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Hi, you're listening to Rancio Mesa's Studio One podcast where each week we break down complex insurance and safety topics to help your business life. I'm your host Dave Garcia and today I'm joined by John Turner, an assistant client manager here at Rancio Mesa in our construction group. John, welcome to the show. Thank you.
All right, John, so let's just jump into this, all right? Where did you grow up, John? I grew up in San Diego, California, I'm a fourth generation San Diego. No kidding?
Yes. There's not too many families that can say that. Well, the handful. Yeah.
How did your original fourth generation family was it military or what got them to San Diego? There was over 100 years ago, there was about 100 years ago, there was a flood in New Orleans that took out most of the city and so they took a train out west and then end up out here though and Logan built some property built their houses everything out. That's awesome. Yeah.
I love how you said, Narlon's. How did you say that again? Narlon's. Yeah.
Okay. Cool. So you grew up in San Diego. What high school did you go to?
Sanagustin Catholic High School. Okay. So you're a San Diego, right? Threw and threw very much.
Yeah, for life. I know a lot of other San Diego, they absolutely they're a San Diego for life. So during your high school years, what types of things did you participate in high school? I was a lineman, you know, for JV and for varsity football.
I was also the, believe it or not, captain of the track and field team or the field part where I did discus and shock put. I was up here counselor for a couple years and I was the, I was a junior class president before I became the vice president of the whole school for ASB. Wow. That's really impressive.
And then a little bit of drama on the side just doing some poach reading some really shakes yourself just. Yeah. Wow. So you were a busy guy in high school then.
Very much. Yeah. I was doing 12 hour days at the school. We get to the gym at six believe it or not.
And then I wouldn't leave until like 6 p.m. Usually. That's awesome. Yeah.
I love that. So outside of work, what do you like to do? Well, when I'm not with the family, what I like to do is play around in the kitchen and then also do a little bit of bartending on the sign for people and then also work on my, you know, my 73 road runner. Oh, wow.
I'm pretty much done restoring. Yeah. No kidding. Yeah.
So you're actually able to do the work on the road runner yourself? YouTube. Yeah. Yeah.
You know, I can't, I have a difficult time like nailing a nail. So it's somebody that can build a car is pretty impressive. So do you have any other hidden talents, John? If I look at your spice cabinet, I could probably make a cocktail for you just the way you like just by looking at your spice cabinet.
Really? Yeah. I can tell you're favorite profile though, just based off of COVID was long. So I took the hospitality course and part of the hospitality course to increase my customer service skills though was a whole bartending course.
And so I go look at your spice cabinet and design a cocktail just for you. No kidding. Well, we may have to take you up on that one. So when you and the family get a chance to get away, do you have any like favorite vacation spots?
Going, going on knowledge would be nice when you know, when time affords it. But overseas, that was Lisbon Portugal. That was probably like my third favorite place on earth. It's just beautiful.
It's just a big giant point. Really? That's the best way to describe it. But cheaper.
Yeah. What made you go to there in the first place? That's we were going through the whole European thing. And so we went to France for the holidays and went to London and then we like were in like Portugal, Lisbon.
And it was just, you know, I just suggested don't know, it's just a beautiful, beautiful, everyone's so friendly. Everyone's really everyone, you know, and so no one was looking at me finding it all like everyone was just like, yeah, do you speak any languages? I use when I used to work in China, I learned Chinese a little bit though, but that was like almost like 20 years ago. I know enough TJ is out Spanish.
I know, I know, I know, I know good English. I know bad English. Okay. Okay.
Well, you just need me up here. You know, you worked in China. Yeah, I was under the, I was working for the embassy, so I was teaching embassy employee children, you know, a lot of different, you know, games and things like that. And also, it was a lot of international delegates from other countries.
So they asked me to teach them English over, I would say that was in 2006. I did that for about May till September, I was in Beijing. Yeah. Wow.
What was that like? It was different. China was a lot different like then. I mean, that was the only time I felt like a rich person at the time, it was like, you know, one American dollar to eight of theirs.
And so, you know, we had like a driver and like all the meals were like, we're underneath like $2 and it was good. Those were hardworking people. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. It was a good time. Wow. I mean, we're not even begun hardly here, John.
I'm already like, wow, I've learned so much about you. This is really awesome. And I'm about to ask a question that you may have already answered, and what's something about yourself that most people don't know? Let's see.
