California Ranks as Top State for Medigap Insurance Coverage

Mar 6, 2024 | Business

 When it comes to Medigap coverage, Californians lead the way. According to data reported today by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance, some 1.12 million Californians have Medicare Supplement insurance protection.

“While so much attention today is focused on Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap coverage continues to play a vital role benefiting seniors,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the Medicare insurance advocacy organization. According to Slome, just over 14 million individuals have Medigap coverage.

Insurance agents in California are clearly communicating reasons to compare Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans, Slome suggests. “While the TV ads make it appear that one choice is preferable, that’s not always the case for seniors who want choice and options when it comes to their health care,” Slome notes.

Texas ranked as the number-two state in terms of seniors covered by Medigap plans with 931,400 covered individuals. Florida ranked a close third with 925,900 Medigap policyholders. The data for the top-10 Medigap states can be found at https://medicaresupp.org/information/medigap/medigap-buyers-top-states/.

Asked why seniors continue to favor Medigap, Slome pointed out two significant advantages. “Post-Covid, more seniors are travelling travel, especially abroad, and Medigap policies generally will cover you when outside of the United States,” he notes. “That’s not always the case with Medicare Advantage. Also seniors who like their physician and other specialists don’t have to worry about being in or out of a network.”

The Medicare insurance organization noted an increase in the number of seniors using the free online directory listing local Medicare agents. “Medicare is a national program but options are local and consulting with a local professional can be extremely beneficial,” Slome points out. Traffic to the Association’s Find A Medicare Agent online directory increased in 2023 he confirmed.

The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance advocates for the importance of educated Medicare planning. The organization supports Medicare insurance agents who market both Medicare Advantage and Medigap solutions. To access the Association’s free online directory, go to https://www.medicaresupp.org/find-local-agent/.

American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance
Jesse R. Slome
818-597-3205
https://www.medicaresupp.org

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California Coast Credit Union Supports Emergency Housing Efforts for Local Flood Victims

Feb 13, 2024 | Business

 California Coast Credit Union is partnering with Logan Heights Community Development Corporation (LHCDC) to support families displaced by flooding due to recent rains.

Cal Coast is contributing $7,500 to LHCDC to help families that have been moved into temporary housing under the Emergency Assistance Program. The LHCDC, in partnership with the San Diego Housing Commission, evaluates the storms’ impact on families placed in temporary housing. Cal Coast Credit Union’s funding is available to address the immediate needs of these families.

“We talk to the families once they get into their temporary housing,” said Monte Jones, CEO of the Logan Heights CDC. “If they have immediate, pressing needs like food, kitchen supplies, clothing, or other items, the funds from Cal Coast can be used to help them as quickly as possible. We are so thankful for our continued partnership with Cal Coast, and proud of the work we do together to help our community thrive.”

Todd Lane, Cal Coast President & CEO, said, “Our hearts go out to the families who have been impacted by the recent floods. In times of crisis, the strength of a community is enhanced through collaborative efforts between businesses and other community agencies. Cal Coast appreciates the valuable partnership we have with Logan Heights CDC and other local organizations to be able to build a more resilient and supportive community, especially during difficult times.”

People in need of temporary housing due to the recent flooding are encouraged to contact the City of San Diego Housing Commission at www.sdhc.org.

About California Coast Credit Union
Established by San Diego teachers in 1929, California Coast Credit Union is the longest-serving financial institution based in San Diego County. With more than $3.5 billion in assets, the credit union serves over 200,000 members through its local network of 26 branches and 60 shared branch locations, and 30,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. California Coast is not-for-profit, provides no-cost financial education for adults and youth, and is committed to improving the lives of its members and others in the community. Anyone who lives or works in San Diego or Riverside counties can be a member. For more information, visit www.calcoastcu.org or call (877) 495-1600.

California Coast Credit Union
Robert Scheid
858-636-5132
www.calcoastcu.org

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California Fish Grill Dives into Digitization, Partners with kea for a Seamless Voice AI Ordering Experience

Dec 21, 2023 | Business

California Fish Grill is leveraging keas voice ordering system across all 55 restaurants

Mountain View, CA, USA – WEBWIRE –

kea, the cashier in the cloud empowering restaurants with revenue-boosting voice ordering, today initiated its partnership with California Fish Grill. The collaboration focuses on upgrading the restaurant chains traditional phone ordering systems to keas human-centered conversational AI. The goal is to streamline California Fish Grills operations, freeing restaurant staff to focus on the customer experience inside the restaurant.

We believe in creating a supportive and collaborative environment for our employees at California Fish Grill, said Patrick Waiyawaytar, Vice President of Information Technology. We are working to reduce stress for our valued front-of-house team, especially when dealing with phone orders. Keas AI technology allows us to streamline processes, easing the workload for our cashier team and ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience.

A cornerstone of keas human-centered approach is its innovative the human in the loop feature. Rather than using only AI, which often has a low call completion rate, keas system integrates live agents that monitor the order, increasing order accuracy, call completion and customer satisfaction. If the customer ever needs to speak to someone in real time, agents can jump in, or if the call drops, the agent will call the customer back.

California Fish Grill has integrated kea into all 55 locations first, and kea handles the majority of the restaurant chains call volume. So far, California Fish Grill has seen a boost in average ticket size due to keas upselling feature. Keas natural language processing understands the difference between menu items so it can suggest what to add to a customers order and is guaranteed to identify intelligent selling opportunities on 100% of calls.

