A Typical Day in the Life of a Sea World Trainer

           When people find out that I used to be a marine mammal trainer at Sea World of San Diego before getting into the insurance business, they often ask questions like “What was it like?”, “Did you make a lot of money?”, “How did you get into that?”, “Were you ever scared?”, and “You left THAT to get into the insurance business?”.

            Working as a marine mammal trainer at Sea World was a great job which I really loved but no, I was not paid a lot of money. And, it’s not as glamorous as many people think. It’s actually a lot of hard work, both physically and mentally. Let me tell you about a typical day that I had in the summer of 1977 while working at the Seal and Otter Show.

            Our day started at 8:00 AM unless you wanted to stop at the employee lounge for breakfast in which case you came in earlier. But you still needed to be in the show area by 8:00. Our first show of the day was at 10:00 AM but there was a full two hours of work for two people before we could even think about the show.

            The first thing we did was to make sure we received our full “breakout” which is our daily complement of fish and horse meat to feed the California sea lions, Malaysian Otters, and Humboldt penguins. Then, one of the trainers would clean the otter enclosures and separate the first show sea lion team into a separate holding pen while the other trainer cut fish and prepared and gave each animal his/her daily vitamin (we aren’t the only ones who take a Flintstones vitamin each morning).

Ken as "The Ringmaster" and Canuck (California Sea Lion)

            The next thing we typically did was while one trainer was hosing down the sea lion and elephant seal pens, the other would conduct training sessions with one of the newer sea lions, otters, or even the giant elephant seal before the first show. The Seal and Otter Show usually had 9 shows daily with the possibility of one or two “optional” shows thrown in due to having more guests in the park than anticipated or projected (though we never really had the “option” of not doing the extra shows). Cleaning the area was ongoing and you tried to squeeze in training sessions whenever and wherever you could during the summer season. The bulk of the actual training was done during the winter months when there were far less shows on a daily basis.

            During the time frame I am talking about, we had two sea lion show teams (4 sea lions), two sea lions that were in various stages of training, a mature sea lion named Nitty who performed at the end of each show as “Freddie, the fast flipper”, four Humboldt penguins, six Malaysian otters, and a giant elephant seal. We had many more animals in the area during the winter but many of these were flown to the Sea World of Ohio park for their summer season (the Aurora, Ohio park was only open during the summer due to weather conditions in the Midwest).

            In July of 1977, the wife of our head show trainer, Dave Self, went into labor with their first child. Dave was wearing an emergency beeper and when it went off; Dave sprinted out of there and suddenly, only I and a rookie trainer named Julie Scardina was left to work the area for the next two weeks without a day off. **Julie is now the Sea World Ambassador and you may remember seeing her on one of her many appearances on The Today Show or The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Julie just recently celebrated her 60^th appearance on The Tonight Show).

Julie on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"

          Our show had a circus theme called the “Dingling Brothers Circus” and with Dave gone, I was the only one there to be the “ringmaster” which was the main trainer in the show and Julie was designated to do all of the “backups” as Boo Boo the Clown. The backup trainer ran around back stage frantically delivering and receiving the animals as they entered and exited the stage during various portions of the show.

           After one particular show, I decided to conduct a quick training session with Henry, one of our sea lions in training. Without getting out of my ringmaster costume, I took Henry onstage and conducted the session. At first, I was worried that the incoming crowd would spook Henry but he wasn’t fazed at all. I then walked Henry back towards his holding pen and made an absolutely dumb rookie mistake, a real goof. While holding a herring in my right hand (the mistake), I looked up to see which pen I should put Henry into. Henry jumped up and grabbed the herring out of my hand, his canine tooth driving through the finger nail on my ring finger and when I reacted by pulling my hand away, the nail was torn off and the tip of my finger was shredded. I became faint and leaned against the wall with blood pouring out onto the deck and yelled for Julie. I told her to call Steve Williams from the Shamu Show to come be the backup trainer (he knew the Boo Boo part) and Julie was to perform as the ringmaster for the first time while I went to the nurse to get cleaned up and bandaged. Her first reaction was that she had only done this in training sessions but then I reminded her that other than me, she was the only one left who could do the part.

