About us
Independent.
Family-run.
In your corner.
Local and family-owned, we've been helping businesses across California and beyond navigate employee benefits and commercial insurance since 2004 — and we don't disappear after the sale.
Our story
We Grow by Word of Mouth
Since 2004, we've built this agency one relationship at a time. Most of our clients have been with us for years — and most found us because someone they trust said to give us a call.
We're the people you call when an employee can't find their ID card, when a renewal doesn't look right, or when you're adding five people and need to know what it's going to cost. That's not extra service. That's just how we work.
Our name
Why Strata Shield
Strata comes from geology — the ancient layers of rock built up over centuries, each one adding strength to what came before. Shield is humanity's oldest symbol of protection.
Together they represent exactly what we do: build layered, intelligent protection around everything you've worked hard to create.
The name
Strata means layers
The shield in our name represents the four layers of protection every employer should have in place.
Commercial Property & Casualty
The building, the equipment, the vehicles — the things your business runs on.
Employee Benefits
Health, dental, vision and more, built around the people who do the work.
General Liability
Coverage for the everyday risks that come with serving customers and the public.
Workers' Compensation
Protection for your team, and for you, when someone gets hurt on the job.
The team
The people you will actually talk to
A small, family-run team. The same advisors handle your plan year after year, and your employees can call them directly.
Bethany Black
Bethany grew up in a family franchise business and was stocking shelves and learning how things worked by the time she was twelve. That experience shaped everything about how she approaches her clients today.
She became a broker in 2009 because she lived the other side of it. Small businesses get treated like they'll renew themselves. