Working hard to provide you great service is a core value at California Casualty.
One of the ways we ensure that we live up to your expectations is by following the California Casualty Code. Written in 1965, it formalized the beliefs of high ethical standards and quality of service to customers; ideas that were passed down from our founder, Carl G. Brown.
Reinforcing this tradition of ethics and accountability is California Casualty’s PRIDE (Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence) in the Code program. It recognizes employees who exemplify the key values contained in the California Casualty Code: Acting with Integrity, Fulfilling Our Promises, Providing Exceptional Service, Pursuing Excellence through Learning and Working as a Team. The award highlights the actions of employees who have gone above and beyond everyday expectations to benefit customers and fellow employees.
At California Casualty, every job is important and individual employee contributions make a difference to our success. The PRIDE in the Code program acknowledges and celebrates those who inspire us to greater levels of individual and collective achievement that, ultimately, result in a better experience for you.
Colleagues nominate others they see making a difference for customers and coworkers. Every three months, quarterly winners of the PRIDE in the Code are announced. This year’s recipients included Monique in our Underwriting department, who was nominated for Providing Exceptional Service when she made custom, personalized coasters for everyone in the unit; Jenny, from our Actuarial department, who was also cited for Providing Exceptional Service after mastering new coding techniques to create a more efficient rating program for the various states we insure in; Christopher, also an Actuarial department staff member, who was nominated for Providing Exceptional Service for optimizing efficiency for his team through his dedicated work to seamlessly transfer to a new and improved quoting platform (this took learning a new programing language and consolidating numerous Excel files into a single table) while he was on family leave helping take care of his newborn; and Karen and Susan from Learning and Development, who took time from their demanding workload to man the lobby area when a guard didn’t show up, ensuring the safety of employees and guests. Karen and Susan were nominated for Working as a Team.
Each year, one of the quarterly winners receives the annual Thomas R. Brown PRIDE in the Code Award, the second-highest honor in the company. It acknowledges a staff member whose actions have benefitted customers, the company, and colleagues.
In 2016, Dena, from our IT department, was chosen for the Thomas R. Brown PRIDE in the Code Award. She was nominated for stepping up to take on a project for our Claims department that impacted 4,000 policies. Without a fix, The Claims team would have had to manually update the policies – a task that would have taken months to complete. Dena tackled and completed the solution in just a couple of weeks.
Dena receiving her award from Executive VP Mike Bower
Dena’s nominator said that her actions were a clear example of the special teamwork that many share at California Casualty, promoting the feeling that we are all working for something greater than ourselves, and that our role is important in that bigger picture.
Dena said the great culture at California Casualty, and so many people working to live up to the California Casualty Code, has made her 39 years with the company so enjoyable.
The 2017 Thomas R. Brown PRIDE in the Code Award recipient will be named soon at our company’s Town Hall Meetings. We will share their story in an upcoming issue of the Connection.
TAKEAWAY: Learn more about the California Casualty Code and how it guides us to serve you better at https://www.calcas.com/our-code.
Read all the articles from this edition of the Calcas Connection Newsletter:
Great educators can have a lifelong impact on their students. As they challenge and encourage the learning process, they also guide them on the path to future success.
They don’t do it alone. Creating a learning environment for all students requires the combined efforts of schools, administrators, teachers and professional support staff.
Those who succeed have a passion for pushing students to reach new heights. They don’t do it for glory or adulation; they do it because they can make a difference in a child’s life. Working in education is more than just a job; it’s a calling.
That devotion is exhibited by Palm Springs Painted Hills Middle School music-band and choir instructor Brian McDaniel, California’s 2018 National Teacher of the Year nominee. He believes that, “An outstanding teacher is a force of nature, an earthquake looking for every opportunity to burst through the surface and change the world. The power of an outstanding teacher can generate countless aftershocks long after they’ve passed on.”
McDaniel’s colleagues and students say he motivates and inspires everyone he meets. He overcame being homeless and in foster care early in life through music. His belief in the power of music to heal has been embraced by students, and their performances routinely win awards.
California Casualty values the contributions of educators like Mr. McDaniel.
As the Presenting Sponsor of the California School Recognition Program, California Casualty is proud to make possible the events that honor the 2018 California Teachers of the Year, Classified Employees of the year, and the public schools named as Distinguished Schools. From the many years that we have been visiting classrooms and listening to educators, we’ve learned that every person or school that is recognized represents dozens more that are doing great things for students, staff and their communities.
With a relationship that spans 66 years, CTA and California Casualty are mutually committed supporting educators in their goal of improving the learning environment. We understand that great teachers don’t accomplish great things by themselves. That’s why California Casualty and CTA are sponsors of the California School Recognition Program.
California Casualty CEO Beau Brown said it best when he remarked, “Our partnerships with CTA and the California Department of Education is a testament of how schools, businesses and communities can come together to promote the remarkable successes of those developing the minds of our future generations.”
We thank everyone involved with education that makes a difference every day.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction with California Casualty AVP Lisa Almeida, Field Marketing Manager Amanda Keidel and CEO Beau Brown at 2017 Teachers of the Year Ceremony
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom
As we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we have the opportunity to teach students about Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights, and tolerance. We’ve curated a variety of videos, lesson plans, resources, and other activities to help you.
A teacher’s resource guide that provides activities for students in kindergarten through eighth grade to explore the rich history of the civil rights movement and the persona of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This educational curriculum was developed by The Alonzo Crim Center for Excellence in Urban Education at Georgia State University. The curriculum focuses on building on students’ current civil rights knowledge and helping them to compare present-day realities to past struggles for justice in America and throughout the world.
Curriculum-focused service lessons for grades 3–5 and 6–8. Teach your students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and inspire them to “lead in deed.” Classroom-friendly resources, including videos, news articles, photographs, book lists, and lesson plans to support your Common Core work.
The King Institute provides document-based lesson plans, online educational resources and professional development with emphasis on the modern African American Freedom Struggle. Our resources focus not only on King’s visionary ideas, but also the work of ordinary people who have made extraordinary contributions to liberation movements.
Examine Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with lesson plans and videos. Use classroom resources to examine King’s impact on civil rights and his ongoing legacy with your students.
Join PBS LearningMedia in observing and celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with this special collection of resources related to Dr. King and his achievements.
The words “incomprehensible,” “terrible,” and “devastation like we’ve never seen or imagined” continue to be used to describe the impact of the fires that ravaged and changed the face of Santa Rosa and areas of Sonoma and Napa counties in October. The images of the wind-blown firestorm are seared into our consciousness.
In the aftermath, vast acreage was blackened and trailer parks, hotels and neighborhoods were decimated – leaving our hearts heavy for those who lost family, friends or their homes.
It would have been much worse if not for the heroes who saved countless lives and property. During the firestorm, first responders stood tall as the fury unfolded around them. They made valiant runs into choking smoke and pitch dark conditions to rouse and rescue those caught off-guard, guiding and carrying the infirmed or confused as the relentless inferno consumed everything in its way. They are an inspiration to us all.
Most of those in uniform say they were just doing their job; helping others at their own peril, even while their homes and property were threatened.
As the smoke clears and the damage assessed, we want to thank all the first responders and volunteers who made a difference for so many.
Please join California Casualty in expressing our sincere gratitude to the hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTS and others who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our community. To all our heroes, we appreciate and thank you!
Check out our previous #ThisIsMyMoment video here.
Aaron Dean is an educator and NEA Member. He works daily to inspire and educate his students. Watch the video above to learn how a simple classroom interaction turned into one of the defining moments of his career.