Ken as "Boo Boo" and Frodo (Malaysian Otter)

             I walked across the park, still in costume, holding my hand in a blood soaked towel, and Nurse Dorothy, a wonderful angel of mercy took care of me and my hand. I returned to the show area and asked Steve how Julie did as the ringmaster. He gave her a glowing review so right then and there; I announced that we were sharing the ringmaster duties from then on.

            Another glamorous moment occurred one morning before the first show when we decided that pen #1 needed a good scrubbing. We moved Nitty, the fully mature sea lion who usually occupied pen one into another pen and drained his pool. Needless to say, the walls of his pool had a lot of poop that needed to be removed. Since I am much taller than Julie, I was the logical choice to jump down into the empty pool, praying that I landed without slipping. On this particular day, I landed short and my feet went out from under me. I slipped and then slid up and then down the wall which resulted in my being fully covered from my chest to my feet in poop. While being totally grossed out and holding my breath as much as possible, I brushed down the walls while Julie sprayed them with a hose. The pen was spotless but that was not the case with me. So naturally, I climbed out of the pen and chased Julie all over the show area asking her for a hug!

            We usually worked five days a week and ten hours per day at Seal and Otter since our last show of the day didn’t start until 7:00 PM. But, between 4:30 and 7:00 we had time to clean the area, clean the food buckets, separate the sea lion show team for the last show from the other sea lions, and prepare the food buckets for the last show. And, we had time to decompress by walking around the park eating the free soft serve ice cream cones that the wonderful girls working at the Foremost Gardens would give to us (a little begging was usually involved).

            Even though we worked long, hard days at the Seal and Otter Show, it was great. I was out of school for the summer and worked with the greatest people you can imagine. It was a great learning experience for a young trainer and the animals were fantastic though they did manage to challenge us from time to time.

           I still talk with Julie on occasion and play softball with her husband, Don, who worked in the Entertainment Department. My good friend Dave passed away a few years back but I still keep in contact with his wife, Cindy, who used to be the Sea World receptionist (and her dad was a security guard at the park).  

Ken May has been serving North County since 1982 offering quality insurance products with strong carriers. He is currently the president of the American Agents Alliance of California, the local chairperson of the North San Diego County Chapter of the Alliance, and a member of the MetLife producer council. He can be contacted at ken@kenmayinsurance.com.

Mercury Insurance: 50 Years of Service Excellence

Carrier Spotlight- MetLife Auto & Home

 In June, 2009, Ken May Insurance Services was proud to add MetLife to our stable of fine insurance partners. Though we have companies that target all types of risks, from the ultra good driver (or ultra-preferred) to the high risk (or non-standard) driver, I am excited to have an old (but forward thinking), solid company like MetLife in which to place our top-tiered drivers.

MetLife, or as some of you know them as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was founded in March, 1868. That’s right, 1868. That is over 144 years ago. So I am pretty sure that they aren’t going anywhere. MetLife has over 90 Million customers in over 60 countries. It is the largest life insurance company in the U.S. and serves 90 of the Fortune 500 companies.

Ken & Kim with Snoopy at The Alliance Convention 2010

 I’m sure that you have seen the MetLife adds on television with the Peanuts characters, primarily Snoopy. And I’m pretty sure that you have seen the MetLife blimp floating above major sporting events (actually, there are 6 blimps in their stable). The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and the New York Jets share the fabulous new MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands (New Jersey), across the Hudson River from Manhattan (Hey, how about a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers?).

I am proud to tell you that I have had the honor of being asked to sit on the MetLife Producer Council to offer insights to the company into what we the agents and you the consumers need from them to make the partnership strong and long-term. There are only a handful of us on the council so I take this responsibility very seriously and am proud to be involved with a company that not only listens to what we have to say but actually solicit our opinions and make changes that can be made. My first meeting of the Producer Council occurred near Monterey earlier this year where our group was invited to watch the Pebble Beach Golf Tournament in the MetLife sponsor tent overlooking the 17^th green of the Pebble Beach course. As expected from a 1^st class company like MetLife, we were treated in a 1^st class manner.

