Alive! photo by Summy Lam. Photo illustration by JJLA Associates.
For the past few months, Alive! has been highlighting the value that the Club gives you, our Members, to live full lives that you can afford; to save money on tickets and merchandise; to take advantage of opportunities all across the United States and Canada; to secure your financial future through strong insurance programs; to be honored for your career through the outstanding Club Retirement Plaque program; with much more to come in 2025.
But now we present the Club benefit that makes all the others possible: The incredible, dedicated and hard-working Club Staff. They are truly the Best Benefit of All.
In these end-of-the-year pages, read about all they have been doing for you this year, and enjoy their holiday greeting to you and your family. They honor you, they celebrate you, they thank you every day.
Club Staff Gave These Gifts to
Members All Year Long
As the Club wishes you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Season’s Greetings, we present highlights of our service to you from 2024.
Member Services
Strong products, more meet-and-greets, more sports
The Member Services Department is committed to serving public employees by educating and empowering Members to make informed decisions on benefits that protect themselves and their families.
As the year comes to a close, the Member Services Department thanks all of our Club Members for giving us the opportunity to serve them and we look forward to continuing to meet your needs in the coming year.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- Member Services welcomed more than 3,000 new Members to the Club experience of being honored, thanked and celebrated for their public service
- Member Services helped protect the financial wellbeing of 1,346 Members by enrolling them in affordable Life Insurance policies
- Club Counselors expanded their variety of locations to meet Club Members at City yards, offices and worksites
- Club Sports continues to expand after the pandemic by sponsoring three basketball tournaments, one softball tournament, one soccer tournament, a golf tournament, two 5k runs and a Spartan Race … with more to come in 2025!
Happy Holidays from Member Services:
Noelle Kauffman, Director of Sales
Cheryl Martin, Club Counselor
Dalila Vielma, Club Counselor
Cynthia Ha, Club Counselor
Dylan Noel, Club Counselor
Cesilee Castillo, Customer Service Rep
Genesis Martinez-Flores, Customer Service Rep
Marcus Martin, Customer Service Rep
Club Retail
Expansion, more anchor sites, ramping up plaques
Whether navigating the notorious 405 during rush hour or taking scenic routes to reach worksites, Club Retail’s mission remains the same: bringing Members joy and expressing the team’s heartfelt gratitude for their invaluable civil service.
Thank you for allowing Club Retail the opportunity to serve Members in 2024!
Club Retail looks forward to seeing Members throughout Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and California in 2025!
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- In 2024, Club Mobile expanded its reach beyond county lines to serve Members in Sacramento, San Jose, Bishop, San Diego, and even Henderson, Nevada!
- The Mobile Team also grew its presence by increasing the number of anchor l locations from one to four, delivering greater dependability and access.
- Mobile Team visits included a wider variety of events this year, including retirement celebrations, safety meetings and employee appreciation events, ensuring that the team supported and uplifted worker groups.
- Club Retail introduced new merchandise, packaged and shipped more than 1,000 online orders, and proudly supported the Retirement Plaque Committee, processing more than 400 plaques to longstanding Club Members to honor them for their careers of service.
Happy Holidays from Member Services:
Lupe Lira, Retail Operations Manager
Rebecca DeBolt, Customer Service Representative
Eduardo Escalona, Mobile Operations Representative
Raul Salgado, Customer Service Representative
DeAngelo Thompson, Mobile Operations Representative
Information Technology
Innovation delivering higher levels of service
As the year draws to a close, the IT Department takes a moment to thank Members for their continued loyalty and trust. The IT team is grateful for the chance to serve and support Members, enhancing their experience through technology and innovation.
In the new year, we’re excited to bring you new initiatives and improvements we’ve been working on. Our commitment to providing value to our members drives everything we do, and we look forward to making your experience even better in the year to come.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- Successfully transitioned to a modern, feature-rich data management system, empowering our staff to deliver an enhanced member experience.
- Introducing AI to the workplace to drive innovation and keep pace with industry advancements.
Warmest Holiday Wishes from the Club’s IT Department:
Petros Khachatrian, Director of IT
Citlali Bon, Data Quality Manager
Edith Bon-Sanchez, Data Processing Coordinator
Alan Bound, IT Business Analyst
Ronald Cortez, Assistant Quality Assurance Analyst
Natalia Guevara, Data Processing Coordinator
Rey Hernandez, IT Sr. Developer
Martin Landaeta, Data Processing Coordinator
Accounting
Responsiveness, precision, transparency
The Accounting Dept. – the financial backbone and rock-steady stability of the Club and its service to Members, instituted a number of advancements.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- The Accounting Team played a crucial role in assisting with 1,525 transactions aimed at preventing Members from losing their insurance coverage. Additionally, the team aided 74 Members in transitioning to automatic payments, provides them peace of mind and reduces the risk of unintentional lapses in their coverage during critical times.
- The Team issued checks for 32 Mukai Scholarship winners, supporting educational initiatives within the Club family.
- The Team refunded hundreds of fees through the Club’s Fees Back and special promotional refunds, mostly through Zelle but also through paper checks. These refunds are a testament to the Club’s dedication to providing tangible benefits to Members.
- The Team spent more than 335 hours assisting members by phone, resolving immediate Member concerns and evaluating whether they required additional support. Similarly, Team members managed nearly 1,000 email consultations. Members were very much heard and listened to.
