Na Leo Newsletter

ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY VOLUME 11, ISSUE 10
Halloween Group Costume Contest!
OCTOBER 2015
one Atlas.
Na Leo O’ Atlas
The OAC brought back the competition between departments to dress
in a theme/group, etc.! The departments came up with creative group
costume ideas! Dawn Hirano & Ryan Miyamoto from HR along with
Kathy Yokotake from TCG took some time out of their busy schedule to judge
which department was the best theme and which department had the most
participation. As far as participation, it was way too hard to tell as the majority of
staff participated so everyone won! And the best theme was PERSONAL LINES and
Commercial Lines coming in a close second! Great job everyone and thank you for
your cooperation—hope everyone had fun!
1132 Bishop Street Suite 1600 Honolulu, HI 96813 808‐533‐3222 Inside this issue:
Halloween Group Costume Contest 1‐3 Straight from the Heart 4 Flu Shot Clinic 5 Welcome & Congrats! 6‐7 Toastmasters 8‐9 Submit your articles, pictures or suggestions to: Kristen Ribilla [email protected] Personal Lines Department dressed as Disney’s Inside Out
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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Halloween, Cont.
Commercial Lines as Emojis!
Sales Hunters
Colonel Sanders of KFC
The Ladies of the Dark Side Cemetery
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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Halloween, Cont.
CCG in the Dark Side Cemetery
MIS/Risk/Acctg/Kristen as Crazy Sports Fans!
ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Eating Healthier?
By Keane Muranaka
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2015 HEART Committee
Aleksandr Razloga, x-8740
The HEART Committee is hard at work
Anna Gima, x-8714
Bonnie Pang, x-8651
trying to motivate all of us to exercise more
Kristen Ribilla, x-8791
and change our mind set to eat
Martin Beardeaux, x-8617
Sandy Ferreira, x-8620
healthier. Have they succeeded? Well they
Sharon Hodson, x-8657
Vince Miyoi, x-8719
have definitely sparked our interest in all of
Vivian Haitsuka, x-8653
this in the wake of the news that processed
Naomi Sutton
meats like bacon and hot dogs consumed too
frequently could lead to a greater chance of
getting cancer. AW, more favorite food being dissed! Sorry Lance,
bacon is no longer going to be served at our healthier breakfast
functions!
Martin did great job at our last open market by showcasing his
Southwest Chicken Soup with mild red salsa, corn, tortillas and Costco
Rotisserie Chicken. Slurp, slurp Yum Yum! This was very tasty and
savory especially with the added half and half to give it some
richness. Well the last ingredient added extra calories but great flavor.
Congratulations walkers on keeping up on recording of your steps weekly. Our top 3 walkers according to
Vivian are Kevin Wong and Frieda Theus in Commercial Lines and Lance Kawano EVP, heading into the final
week. Keep those steps coming. Kevin tells me that moving from right here in town to his new digs at 801
South has added additional steps to his daily walking routine. Come on you walkers, YOU can be in the
top 3! The walk ends on November 5th!
How many of you have been taking advantage of and monitoring the mysterious “red bowl” in the our lunch
room. Well the Healthy Fairy stocked it with some very healthy snacks early on but I haven’t seen much of it
recently. Come on Healthy Fairy keep it coming! Vivian tells me the reason for
the empty bowls is HEART wants folks to share their bounty from their yards,
too much fruits are coming from Costco and they want us to share. That’s why
those red bowls look so sad and forlorn…
Now for a commercial from our HEART Committee Sponsor:
If folks want to see the commercial (featuring Myles the heavenly Angel with
Chenise as lead vocal, Sharilyn, Peter and me
(Vivian) as exercise-wop (think doo-wop) back
-up singers and Martin & Steve Pang as patient
and Dr., they have to attend the event on Nov
13 and bring a canned good as an entry
fee. Light refreshments will be served at the
event but not a full-on dinner. Atlas can also
win if we bring in the most people to the
event, so accept the calendar invitation that
Kristen or email a HEART Member. See you
all at the November 13th Event!
ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Flu Shot Clinic
Look at these brave soldiers...or actors. :)
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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Welcome, Travis!
By Steven Pang
I am pleased to announce, the hiring of Travis Ota, as our new Risk Consultant.
No, not Travis Ota formerly with CL, but Travis Ota, formerly with our sister
company, Island Insurance…we lost one and gained one. Travis comes with much
experience. He served in Risk Control as well as in Commercial Underwriting at
FICOH. Most recently, serving in Risk Control with Island. Travis worked on
many Atlas accounts while at Island, such as Kano Trucking and Hawktree
International. I had the opportunity to observe Travis in action with Hawktree, who
is a very large client of ours, and was impressed with his professionalism and
demeanor. Travis will be a great fit with our Unit, as well as the rest of our Atlas
family. I’m confident he will be able to hit the ground running, and make a
positive difference from the start.
During his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and his 13 month old daughter, Kiralee. He also
enjoys working out, watching football and reading. Please join me in welcoming Travis Ota to Atlas!
Welcome, Steven!
By Kari Yamada
We are happy to welcome Steven Lam who has joined Atlas as an Account
Administrator. Steven joins us from CVS Longs Drugs where he was previously a
Pharmacy Technician. He is a graduate of UH at Manoa where he earned his degree
in Accounting and Roosevelt High School. In his free time, Steven enjoys hiking and
playing basketball. Welcome Steven to our Atlas Ohana!
Congrats, Natasha!
By Kari Yamada
Congratulations Natasha on passing your first CISR exam! What a great way to start your
insurance career!
