HOLOMUA Volume 26 Issue 10

Vol. XXVI Issue 10

October 17, 2025

See more on page 7 First CAT Returns to Waimea Valley

Evolving Our Agency Relations Strategy

• Thankful Pies: This year, we will try something new and replace holiday gift baskets (traditionally delivered in December, a very busy time of year) with “Thankful Pies” from Honolulu Pie Company to be delivered ahead of Thanksgiving. • New Producer and CSR Onboarding: A “Welcome to FICOH” communication is in development to support new agents from day one. At the foundation of these efforts is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) program , which continues to guide us in understanding and improving the agent experience. Every one of us contributes to delivering excellence to our agency partners. Thank you for your continued support and dedication.

Strong agency relationships built on trust are essential to FICOH’s long -term success. When agents believe in our product and feel valued, they are more likely to advocate for and sell FICOH to their clients. While the importance of delivering excellent service remains constant, how we do so – as agency demographics, market conditions, and technologies shift all around us – requires us to continually refine our approach to agency engagement. As you read this, we’ll be wrapping up our annual FICOH Rewards trip to Tokyo with FICOH’s Diamond agents. Our FICOH Rewards program is dedicated to thanking our top agents for their outstanding performance. Born from an Emerging Leadership Project, it has grown into a strategic pillar of our agency relations efforts. • FICOH S.T.A.R.: This program will rank agents based on new business and complement FICOH Rewards by recognizing agents who do not qualify for the FICOH Rewards Diamond tier. Our first FI COH S.T.A.R. winners will be announced in 2026. • Agency Lunches and Mixers: Replacing our golf tournament, these events on Oahu and the neighbor islands help us reach a broader cross-section of our partners (see page 4 for a recap of our recent agency mixer in Hilo). Here are additional actions we’re taking to deepen engagement across our agency network:

Hot off the press: Oct. 16, 2025 FICOH Rewards meeting with Tokio Marine President & CEO Masa Koike

Kim Ebanez | AVP, CUW Support & Auxiliary

October is officially the beginning of the Holiday Season and a time when my staff starts to stress about what item(s) I will be giving them for our Annual Holiday Ornament challenge. If you’ve been around long enough, you know what I’m talking about! To get their creative juices flowing everyone is being given a miniature Jack-be-Little pumpkin, offering a chance for them to express their spooky and spirited creativity. Visit our department on Tuesday, October 28th to see what our talented team has created and vote for your favorite. You will also be treated to the creative artistry of our very own Lance Kawano and Todd Yamanaka! Don’t miss it! Have a fabulous weekend all!

ELP Team Project Streamlines Commercial Lines Submissions Our ELP team is hard at work on a business improvement initiative aimed at simplifying the Commercial Lines policy submission process. Their goal: Enable agents to issue policies more efficiently and enroll customers in autopay and e-delivery within AgencyConnect. • What’s New: A “Payment Details” screen has been added to AgencyConnect for Commercial Package, Property, and Umbrella lines, mirroring existing functionality for General Liability, Workers’ Comp, and Commercial Auto. • Agent Benefits: Once they receive a quote from Commercial Underwriting, agents can now enter payment details, enroll their customers in autopay and e-delivery, and issue submissions themselves, all within AgencyConnect • Why It Matters: This eliminates back-and-forth emails with Commercial Underwriting and separate policy change requests, saving time and reducing manual work. Less paper also means a smaller carbon footprint. • October Incentive: Agents who use AgencyConnect this month to issue new policies and enroll customers in autopay and e-delivery are entered to win a $100 gift card weekly. • Looking Ahead: The team will present their project results to Tokio Marine Group executives in New Jersey this November. Project Highlights: • Launch Date: Early September

ELP Team: Maria Campbell, Ryan Nakagawa, McKenna Nieves, and Salman Tahir (TMNAS ITS) Project Sponsor: Kevin Kurosu

This initiative is a great example of how ELP projects deliver real value to FICOH and our customers. Best of luck to the team as they prepare for their final presentation!

Strengthening Agency Relationships in Hilo

On September 25 th , FICOH associates traveled to the Big Island to visit our valued agency partners. The day wrapped up with an agency mixer at Lehua Restaurant, where we enjoyed a shared meal and more meaningful conversations with our Hilo partners. Thanks to everyone who joined the trip and helped to make this a productive and memorable day!

All Industry Day Highlights Resilience and Reinvention

On September 26, a group of FICOH associates attended 2025 HIIA & CPCU All Industry Day at the Honolulu Country Club. The annual event helps local insurance professionals build technical skills, foster collaboration, and uphold the highest professional standards. This year’s theme, “Resilience and Reinvention: The Path Forward,” encouraged attendees to embrace innovation while staying rooted in core values. Keynote speaker Kent Julian echoed this theme with his story of overcoming challenges with his “DREAM -to- DO” philosophy. Mahalo to everyone who made the event a success.

Fitness Extravaganza Brings Out Fierce Competitors

On October 1st, the WAC Committee hosted FICOH’s Fitness Extravaganza, where nine teams of associates brought their A-game to compete in four challenges: push-ups, sit-ups, wall sits, and hula hoop. In the weeks leading up to the event, teams created fun introduction videos to spark some friendly competition (watch them here and here). On event day, teams arrived early, dressed in costume and ready to give it their all. The energy in the room was electric, with nonstop cheering, high fives, and plenty of laughter. The competition was fierce, with personal pride (and bragging rights) on the line. Congratulations to all the winners: 1 st Place – Femmes Fatale (Leslie K., Janis K., Cathy M., and Nina O.) 2 nd Place – Team Snackercize (Meredith C., Kelsey S., Lori S., Gabe K.) 3 rd Place – FICOH All Stars (John S., Jackie E., Charissa T., Chad K.) Team Japan (Ken K., Jun W., Yuta I., Yuki Y.) tied for 3 rd place. The FICOH All Stars won the tie-breaker.