- Ongoing and meticulous reconciling and auditing of accounts ensured that adjustments to insurance premiums, cancellations and return of premiums were handled precisely, protecting Members from potential errors. This diligence supports the Club’s mission of operating with transparency and reliability.
- Recent updates in Accounting’s systems, combined with collaboration with the Club’s IT Dept., enhanced the convenience of online payments for Members, allowing for easy access to making transactions outside typical business hours.
Happiness, Joy and Peace From the Accounting Team:
Leigh Thompson, Controller
Clara Flores, Sr. Accountant II
Trinh Pham, Sr. Accountant
Daniel McAlinden, Sr. Accountant
Frank Ochoa, IT Accountant
Ticket and Benefit Procurement
Expanding options for relaxation, enjoyment, affordability
The Team, responsible for benefit procurement, takes pride in securing a range of discounts and ensuring that inventory remains well-stocked so everyone has access to the best experiences.
The Team believes in celebrating and honoring the hard work of public employees by providing them with diverse, exciting options for relaxation and enjoyment. Whether it’s movie theater discounts, theme park discounts, or seasonal events and special attractions, the Team aims to offer an array of choices that enhance quality time with family and friends.
The Ticket and Benefit Procurement Team is grateful for the dedication of public service employees and is honored to support them by continually enhancing the selection of offerings that help create cherished memories with their loved ones. We are committed to continuing these efforts in the coming years.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- This year the Team was delighted to offer several specials that included deeply discounted Honeybaked Ham and See’s Gift Cards; special Fees Back refund campaigns; discounts to several family events such as Disney on Ice and Monster Jam; and Seasonal discounts such as ski lifts, waterparks, and Halloween events like Dark Harbor.
- The return of private events! The Team was also thrilled to celebrate Members by providing our sold-out, Member-Exclusive events at Medieval Times and Pirates Dinner Adventure.
Happy Holidays From the Ticket and Benefit Procurement Team:
Mariana Guevara, Ticket and Benefit Procurement
Rebecca DeBolt, Customer Service Representative
Brian Trent, Club CFO
Megan Eckert (not pictured), Ticket and Benefit Procurement Associate
Claims
Collaboration and invention
The Claims Dept. – the heart and soul of the Club’s insurance products – added many positive enhancements to its procedures.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- Claims enhanced its sympathy cards to include cards for Members who have lost pets. It moves Members when they see a card full of staff signatures.
- The department collaborated in the company-wide training program to ensure fellow staff members have foundational knowledge of the claims process for Club insurance products. This helps the entire Club team navigate sensitive calls and situations.
- Staff member Dulce Lopez obtained a Notary Public Commission, adding to our team of Notaries and enhancing our member’s benefits!
- Claims communicated and collaborated with peers outside the association for sharing of best practices. Staff member Arlene Herrero established a Long-Term Care Teams Channel to communicate between departments and ensure our staff and our Members were educated on the insurance product. The chat channel in combination with the training session equipped the department with reference materials to properly provide information to Members. Related to that, an association-wide team was established to ensure Members were properly notified by mail and provided members with an opportunity to make informed decisions on changes involving Long-Term Care.
- Staff member Mikayla Sprague worked diligently with the Club’s Long-Term Care vendor to ensure changes accurately reflected Club Members’ requests and were handled smoothly and efficiently.
Happy Holidays From the Claims Team:
Arlene Herrero, Vice President of Business Development
Dulce Lopez, Claims Administrator
Mikayla Sprague, Claims Administrator
Education and Training
New dept. delivers stellar staff development and top-notch know-how for the long term
The Education and Training Dept. was established Jan. 1, 2024, by Club President Robert Larios to reinforce his vision of cultivating a highly skilled and knowledgeable team, elevating the Club’s mission of thanking, honoring and celebrating public employees.
Education and Training started by creating a qualification program for each of the Club’s insurance products. This program requires each of the Club’s 18 insurance-licensed employees to pass a verbal exam administered by a product expert. In total, Education and Training created 12 different product exams, resulting in more than 200 tests conducted in the first year — an excellent opportunity for the Club’s licensed employees to sharpen their knowledge and expertise for maximum Member value.
Value Delivered to Members in 2024:
- Achieved more than 200 individual insurance product qualifications for Club Counselors
- Achieved more than 100 insurance qualifications for Club services departments
- Established regular, purposeful and productive “insurance product parties” for Club staff to develop and share best practices for delivering Member service
- Established regular departmental meetings to develop and sharpen mission and purpose
- Established an internal voluntary book club for staff and Board development to enrich their interactions with Club Members and fellow staff members. The first two books (which featured presentations from corresponding outside guest speakers): Life on Purpose by Victor Strecher, and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Looking to the future
In 2025, Education and Training looks to further develop a personal coaching certification program that it can offer as a benefit to active Club Members and Retirees.
Also in the New Year, Education and Training aims to double the number of qualifications; to host three Book Clubs from two; and introduce a new qualification called “Leadership,” a 10-month course open to staff members to expand their leadership skills.
Club President Robert Larios is on a mission to make the Club the best employee organization on earth, and the Education and Training Department is going above and beyond to contribute to this achievement. Education and Training is deeply grateful to the public employees of California for trusting the Club to meet their needs and help them thrive!
Happy Holidays From the Club’s Education and Training Dept:
John Hawkins, Dept. Director and Club Founder
Isaiah Hawkins, Part-Time Coordinator
| BEHIND THE SCENES
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Having fun about serious value at the Club staff photo shoot to end 2024.