So many people that they don't know that I am very good in the kitchen, me and my wife. I think I really would say I can probably make you whatever you like, non, obviously for dollars, you know, but I'll figure it out. And I think I've mastered chocolate chip cookie. I think no one else probably in the Western Hemisphere could make chocolate chip cookie better than me, my family like me and my wife, we like make chocolate chip.
We're very specific. We smoke our butter, we smoke our salt. Yeah. It's a very almost like religious practice that we do like once a year.
Okay. You know, Jane over here is producing this. You know, where we're going with this, Jane, right? We're going to have to taste some of these chocolate chip cookies at some point, John.
Well, say after my after my full probation period that I made, we talked about it. There you go. There you go. So who's been some of the most influential people in your life?
Oh, one would probably be my scout master part when I was like younger Scott, Mr. Stanley, he was now a deacon. And he really taught me a lot about, you know, taking up, taking me out in the woods and just to figure it out. So that really helped me a lot in terms of knowing about self reliance.
And then another big influence would probably be Simon C. He's kind of like a social media, kind of like positive type of guy who really talking about the five wise, which is a really good way to like live your life and just really just in general, though, the sickest, the foundation of the seven six. So I would say, yeah, those are probably the biggest influences in my life. That's cool.
Yeah. And through all that, what's one of the best pieces of advice anybody's ever given? Yeah, I wouldn't be like, I heard like from Simon C, if you asked the question for any problem you have, if you ask a question, why five times in a row? So that's what I say is like, there's something that there's an issue.
If you ask, well, why that happened? And then you ask, like, why did that happen? If you do that five times in a row, you will get to the source of whatever ailment there may be in the solution, though. So I really will use that though when I feel like I'm in a bind.
Yeah. Well, do you use that technique on your wife? Because I could see her saying, John, if you ask me another question, my wife doesn't do anything wrong. She is wonderful.
And I thank God every day for sending that angel to me. Perfect. Great answer, John. Yeah, exactly.
So if you could like magic wand, you had instantly learned a new skill, like what's something you'd love to be able to do that you can't currently do? That would be magical skill. Oh, guess that would be healing. I mean, it's not like healing people.
I mean, that's something like medical bill that could just be able to be like, not like be like a surgeon. But if I could, if I could have had a cut and I could just magically stitch it real quick, and just, you know, fix someone medically like right away, like just like almost like, he'd be kind of cool. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, for me, it's like, my, my cabinet's so empty of things that I can do.
So the, what would I like to do is a big list? I'd like to sing. I can't say. I like to be able to play an instrument, can't play an instrument.
I like to cook, can't cook. I'd like to be mechanical, not mechanical. So John, you're pretty complete as a person, you know, like when you're trying to like heal people, that's, that's pretty good. That's so far down my list of the basics.
So glad to hear if I know if I need something, I'm coming to you for sure. So if you weren't working in insurance, what, what do you think, what career path do you think you'd be on? I would probably be, if I wasn't insurance, I'd probably be in law. I mean, I went to law school for a few years before my grandmother, my mother got sick, I'm going to be on top out of law school.
So I wasn't insurance, so I would probably would have probably kept pursuing that. Yeah. Yeah. You just seem like somebody that's always in a quest to learn.
I'm trying. Yeah. I think that's really admirable. So tell the audience John how long have you been with French amiss?
I've been with French amiss since August of 2025. Yeah. So you're relatively new. And what motivated you to join Rensha Lisa?
I really like the culture of here of like, it's, you know, we do a lot of high end accounts, but because of the team network, they have set up makes the stress of this industry a lot more reduce. I do like how it's while you're on the clock, you're going to work hard. But once you're shifted over, Kim wants you out of here. She wants you spending your Saturdays and being here missing dinner with the family.
And I really do like how the folks above me don't do care about the individual and their well being along almost, you know, if not even like more than they do, the named insured. Yeah, it's just like take care of the employee and the employee will take care of the name insured. And I do like that philosophy. That's great.
I'm really pleased to hear that. What are one or two areas of your role that you really enjoy? One of my two areas of the role is interacting with both, you know, our client coordinator, Sean and Amy, the fact that I have like a team to work with, not all the way to just someone person. Yeah.
And then we're doing everything as a team effort, makes things so much easier for what I'm used to when it's kind of like, even when I had other agencies, though, like I had account managers, though, but I really didn't feel like I was doing things on my own. I feel like most of the things I do, even from doing just a COI, it's a whole team effort. I love the network of, you know, of companions we have to get attached on. I really do like that a lot.