Our mission is to empower local restaurant chains to thrive, said Adam Ahmad, CEO and Founder of kea. With kea, California Fish Grill can continue to focus on what they do best, serving high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood, and we can focus on handling their to-go orders for them. Its a win-win.

Restaurants interested in trying AI to enable hospitality and scale through digitization can book a demo at kea.ai.

About kea

kea is on a mission to empower local restaurant chains by enhancing customer service, streamlining operations, and boosting revenue through human-centered conversational AI. CEO Adam Ahmad founded the cashier in the cloud in 2018, and has since digitized phone ordering for 10 enterprise-level restaurant chains. Kea uses natural language processing to customize, upsell, confirm orders, and process payment through a PCI-compliant system, and features a human in the loop to ensure a smooth ordering process. The company has served over 1,000,000 guests and has raised $29.6M from VCs including Marbruck, Xfund, Streamlined Ventures, Deepcore, Heartland Ventures, and Morningside Ventures.

About California Fish Grill

With more than 50 locations in the West and counting, California Fish Grill is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The fast casual restaurant is the perfect destination for seafood lovers who appreciate great taste, value and a welcoming environment. Offering an array of sustainably sourced seafood varieties including Atlantic Salmon, Branzino, wild-caught Mahi Mahi, and classics like Fish and Chips, California Fish Grill prepares each dish to order using fresh ingredients and a wide variety of flavorful sauces. California Fish Grill invites guests to join the brand on an inspiring journey towards sustainable seafood practice, knowing that your choice supports positive change in the seafood industry.

For more information about California Fish Grill, please visit our website and social media channels.

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gabriela@kea.cloud

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California Coast Credit Union Names Kellen Gill Chief Audit and Risk Officer

Aug 25, 2023 | Business

 California Coast Credit Union, the longest serving financial institution based in San Diego, with over $3.5 billion in assets, has named Kellen Gill as Chief Audit and Risk Officer.

In his role at Cal Coast, Gill will oversee internal audit, compliance, risk management, and legal for the credit union.

Gill brings a strong compliance and audit background to Cal Coast. For the past sixteen years, he has worked in several roles of increasing responsibility at Sempra Energy and San Diego Gas and Electric Company including corporate tax, accounting, compliance, internal audit, legislative policy, and regulatory affairs. He has also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Accountancy at the University of San Diego and teaches the CPA examination preparation course for Becker Professional Education.

Todd Lane, President & CEO of California Coast Credit Union, said: “We are excited to have Kellen join our team at Cal Coast. His experience will help Cal Coast continue to strengthen our internal controls, minimize risk to the organization, and ultimately serve our loyal members by building on our track record of strength and stability.”

Gill has a Master of Science degree in Tax from San Diego State University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego. He is also a Certified Public Accountant, licensed to practice in the state of California. When he is not working, Kellen and his husband Justin enjoy trying new restaurants, cooking, wine tasting and traveling.

About California Coast Credit Union

Established by San Diego teachers in 1929, California Coast Credit Union is the longest-serving financial institution based in San Diego County. With more than $3.5 billion in assets, the credit union serves over 200,000 members through its local network of 25 branches and 60 shared branch locations, and 30,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. California Coast is not-for-profit, provides no-cost financial education for adults and youth, and is committed to improving the lives of its members and others in the community. Anyone who lives or works in San Diego or Riverside counties can be a member. For more information, visit www.calcoastcu.org or call (877) 495-1600.

California Coast Credit Union
Christine Lee
858-636-3083
www.calcoastcu.org

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Oakland California Machinery & Technical Specialties Appraiser Elected International ASA President

Jul 7, 2023 | Books, Business

HERNDON, Va. – July 5, 2023 – PRLog — Garrett Schwartz, ASA, began his one-year term as International President for ASA, on July 1, 2023.

Schwartz is an Accredited Senior Appraiser in Machinery & Technical Specialties for Sencer Appraisal Associates, and is based in Oakland, California. He has been an equipment appraiser for over sixteen years, valuing machinery and equipment in construction, agriculture, health care, food processing, and metalworking industries and for financial, commercial, and institutional firms in many other industries. He has performed equipment appraisals for clients across the United States, Central and South America, Asia, and Europe. His clients have included the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the United States military, local and regional banks, charitable organizations, business brokers, legal and accounting firms, private individuals, and business clients from single proprietorships to Fortune 5 corporations.

He most recently served as ASA International Vice President. He served as editor of the fourth edition of ASA’s foundational textbook on equipment appraisal, “Valuing Machinery and Equipment: The Fundamentals of Appraising Machinery and Technical Assets,” published in 2020, and has served as International Secretary/Treasurer and Region Governor, and has been a member of the International Board of Governors for six years. He also served as president of the ASA Northern California Chapter and the International Chapter, as a member-at-large of the ASA Machinery & Technical Specialties Committee, and as a member of a number of other local, discipline, and international ASA committees.

Schwartz graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration. He is also a member of the Association of Machinery & Equipment Appraisers and CalCPA and serves as a vice president of Temple Beth Abraham, his Oakland, California synagogue.

“The continued growth and success of ASA are fundamental to the long-term success of our profession and to appraisers like me,” Schwartz said. “Because of that, I’ve worked for many years to support the Society and members. I look forward to the opportunity and honor of serving as ASA International President.”

To read the full blog article, click here: https://www.appraisersnewsroom.org/?p=10089