Welcome CLS Insurance Services to the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association!
Insurance protection offers numerous benefits to you and your loved ones. It provides financial security for the future and protects you against unforeseen events that can deplete your financial resources. At CLS Insurance Services, they offer a wide range of insurance policies for people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. By understanding what these policies have to offer, you can make wise insurance choices to protect you and your family.
With CLSIS, you'll be working with community & family-oriented Ken Talley who has risen to the occasion years ago, following a hidden passion to problem-solve and help others financial security.
Ken Talley was born in Oceanside - his mother, an Immigrant from Guatemala, moved there at age 20 (her family fleeing the violence of Che Guevara). Within a couple years they moved up to San Luis Obispo where she started roasting coffee (SLO Roasting, which she sold and is still in business). By the time Ken was 8, he was helping roast coffee, serve the bagel counter, wash dishes, and making attempts to reconcile books. Throughout his childhood, his father was a research librarian and a teacher.
Ken moved to coastal Leucadia in 1986 when he was 16 and was blown away by the the warm clean water, good surf, the quiet beach town vibe, and how nice everyone was. Although he has left for a few years on various adventures, he has always called this home and come back.
"I’ve always loved how a quick walk to do a “surf check” could easily turn into 2 hours (if you weren’t careful) because of talking to neighbors on the way."
Ken has been doing Insurance work for over a dozen years, with about 80% of his work is specific to businesses and contractors, and 20% is Home/Auto. Prior to that, he spent about 20 years in the hotel/restaurant industry, the last few of those having served on management teams opening House Of Blues, Hotel Monaco, and Marriot. His transition out of hospitality started after he met his wife Khan, a refugee from Cambodia who came here as a child fleeing Pol Pot. When they met, she already owned her own business - Coastal Live Scan up in Carlsbad.
"When she was pregnant with our first child, I started working there during the day to give her a break. I noticed that people coming in for fingerprints often needed a Bond as well. So I got my insurance license and started providing those. Over time they started to return, asking if I could help with other things like Workers Comp or General Liability... It turned out, I absolutely loved researching solutions for my clients and have never looked back. To this day, I have never made a cold call, 100% of my business being referral based. I don’t “sell” insurance. I research options, present and educate, then allow my clients to make choices. Underlying all that is a commitment to developing long term relationships and providing excellent customer service."
Ken's office was on D street for 11 years, so we were ecstatic to finally move into Leucadia behind the Regal Seagull just last year.
Ken has served on the Board of Directors for the Encinitas Mainstreet Association for 3 years, and sits on the "Panel of Experts” for the City of Encinitas when they put on their “Small Business 101 Workshops"