2012 Pebble Beach Pro Am

So, when you see Snoopy, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, or even good ole’ Charlie Brown, please think of us and think of MetLife, another solid, financially strong carrier that Ken May Insurance Services has to offer to you.

Ken May has been serving North County since 1982 offering quality insurance products with strong carriers. He is currently the president of the American Agents Alliance of California, the local chairperson of the North San Diego County Chapter of the Alliance, and a member of the MetLife producer council. He can be contacted at ken@kenmayinsurance.com.

Seven Commercial Vehicle Insurance Myths Debunked

By Ryan Furmick, business auto product manager, Progressive Commercial 

Your vehicles are the backbone that keeps your business up and running. But when it comes to the insurance for those vehicles, there may be some misconceptions floating around out there. For example, you might have been told that it’s okay to cancel your vehicle insurance in the off-season, or that all of your drivers are automatically covered by your policy. 

To help you get to the facts about commercial auto insurance, we’ve collected some of the more widely-held misconceptions and uncovered the truth about them–along with some tips on how to make sure you have the right coverages for your business.

1.      Myth: It’s cheaper to cancel your insurance if you have a seasonal business.

Fact: Not necessarily. If you cancel your insurance policy, your stored vehicles won’t be protected. A Comprehensive-only policy provides coverage for a business that doesn’t need liability coverage during certain months, but needs basic protection against incidents, such as vandalism, theft, falling tree branches, hail, etc. This is ideal for vehicles that sit for long periods during off-season.

Plus, a Comprehensive-only policy provides continuous insurance which may save you money in the long-run. If you drop your insurance completely, you may pay significantly more to purchase a new policy when your peak season rolls around because most insurance companies ask for proof of continuous coverage to get you the best rate.

2.      Myth: All commercial vehicle insurance companies use their own claims adjusters.

Fact: Most companies use part-time or contract adjusters to handle commercial vehicle claims, which can slow down the time it takes to get your vehicle back on the road and in business. Progressive handles 100 percent of its commercial vehicle insurance claims with its own staff of in-house commercial insurance experts, making sure claims are processed faster than other insurers that outsource this work. 

3.      Myth:  You must pay your insurance premium in full up-front.

Fact:  This isn’t always the case.  Some insurance companies offer payment plans that allow your insurance premium to be paid in installments, with very little initial payment.  Keep in mind that you might qualify for a discount if you pay your policy premium in full up-front; however, your carrier or agent may also have other bill plan options available to help you manage your cash flow. Progressive, for example, offers several bill plans, including low initial payments and no interest financing 

4.      Myth:  Your employees are covered when they drive your business vehicles.

Fact: Some vehicle insurance companies will only extend coverage to drivers who are specifically named on the policy.  Make sure your insurer allows “permissive use,” which means that all of your drivers are covered as long as they have your permission to operate the vehicle.

5.      Myth: It’s cheaper to buy all of your business insurance products from the same company.

Fact: You need a wide range of coverages to protect your business, from commercial vehicle insurance and general liability to workers’ compensation. While it might be easier to buy all of these products from the same company, you could save big bucks by buying your policies from separate providers. Shop around to find the best deal, or ask your local agent for quotes from several different companies.

6.      Myth: All insurance companies offer 24/7 service.

Fact: Many insurance companies are only available during regular office hours, which can make filing a claim, adding a vehicle to your policy, and paying bills inconvenient. Before you buy, check with your insurance company to make sure they’re available when you need them. 

7.      Myth or Fact

Wonder if one of your perceptions about vehicle insurance is myth or fact? Talk to a local agent.  They can provide answers and help you determine which coverages are right for your business. 

Ryan Furmick is a business auto product manager for Progressive Commercial.  Progressive, in business since 1937, is a market leader in commercial auto insurance.  For more information on Progressive’s coverages please call Ken May Insurance Services at 760-967-0385 or go to www.kenmayinsurance.com.

