Fantastic Fourteen!

GSRMA’s 14th Annual Training Conference opened October 18, 2018 at Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, California and continued into October 19th. Many thanks to all those who attended, making “Dangerous Shoals” our best attended conference to date. Thursday’s session welcomed 144 attendees and Friday, 114. The GSRMA team delivered a well thought out conference experience, with engaging speakers and excellent content.

Speaking of excellence, there was a well-deserved accolade at the conference that may have escaped notice– the EIA EAGLE Award. GSRMA was the recipient of this honor—Exemplary Achievement in Government Leadership and Enrichment for developing a board member orientation manual. The fruit of our labor (now a valuable resource available to you) is available here: https://www.csac-eia.org/about-eia/blog/member-spotlight-gsrma-board-orientation-manual/

Back to the conference…Jennifer Peters welcomed attendees and introduced the dynamic Gordon Graham—a former sergeant with the California Highway Patrol turned attorney turned renowned authority on safety and risk management. Mr. Graham carried the day with three engaging talks: What is Real Risk Management? Ten Families of Risk and Operational Risk Management. As one attendee said, “only Gordon Graham can hold the attention of a roomful of people for the entire day!”

Risk Manager and Executive Director Scott Schimke presented his annual tradition “State of GSRMA Your Risk Pool” and welcomed the following new members to GSRMA: Arroyo Seco Ground Water Sustainability Agency, Smartsville Cemetery District, Madera IHSS, Dixon Regional Watershed, Hornbrook Fire Protection District, Princeton Water Works, Sacramento Transportation Authority, and the California Cannabis Authority.

As a matter of routine, GSRMA asks for feedback and as a result, we were tasked to create breakout sessions suitable to the individual needs of municipalities, schools and cemeteries. Well, our members asked and GSRMA’s collective goal is to deliver. Track One for municipalities featured two speakers from the California Employers Association who gave a talk entitled “Looking Beyond the Haze – Drugs & Alcohol in the Workplace” and “Communication Skills for the Workplace” was intended for municipalities but relevant for all. Track Two was all about “Managing HR Risk in a School Environment” and was attended by administrative staff from our member school districts. Track Three was for cemetery districts and led by everyone’s favorite legal counsel Robert Hunt, industry expert Mel Lewis and GSRMA’s Safety Officer Mark Marshall. Cemetery districts in attendance were guided by these sage advisors regarding viable alternatives to manage the challenging fiscal times they face.

For the second year in a row, GSRMA’s business partners were present to offer their valuable services to our members. Thank you to Best, Best & Krieger, LLP, We Tip, CSAC-EIA, Grasshopper and the Safety Center for participating in this important gathering of GSRMA’s member agencies. Last, but certainly not least, a final sincere thank you to sponsors Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. and the Law Office of Richard Montarbo, whose professional services and support is essential to the success of your risk pool, GSRMA.