Rancho Mesa President Dave Garcia and Senior Client Manager Christina Haake talk about her involvement in PWI San Diego and its upcoming Kick-Off Social, hosted by Rancho Mesa.

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Director: ⁠Alyssa Burley⁠

Producer/Editor: ⁠Megan Lockhart⁠

Host: ⁠Dave Garcia⁠

Guest: ⁠Christina Haake⁠

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, "Elevators Need Rock Too" by Spence

Transcript

Dave Garcia: Hi, this is Dave Garcia, president of Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, and I'm super excited tonight to be talking with Christina Haake, one of our senior client managers here, who's also very involved with the PWI here in San Diego. Christina, welcome to the show.

Christina Haake: Hello!

DG: So, Christina, let's start off by if you could tell us a little bit about what exactly is the PWI.

CH: So PWI, the insurance industry organization. In 1981, it started, pretty much a group of women went to a workshop and decided after the workshop that, hey, this was great. The insurance industry is predominantly male and they loved the idea of getting together and with that it turned into a support system great for networking and generating their own careers in the industry. But the name has changed throughout the years. So initially it was Professional Women in Insurance and then later changed to just PWI. And then now it's Professionals Within Insurance because we wanted to be more inclusive and, you know, cater to the more diverse group a.k.a including the guys now.

DG: So great. Yeah, well, you know, I've been in the industry now 37 years and been very familiar with the PWI for all those years, and it has been a tremendous resource for people to grow their careers and also just a great resource to the community in different ways that the PWI supports organizations here in San Diego. So talk to me a little bit about what what are types of organizations that the PWI supports.

CH: So there's three main ones that we do, which is OPT at Grossmont College. It's a training program for students entering the insurance industry. And then we also have YWCA Battered Women's Shelter and then Rachel's Women's Center, which is a homeless women's shelter.

DG: Fantastic. I'm sure all three of those organizations do such great things for the community here in San Diego.

CH: Oh, big time.

DG:You know, your efforts to support them is really commendable. So thank you for doing that. You and all of the members of the PWI. So, Christina, tell me, how did you get your start with PWI?

CH: So when I started at Rancho Mesa, there were three other women. We were all in different positions here at Rancho Mesa. One was a producer, I was admin and then one was part of like our media website and all that kind of stuff. So Kim decided, Hey, it would be a great idea of the three of you who are new into the industry, go to PWI. They're having this happy hour. And so we went to the happy hour and it was nice because, you know, just starting out, I'm emailing people, I don't know who these people are, and it turns out that some of the underwriters that I had been emailing throughout the year were there, so I got to put faces to the name and then I just got to meet other people and everyone's so welcoming and it was a relaxed environment because it was happy hour. We played pool, there was games and stuff and we just kind of chatted about our experiences and I think when they realized that we were brand new to the industry, they were like, "Well, let me tell you my story, here." So it was very nice. And I mean from that very first event, I became friends with these people and I was excited for the next event. So it was just something to look forward to.

DG: It sounds like the PWI gave new people to the industry, kind of a welcome mat to come in and have some camaraderie, meet some people.

CH: Oh definitely.

DG: You know, you brought out the point that it's not just agency personnel that attends, but also carrier personnel. So talk a little bit more about how that interaction works for you at those events. If you were a new member to the PWI.

CH: For a new member, it was exciting because, you know, I had no experience in the insurance industry when I first started, so I only knew the Rancho Mesa way. It was interesting to kind of go,"Oh that's how they do it." Because when I started Rancho Mesa, we kind of made the position for me so I could work here, and then I kind of developed and grew within our own agency. So it's kind of nice to be like, do you guys have client coordinators? Like kind of just ask around and just kind of get feedback because I didn't know any better and so it was great to just be welcomed and get this knowledge and kind of get excited about what I was doing because, you know, when you're first starting, you're very green, so.

DG:Right. So yeah, I think the insurance industry is one that's kind of misunderstood anyway.

CH: 100%, yeah.

DG: And so you do kind of need that, you know, older brother or older sister to kind of take you along, show you the ropes, tell you about, you know, what it's really like. So, Christina, we're really excited here to be hosting one of the first events for PWI this year. And I know that you're heading that up for the organization. Why don't you tell our listeners a little bit more about what they can expect?

CH: Yeah, So PWI is 2024, Kickoff Social is happening on Thursday, February 15th at 5 p.m. at Rancho Mesa's new office in Mission Valley. Members are encouraged to bring non-members. You have the opportunity for the Yeti. It's a 60 wheeled cooler that holds up to 50 cans, which we're very excited about to attend, You have to RSVP. It's $15. But yeah, there's going to be food and drink and lots of socializing.

DG: Yeah, I think. Christina, when you came to me and said, Hey, you know, we're looking to do these things, we've got some ideas, what we talked about was what a great organization PWI is and how to encourage that and drive new members. So it was a great idea. You had to have this social and then, you know, some person's going to go home with the great Yeti cooler that night. How do we not fill the house? Right?

CH: I know. Yeah, I think what we do.

DG: I think our budget just went up here, but that's okay.

CH: Sorry, Dave!

DG: Let's get more people than we can fit. So aside from this fantastic starting event, what are the types of events does the PWI have planned for the year?

CH: I'm very excited for 2024. We're bringing back some old favorites and we have a few new ones that I'm very excited about. In the spring we're doing The Paint Night, which is a fan favorite. We're also doing the San Diego Gulls hockey game that's co-hosted with SDAIP. And then in the summer, we're doing Bonfire by the Bay and then we have our Golf Ball Drop that we always do in the fall. We're bringing back my Movie Night that I hosted last year, which was a huge success, but this time we're doing it in October and we're going to do a Hocus Pocus theme, which is going to be super fun. We're going to have people dressed up and it's all going to be spookiness and great. And then a new event that we're very excited about is the Cooking Night. So we're going to have a professional chef show us how to make a meal. And then we always have our annual holiday party in December, and I think we're going to bring back our Friendsgiving with PWI. So pretty much we have something going on every month. I think the only month we don't have it's June, so there's going to be a lot of fliers going out in 2024.

DG: You know, it sounds like it's going to be a terrific year raising money for some terrific charities. So anything that we can do to help support you and the organization and please just ask us, Christine, before we end tonight, is there anything else you'd like to to share with the audience?

CH:If you're interested in joining PWI and you can't attend the event in February, you can always go online and get a membership on our website, which is www.pwisd.org.

DG: So, Christina, before we wrap up, why don't you just one more time let the audience know when this event is going to take place and where it is?

CH:Thursday, February 15th at 5 p.m. at Rancho Mesa's office, which is in Mission Valley, at 2355 Northside Drive, and we're in Suite 200. We're right by Snapdragon.

DG:Perfect. All right, well, listen, everybody, I'd encourage you to go. I'll be here that night to welcome you. I'm looking forward to seeing as many people as we can possibly get there that night. So until then, please stay safe.

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