A Tale of Two Companies: Program Changes and Pebble Beach

Things never stay the same in the insurance industry. Everything is static and ever-changing which creates headaches, problems, bad feelings, and, at least to me, interest. Let me tell you the tale of two companies.

As many of you have noticed or will notice when you receive your renewal offer, the Mercury Insurance Company has completed a makeover of their personal auto insurance program. Some of you will be thrilled with the changes while some of you won’t be happy. You see, Mercury compiled information from the past five years of claims activity and made adjustments to their auto program based on these numbers. There was no emotion involved in making these changes; everything is based on metrics (that’s numbers to us commoners). Some zip codes saw rate decreases because the numbers show that historically, there have not been a lot of claims coming from these areas while other zip codes have seen rate increases due to a lot of claims coming from these areas.

Oceanside has two zip codes that have been hit particularly hard due to a lot of claims activity from these areas. So, if you think that a lot of your neighbors filing many small nuisance claims or embellishing the facts while trying to “hit the jackpot” when filing a claim doesn’t affect you, think again. And all of those payouts by your company because the other guy didn’t follow the law and have the necessary, mandated insurance coverage? You end up paying more.

Mercury also created their own vehicle rating symbols based on how much certain vehicles cost to fix or replace. You would be shocked to see how much money is paid out on Honda Civics vs. a Toyota Prius. So, Prius drivers are getting a break while Civic drivers are seeing an increase.

Other underwriting factors such as driver classes (a person’s age and marital status) come into play as well. The whole idea is to charge more where the numbers show the risk to be higher and to charge less where the numbers show the risk to be lower. But, I really understand the pain somebody feels when he or she has done nothing wrong, have been safe drivers, have not filed claims, yet see an increase simply because others in their area have done just the opposite.

So what are we doing about it? We are re-shopping every renewal that comes across our desks. If we have another option for you to consider, we will let you know about it. We ask that you look at both options and decide which way you want to go. And if you have questions, we ask that you contact us. As an independent agent, we have many companies in which to place you, not just Mercury. I promise that we will try our hardest to continue to serve your needs and craft a solution that best fits you.

One of these other programs that we offer is through MetLife who has been around since 1863. You may have seen their commercials that feature Peanuts characters, particularly Snoopy. MetLife is an ultra-preferred program where we place our safest drivers so if we send you an offer to move to MetLife, you know that your good driving habits have paid off and you can rest assured that you are with a solid company.

But what about this Pebble Beach stuff I alluded to? I have been invited to be on the MetLife Producer Council which means that I will have input into their insurance programs. Using the experience gained in the agency as well as your experiences, I will be able to suggest changes to make the program better for you and me.

Recently, MetLife invited me and other council members to come to Monterey and the Pebble Beach golf tournament. I was able to have a wonderful dinner with senior management of MetLife and then the next day, join other MetLife producers and staff in the MetLife tent that overlooked the 17^th green on the Pebble Beach course (golfers rotate on three different golf courses during the tournament). The view next to the ocean was spectacular, the golf was amazing, and the hosts could not be more hospitable. This was a huge thank you by MetLife for volunteering my time to give input into changes that will make their program even better for you.

MetLife has a goal of creating a partnership with their agents to help us grow and offer great products and services to our communities. In the upcoming months, you may see us at community events and I am considering partnering with MetLife on a blood drive at the agency. And of course, Snoopy will be there too.

And Mercury? Though my life and the life of my staff have become more difficult while we navigate through the program changes to the Mercury auto program, I still support Mercury 100% and understand why these changes are being made. Mercury did not become the third largest carrier in California by being stupid or lucky.

I am proud to be a Mercury agent, a MetLife agent, and an agent of the other programs we have to offer to you. Please, always feel free to stop in or give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. We work for you, not the insurance companies.

Ken May has been serving North County since 1982 offering quality insurance products with strong carriers. He is currently the president of the American Agents Alliance of California, the local chairperson of the North San Diego County Chapter of the Alliance, and a member of the MetLife producer council. He can be contacted at ken@kenmayinsurance.com.