Best Dressed – WOOndeful WOOriors (Donald Q., Faith S., Laura R., Missy H.)

Happy 30th Anniversary, Beth! Congratulations to Beth Urubio, a Billing Rep Specialist in our Billing department, on celebrating her 30th anniversary with FICOH earlier this month. Mahalo for all you do, Beth!

A Piece of FICOH History Discovered

When Danny Taniguchi (FiRMS Flood) walks into the office wearing an Omega watch, he’s not just sporting a classic timepiece. He’s wearing a link to FICOH’s past. The watch originally belonged to Satoru Ochi, the father of Danny’s “Aunty” Marianne (a high school classmate of Danny’s dad). Satoru worked at FICOH from 1937 to 1974, finishing his career as Assistant Treasurer. Engraved on the back of the watch are his name, FICOH’s name, and Satoru’s start date. It was a traditional gift at that time for 25-year work anniversaries. Aunty Marianne remembers accompanying her father to pick out the watch. She chose the one she liked best, but it turned out to be pricier than expected, so Satoru passed on it. A few days later, then-CEO Robert Stevenson asked Satoru if he had claimed his anniversary gift yet, as they shared the same anniversary date. When Mr. Stevenson learned they were both interested in the same model, he encouraged Satoru to go ahead and order the watch his daughter had picked. Over the decades, Aunty Marianne has kept the watch in working order and recently gifted it to Danny. Now, more than 50 years later, it’s back in the office, still ticking and still telling a story. If anyone remembers Satoru or has stories to share, please let us know. Mahalo, Danny for sharing this story with us!

New Hires

Tina He Financial Analyst Trainee Strategic & Financial Analytics

Brandon Wang Risk Control Representative, Risk & Safety Management

Steven Ly Underwriter, Personal Lines

Marcus Mau Financial Analyst I, Strategic & Financial Analytics

Jason Popejoy Risk Control Consultant, Risk & Safety Management

First CAT Returns to Waimea Valley Mahalo to our FICOH volunteers, family and friends who came together for ‘Ohana Volunteer Day at Waimea Valley on September 20, where we spent the morning pulling weeds, raking, and removing invasive species. A special shout-out to the volunteers who worked extra hard to clear out tall, invasive grasses from a swath of the hillside. With the help of a forklift, the extracted plants were hauled away. This year, we were excited to team up with students from the International Business Organization club at Shidler College of Business to make an even bigger impact. After the hard work, we relaxed with bento lunches and were granted free admission to explore Waimea Valley’s trails, cultural sites, and natural beauty.

Mahalo again to everyone who made this day a success.

VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT

Tell us something you learned at the Waimea Valley event. Kids really find snails to be amazing! LOL. In all seriousness, I learned more about various plants and native species. I went to the greenhouse afterwards and interrogated the horticulturist there about many of the plants being propagated which was fascinating. And I learned that another volunteer opportunity Waimea Valley has is planting native plants up along the ridge of the valley.

How did your interest in volunteering at Waimea Valley come about? I grew up on Molokai and doing things outdoors was a given (not much else to do!) My dad was a docent with the Nature Conservancy, so we grew up doing similar things in Kamakou Preserve, such as pulling out invasive ginger. So when I joined First CAT and was asked to plan an activity, something like that was what I wanted to do.

Leilani DeCourcy Legal

Test your reading skills and take our Enter to Win! Quiz. Answer all our questions correctly for a chance to win Recyclable Steel Chill Cups (4) and an Eden x FICOH Collab Reusable Bag . Good luck!

Click Here

1538 Kapiolani Blvd 107, Honolulu, HI 96814 Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant

(808) 946-8688 Sun-Thu: 9am-9pm Fri & Sat: 8:30am-9pm

FICOH associates are encouraged to patronize our restaurant insureds. J ust steps away from Ala Moana Shopping Center, items full of flavor. With its welcoming atmosphere and bright, clean dining space, it has become a local favorite and has even been featured on popular tourist recommendation sites. Owners Terry Cheung and Jame Chen opened the dim sum spot in fall 2022, taking over the space after MW Restaurant relocated. Originally from Hong Kong, Terry moved to Hawai‘i as a teenager and began his career in construction. Frequent dining outings with friends (sometimes three or four times a week) inspired him to pursue a new path in the restaurant industry. Now affectionately known as the “Dim Sum King,” Terry is often seen chatting with diners and asking for feedback on their meals. While there aren’t any dim sum carts, the photo -filled menu makes ordering simple. Dim sum selections are reasonably priced between $6 and $8.50, while heartier dishes can reach up to $16.50. Entrées like the black bean pork ribs and chicken feet served in a flavorful abalone sauce earn high praise. Their simpler dishes like fried rice and jook are also exceptional. Popular dim sum items include steamed pork hash, crispy jin dui with black bean filling, golden turnip cakes, and lava salted egg custard buns. Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant is ideal for large groups and is part of a growing family of eateries managed by Terry Cheung, which includes Honolulu Seafood Restaurant and Kaneohe Dim Sum Station, with a third location soon to be announced. With a shared parking lot and plenty of metered street parking nearby, it’s easy to gather your lunch crew and make plans to check them out. Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant serves authentic Chinese dim sum alongside a variety of classic Cantonese dishes. The menu is thoughtfully curated, featuring high-quality

Support Our Insureds

Don’t know what to eat for dinner tonight? Patronize our insureds and support local! Click here for a partial list of our restaurant insureds.