Direct: 424-247-2287
For over 30 years, Greg has been helping his clients anticipate and respond to changes in the legal/risk management/insurance environment.
Greg accomplishes this by positioning his clients as leaders in foreseeing risk management challenges and helping them prepare solutions. Greg finds the placement of insurance is most successful if it follows a reexamination of an organization’s risk management status – he looks first at contractual relationships/risk transfer, loss control, and claims management.
Greg commonly uses tools such as tailored insurance products, contract management staff training, risk cost modeling, contractual requirement consulting, claims management, and loss control management to achieve a stable and balanced risk management program.
After graduating from UCLA, Greg and his wife moved to the South Bay where they raised their four children.
Direct: 424-247-2285
Jeff has over 20 years of experience and specializes in solving complex insurance and risk management issues for companies. He is an expert at insurance issues involving commercial printers, car washes, golf courses, manufacturers, distributors, and commercial subcontractors. Jeff uses a combination of experience and creativity to lower costs and risk for his clients.
Jeff began his insurance career at Dodge, Warren and Peters Insurance as an Account Executive for new business. Jeff joined United Agencies/High Ground Insurance Services (HGIS) at its inception in order to tailor his services to his clients’ needs. In 2016 Jeff became a partner in HGIS and in 2022 he was elected to the Board of Directors.
Jeff graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills and later attended the Hartford School of Insurance. Jeff currently resides in Palos Verdes Estates with his wife and two young boys.
Direct: 424-247-2309
Steve works with CEO’s, CFO’s and HR professionals to help them resolve chronically high experience ratings and excessive workers compensation costs. He enables his clients to become more profitable by teaching them creative management strategies that reduce their insurance costs.
Steve has over 16 years of experience in the insurance industry. He knows that it takes a team of talented individuals to help an organization identify and solve some of their business’s biggest challenges. He leads a group of claims management, loss control, employment practices, and human resources consultants that work together to produce the best possible outcome for his clients in complex situations.
Steve is a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist and is earning his CIC designation this year. In his spare time, Steve can usually be found surfing or kiteboarding at the beach.
Kristen’s goal is to help High Ground’s talented Account Executives, Account Managers, and Account Assistants reach their full professional potential and see the rewards that flow from a well-functioning agency. To do so she employs a mixture of formal training, informal mentoring, and cooperative learning that takes into account the fact that no two individuals succeed in exactly the same way.
Kristen brings 35 years of experience in the insurance industry beginning at Jack Sonntag Insurance and Frankel and Company. She then spent 14 years at Dodge, Warren & Peters Insurance of Torrance as a Technical Assistant, Account Manager and Supervisor. Kristen took 2 years off to spend with her children before returning to Dodge, Warren & Peters as a lead on special projects and employee training. She spent several years at Brakke-Schafnitz Insurance as an Account Manager and came full circle in 2010 to return to work with former co-workers and management at High Ground Insurance. Kristen is currently Vice President of Operations and serves on the Board of Directors.
Kristen has lived in Torrance for the past 32 years where she has been an active member of the community and raised her two children.
Ralph specializes in assisting companies with their Safety & Loss Prevention Programs, Human Resource/Employee related issues, 401K audits, Affordable Health Care law advice, and aggressive Workers Compensation Claims management. The critical and conjoining component of these is the custom Plan of Action that Ralph creates which is designed to fit each client’s individual needs.
Ralph and his wife live near the Village at Redondo Beach with their son and daughter. While Ralph’s kids have all finished their sports careers, he can still be found providing private baseball and softball coaching instruction to kids in the South Bay area.
Janice has worked with both Fortune 500 and middle market clients in a multitude of industries. She prides herself on getting to know her clients’ exposures before employing her years of experience and education to best address their insurance and risk management needs. Janice utilizes the pool of resources available through United Agencies to continue providing first-in-class products and services to her clients.
Janice graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in Business
Administration and earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate Risk Management (ARM) designations. Janice and her husband reside in Irvine where they raised their two children.
With prior management experience in the staffing, automotive, and computer industries, Kelly brings a valued perspective to High Ground. He is currently working towards his CIC designation, adding to his CLCS (Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist), CAWC (Certified Authority on Workers Compensation), and CISR (Certified Insurance Service Representative) designations.
Kelly received his bachelor’s degree in Business from Biola University. He resides in the South Bay with his wife and enjoys spending time with their two daughters and grandchildren.
Bebe has experience working with both large and small companies in a variety of industries. She is both technical and personable, working directly with C Suite, Human Resources, Finance, and Payroll teams. She leads all aspects of the renewal process including strategic planning, negotiations, PEO extractions, legislative compliance, and systems integration. Bebe has extensive knowledge on industry trends, technology, and innovative products that ensure talent retention while maximizing the total healthcare spend.
Bebe is a Southern California native, currently residing in Torrance where she raised her two children. On the weekends, she can be found dancing at the salsa clubs, spending time with family and friends, traveling, or reading.
Ronny has a background in finance and sales and graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in Business Finance. He is currently pursuing his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. With Huntington Beach as his home, he can be found most weekends surfing, hiking, playing beach volleyball, or competing on the soccer field.
Serving as a responsive Claims Coordinator for the office, Juan strives to provide best-in-class service to High Ground’s clients and partners. He understands the urgency and attention to detail required for this role and works to ensure that clients are informed throughout the entirety of the claim process.
Juan has a CAWC Designation in Workers Compensation. He resides in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife and young sons.
Joyce brings an abundance of insurance knowledge and excellent communication skills to the Construction Practice team. Joyce is active in her church and the South Bay community.
Michele has earned her AINS, CISR and CIC designations and is currently working on her CPCU. She lives in Manhattan Beach and spends her free time baking exceptional desserts.
Focusing more recently on insurance specific education Veronica has earned her Certificate of General Insurance, Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation, and is currently working on a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. She understands the importance of making sure the insurance needs of customers are met and prides herself on providing excellent customer service.
When away from the office, Veronica enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.
While she was born and raised in the Philippines where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree, Barbara now lives in Marina del Rey where she enjoys traveling, volunteering for charities, cooking, and watching movies with her husband.
Helen has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and an MBA from University of California Irvine. Helen resides in the South Bay with her husband. They have two sons and two daughters-in-law who are all UCLA Bruins. Helen enjoys volunteering at her church and at UCLA.
Marlene studied Business Administration and Human Resources at the University of Phoenix where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She holds a license in Life, Accident & Health Insurance. Marlene lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with her labradoodle, Charly.
Sandy has been instrumental in helping High Ground achieve a fluid workflow system and procedures as it relates to accounting. Sandy currently resides in Santa Barbara in order to be close to her two grandchildren.
Erin has her Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation and is currently pursuing her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. In her free time, Erin loves to spend time in the great outdoors.
Esther resides in Torrance where she and her husband raised their three children.