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ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
Congrats, Elaine!
By Bobbie Erickson
Effective October 16th, Elaine was promoted from Account Manager to AOAO
Associate Account Executive. Elaine transferred to AOAO from our Honolulu Personal Lines team in March, 2015. An Atlas veteran since 2008, Elaine earned her CIC
in 2013. Elaine is active in Toastmasters and currently serves as President. Please join
Ron and I congratulating Elaine on her well deserved promotion.
Congrats, Janet!
By Bobbie Erickson
Effective October 1, Janet Ng was promoted from Account Manager to Senior Account
Manager. Janet joined Atlas a year ago and comes with over 30 years of experience in the
insurance industry. Some of her key accounts include Haseko, Island Holdings, Times
Supermarkets and Hawaiian Host. Please join us in congratulating Janet on a well
deserved promotion.
Congrats, Catherine!
By Kari Yamada
Congratulations to Catherine on her promotion to Account Manager Trainee!
Catherine joined Atlas in December of 2013 as an Account Assistant. Since then, she has
learned the Account Assistant and the Account Administrator role, obtained her CISR
designation and became P & C licensed. We appreciate your hard work, and look
forward to your continued growth at Atlas!
New Business—Agents
Commercial
Gerald Takeuchi
Personal
Matthew Arine
ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
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Public Speaking Tips
By Martin Beardeaux
Before I share with you some public speaking tips, I
want to congratulate our club’s current contest
champ, Peter Junker. On Sat, Oct 3rd, Peter won the
Division B Humorous Speech Competition. He now
moves on to the District (State) Finals on Saturday
11/7/15 at the Pagoda Hotel. Please show your
support by attending the competition on 11/7/15.
Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite by
visiting the link from the Toastmasters District 49
website http://district49.org/
6 Tips to Calm Your Nerves Before Speaking
Tip #1: Stay Hydrated
Years ago, I went to small claims court with a friend. As soon as he started talking, his tongue went dry and his
lips turned white. It was so uncomfortable to watch him struggle through his few sentences to the judge! Later on
I learned that dry mouth, also known as cotton mouth, is a very real sign of anxiety and the person experiencing
it is suffering. The secret? Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before you speak. Keep your water bottle with
you at all times. I find the more nervous I am, the more water I need.
Tip #2: Exercise to Stay Calm
If you know when you’ll be speaking publicly, plan a good workout earlier in the day. Even a quick stroll can
really help. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, exercise can alleviate anxiety by releasing endorphins
that make you feel better. Exercise also increases the body temperature, which can have a calming effect. It
distracts you from your worries and helps you feel more confident. Even the social interaction of smiling at
someone as you walk by or greeting someone in the gym can help calm anxiety.
Tip #3: Try Pictures, Visualization, Laughing Just Before You Speak
Sometimes we don’t realize we’re nervous until just before it’s our turn to speak. You may feel calm and
prepared until just before your name is called. If you’re out of view, you can try methods such as looking at a
baby photo, smiling big, telling yourself a joke or taking big deep breaths. If you’re in plain sight, use your brain
to calm yourself. Try visualization or discreet, deep breathing. Keep a smile on your face and try to look
relaxed.
Create your visualization scenario before you need it. Picture yourself walking up to the podium, smiling, calmly
giving your speech, and then visualize the result you want afterward, such as people coming up to volunteer or
congratulate you on your passionate speech. Perhaps bring a list of jokes and a few pictures that make you smile
with you. - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/business-career/public-speaking/6-tips-to-calmyour-nerves-before-speaking?page=1#sthash.gKx6R960.dpuf.
ATLAS INSURANCE AGENCY
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Public Speaking Tips, cont.
Tip #4: Make a Change to Calm Down During the Speech
Have you ever had a case of nervousness hit you right in the middle of a speech or performance? Early on in my
career I was in the middle of a presentation, and my leg started to shake. I’m not sure what it looked like to the
audience, but to me it felt violent and uncontrollable. I had no idea what to do, so I suffered through it.
This would have been a good time to take a couple of quick deep breaths, to find a place to pause, and to make
sure I was smiling. It’s better to take a quick second to regroup than to let the symptoms build. Breathe deep,
change your position, focus on looking audience members in the eye, and if it seems appropriate make a small
joke that lets you and the audience laugh and takes the focus off of you.
Tip #5: Embrace the Energy
Nervous energy isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, research has shown that good stress helps us focus and helps us
think more clearly. Getting the blood pumping sharpens your senses sand makes you more aware of what’s going
on around you. Use that extra energy to engage your audience, and to show your passion. Turn that negative
energy into positive energy and your audience will sit up and pay attention. They’ll be more eager to interact
with you. If you feel like you’ve got too much energy, some people like to purposefully on the stage. Just be
careful not to pace back and forth like a caged tiger!
Tip #6: Be Prepared
So far, everything’s been about physically calming yourself down. But if you don’t prepare for your speech, you’ll
end up stressed and anxious beforehand. Make sure you know what you’re going to say. Then, practice. Practice
your first words more than any other part so that you can relax and focus on the audience instead of yourself.
If you can, find a coach to practice with (hint, hint). Otherwise a friend or family member can be your audience.
Even practicing by video recording yourself and playing it back makes a difference. Don’t let your public
presentation be the first time you’ve ever given your speech out loud. By the time you give it, you should be
comfortable with the delivery.
Here’s the bottom line, everyone feels some anxiety before a speech. Use these techniques to calm your nerves
and don’t let speaker’s anxiety stop you from speaking up.