ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY  VOLUME 11, ISSUE 6

Congrats, Chenise! By Debra Chong (Island Insurance)

JUNE 2015

one Atlas.

Na Leo O’ Atlas http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/potm/

1132 Bishop Street  Suite 1600  Honolulu, HI 96813  808‐533‐3222 

HANA HOU!

Inside this issue: Congrats, Chenise!                 

1     

Toastmasters 

2 

  Straight from the  Heart 

  3     

       

Lemonade Alley  Check Presentation 

4  4 

     

 

Congratulations &  Welcome to Staff!  New Business  ‐  Agents 

4‐5 

5 

In the March newsletter, we reported that Chenise won the Region VIII International Association of Insurance Professionals (IAIP) Confidence While Communicating speech competition held in San Francisco on March 19, 2015. The win qualified her to represent Hawaii, California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah at the IAIP International Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 4. At the convention of over 600 people from all across the United States and even some from around the world, she again presented her heartfelt three-minute prepared speech about the physical and mental health benefits she received from the programs offered here at Atlas Insurance. She then answered a new one-minute impromptu question. In a fiercely close competition with eight other representatives from all across the nation, Chenise triumphed as the victor. She is the first person from Hawaii to ever win the international contest.

Submit your articles, pictures  or suggestions to:  Kristen Ribilla  [email protected] 

She represented Atlas Insurance, the Honolulu Association of Insurance Professionals and Hawaii with an abundance of grace and professionalism. Congratulations, Chenise!

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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY

Toastmasters—Where Leaders Are Made By Chenise Blalock Toastmasters is an organization that is well recognized & identified by its ability to transform the shyest and sometimes most unlikely speaker into a confident, competent & even entertaining orator, but what some may not be aware of, is that Toastmasters is equally capable of providing a training ground to build, nurture & mature leadership skills. At the club level we learn to demonstrate great leadership by:     

Improving listening skills Planning/ Conducting meetings Utilizing creative/ critical thinking Providing evaluations to encourage & provide constructive feedback for improvement Mentoring others

As we progress to the more advanced leadership levels we..        

Develop strategies to assist in the implementation of the vision for the club Become more involved in goal setting/ planning Facilitate training to promote the growth of others Develop Project management skills with a guidance committee Team build Mentor / Sponsor other clubs Organize contests & conferences Demonstrate leadership skills in various areas in the local, district & sometimes international level. In the pursuit to increase my own leadership skills, I've learned the opportunities are endless. In Toastmasters there are multiple tools available to enhance your growth experience & there are many who have come before you to support & mentor you toward success. I believe Leadership is a state of being, which means, it's as much a state of mind as it is the action of being a leader. And I've learned a good leader sets the example that you expect & hope others will follow. The invitation to join is open to both exempt & non- exempt employees. We meet the third Thursday of each month, 12 - 1pm. We welcome all visitors.

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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY

Chips Ahoy! HEART Incentive Program By Martin Beardeaux Sorry for the bad pun… I can almost hear the collective groan. Now that I’ve got your attention, I wanted to highlight the HEART Incentives program which was re-vitalized in 2015. “What is That”, you ask? Here are some FAQs: What are HEART Chips? They are custom designed clay poker chips with the HEART logo emblazoned in the middle.

2015 HEART Committee

Aleksandr Razloga, x-8740 Anna Gima, x-8714 Bonnie Pang, x-8651 Kristen Ribilla, x-8791 Krystyn Weeks, x-8722 Martin Beardeaux, x-8617 Sandy Ferreira, x-8620 Sharon Hodson, x-8657 Vince Miyoi, x-8719 Vivian Haitsuka, x-8653 Naomi Sutton

How Do I Earn Them? They are awarded to Atlas employees for their healthy lifestyle choices and are earned by participating in various HEART-sponsored / recognized activities throughout the year. The number of chips earned depends on the activity. Here are a few examples: Chair, or assist in running, a HEART event (2 chips to chair, 1 to assist) Donate blood at the 1132 Bishop Blood Drive (1 chip) Annual Health Risk Assessment and “HealthPass” screening (1 chip) Participate in an Atlas-sponsored fun run (1 chip) Attend one of the many HEART lunch and learn programs (1 to 2 chips) Make sure you get credit for participating in an event, and the Chair for that event will turn in the list of names to myself or Chenise “Supah Champ” Blalock. What Do I Do With Them?

