to roll out this last year between, you know, video production and podcasts and our marketing unit, and so, it's really fun to be a, you know, a part of something so cutting edge and yeah, I'm really excited to see where things go.

DG: Yeah, well, I guess we’re on the crest of that wave, right?

RA: Right.

DG: That set that you're waiting for.

RA: [Laughs]

DG: So, Rory, before we, uh, wrap up, is there anything I haven't asked you you'd like to share with the audience today?

RA: No, I think we covered all grounds.

DG: Okay. Well, Rory, listen, thank you, really, so much for joining me and for letting us get to know a little bit more about you and your role within Rancho Mesa. Thanks for joining me today, Rory.

RA: Absolutely. It's good to be here.

DG: That'll do it for today. Thank you for joining me and getting to know the Rancho Mesa family and for tuning into StudioOne™, our Safety and Risk Management Network. Until next time, stay well.

[Closing Music]

Alyssa Burley: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.