So, you know, we really encourage people here to extend themselves to try to grow within their roles and responsibilities. So in light of that, what areas are you looking to grow your career here and within your group, the construction group or have you set your sights on anything and you're an assistant client manager right now in the construction group? So what are some of your career aspirations? Well, I'm on the pathway to be an account manager, though, like as we grow more than the kind of risk management field, that would be something I would like to come across.
I do have my arm destination, I am going to have an assistant risk management and being able to utilize that more for the agencies, though, would be, you know, would be nice to come and learn a lot more and be, you know, you know, more really interesting. Yeah. A lot more flexibility, but I think you will build more creative and help you out the client. Yeah, it sounds like with your background, you know, you're somebody that has challenged yourself from high school on and we're looking for that here, you know, as an agency, we're growing, creates more opportunities.
And as you transition into that client manager, you're now the team lead for the assistant client manager coordinator. And, you know, I know you'll be a great, do a great job of coaching them up. Yeah, for sure. So here's a question I always like to ask.
And it's granted you've only been here since August, so it's pretty new for you to answer this. But if you were to be out Saturday afternoon with your wife and you're running to somebody and they asked you where you worked and you said, Rancho Mesa, they said, well, what is Rancho Mesa? How would you describe Rancho Mesa to a total stranger? Rancho Mesa is a company to me that definitely puts the client at ease when it comes to dealing with this whole, you know, insurance-working roads.
It's tough. You know, it is a finance industry and it could be a stress to know that if something was to happen to your business, that to be relieved that Rancho Mesa will come in and get you squared away. Not just that, they will also prepare you, you know, and kind of help you avoid risk ahead of time, you know, like that's the West One thing I do like about especially like with the, with your producers, so they're really being able to advocate for the clients and preparing themselves for to avoid risk, you know, so it's possible though, you know, having people, you know, stretch on like on the job side, I've never heard of that. I've never heard of other things like that.
Like, I think you guys suggested your clients are really good to help avoid risk though. So like you guys are paying years when it comes to that. Yeah. So what Michael's done is is our culture, as you probably know, and it's a culture when Charne and I started company, it's really, really important to us.
You mentioned it a little bit with, you know, Ken's attitude about, hey, you know, when you're here, we expect it to work, but we don't expect it to work all night long and all weekends and things like that. So if you just from what you've seen so far in three words, how would you describe, how would you describe Rancho Mesa's culture? What three words come to mind when you ask that question? Do you see the Aztec patient and teamwork, if I can say, I want all that one.
So really big on the teamwork is, I mean, we have a coach, we have, you know, we have our catcher, we have our, we have our pitcher, I mean, we have this a whole, we have like all the bases covered, you know, when that ball is thrown, everyone is just on point, ready to go. That's how I think that's great. You know, the squad operates. Yeah, I love all your sports now.
I'm sorry. I'm a sports guy, you know, our, our, our conference room is called the clubhouse and the other ones called the dugout. So yeah, we're very much into sports. So we're going to wrap it up here.
We've asked you a lot of questions, find a lot of really interesting things. Is there something else you want to talk about or share before we close out today? I'm really grateful to have to do this with you today, just and be working with these great people. Also, I know I do love how I get to go out on walks with all the young folk, how during our break, we'll get out of the way.
I don't know why. That's like my favorite person, my day. I know it makes them funny, but just going out and just walking the, you know, like a courtyard with every one, you know, about half mile every hour. You know, it's funny.
I'm pleased to hear you say that. You know, that started probably now about eight or nine years ago. And originally, it was called the seventh inning stretch. And that's how we just felt like, okay, you know, as we're growing as a company, it's important to interact with different groups of people that you're not working with side by side.
And that has, it's stuck, you know, and it's nice to get out of the office. And it's where our offices are located. It's a beautiful area without traffic, you know, so you can get out, get in the sunshine, walk, chat with people, get to know them a little bit better. So I do think that that is a pretty cool thing.
And I will admit, it was not my idea. But I'm all for it. And it's, I know it's good because it's stuck. You know, people aren't tired of it.
So I'm glad to hear you say anything else John before we close out today. No, I'm really that's, I think I'm like, for now, I'm just looking forward to, you know, how years to come, everything's going to go. I grow here with everyone. Yeah.
Well, we love having you here, John. I really appreciate you stepping out today and talking with me. I always, you know, I've talked to a lot of our people, some that have been here for 10, 15 years. And I always find out something that I thought I should have known that I didn't know.
So John, I've got a long list of things starting with these chocolate chip cookies that we're going to. So John, I just want to thank you again for joining me in studio one today and choosing Rancho Mesa for your career. John, thank you. And thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by Studio One.
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