The HEART Chips can be accumulated and traded in for HEART incentive prizes. In addition to the short-sleeved and long-sleeved HEART shirts offered last year for 10 chips, we are ordering several other HEART logo incentive prizes at lower chip levels: Smoothie Tumbler, Canvas Tote Bag, Salad Kit, and Cooling Gym Towel.

Additional Notes: Participation in the HEART activities is strictly voluntary Make sure you hold on to your chips so you can be ready to redeem them. We will let you know when the new incentive prizes are received HEART cannot replace lost / misplaced chips. There is no expiration date on the chips. Feel free to contact myself (X 8617), Vivian Haitsuka (X 8653) or Chenise Blalock (X 8680) if you have any questions.

Edamame Salad that we served for the June’s Farmer’s Market. Thanks, Anna!

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Donation to BizGym Foundation—proceeds from Lemonade Alley! In follow-up to our April article about the Lemonade Alley, Atlas and our Kid Entrepreneurs were able to do a check presentation of $1,816! Lemonade Alley’s mission is to make business fun through empowering kids with essential life skills, a kid biz contest that took place on Saturday, April 11, at Pearlridge Center. At the contest, ages K-12 kids invent a recipe and build a stand in a mall of lemonade stands in a head-to-head contest to see who can raise the most for a charity of choice, and our choice was BizGym Foundation (BGF), who’s mission is to empower the attainment of legacy through business. Lip Smackin’ Lemons’ Kid Entrepreneurs, Tanner & Ty Marcello-Vina, (Kristen’s godsons) Myles Murakami, presented the check to Lemonade Alley’s Chief Lemon Head, Steve Sue and Board Member of BizGym, Tim Caminos. They even made the MidWeek, West Oahu Community News, along with the help of Taima Elias & Lily Nordgran! Thank you once again for everyone’s help and support of this event!

Congrats, Jennifer! By Kari Yamada Congratulations to Jennifer Tupuola for receiving her CISR (Certified Insurance Service Representative) designation! You set a great example for your children, by showing them that hard work and dedication does pay off. Thank you for investing in the growth of your insurance knowledge, as both you and Atlas benefit from it.

Welcome, Sharisse! By Kari Yamada Sharisse Akagi joins Atlas as an Account Administrator in the AA Pool. Prior to coming to Atlas, Sharisse was a substitute teacher with the Department of Education. She is a graduate of Kamehameha and Brigham Young University at Provo where she earned her degree in Communication Disorders. Sharisse enjoys doing volunteer work for her church and spent 18 months in Thailand teaching English to children and adults. Please welcome Sharisse to the Atlas Ohana.

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Welcome, Ryan! By Nick Tan Please welcome Ryan Shinkawa to the Atlas Ohana as your new Surety Manager. Ryan is a former Account Exec with Cavanah Insurance and has a background in construction and insurance. He is working closely with Nick to fine tune his surety skills and looks forward to helping all of our clients with their surety needs. Ryan is a graduate of Iolani School and the University of Washington with a proven track record as a team player. As Head Coach of the 2005-2006 Kalani High School Girl’s Varsity Soccer team he successfully led the team to their first States appearance in over 10 years. Outside of work Ryan is a busy father, enjoys good sushi, and hanging with friends.

Welcome Erika! By Nick Tan Erika is very happy to be part of the Atlas Ohana as a Surety Account Manager! She originally hails from Kaimuki and has extensive surety experience as a former Surety Account Manager for King & Neel. Erika is quickly learning the ropes of being a fine Atlas citizen, while becoming the newest member of the OAC for the remainder of the year so when you see her around please say hi! Outside of work Erika enjoys trying new restaurants and spending time with her family. Welcome Erika!

Welcome, Shane! By Sharilyn Tanaka Personal Lines is very happy to welcome our newest addition, Shane Choi who came highly recommended by his good friend, Jordan Robinson as an Account Administrator. He recently graduated from UH Manoa with a major in Finance and also worked at Sylvan Learning Center—where he used to tutor one of our PL staff’s children. On his spare time, he loves to collect special Star Wars memorabilia and watch movies of the Star Wars kind.

New Business—Agents

Commercial

Gerald Takeuchi

Personal

Randy Millare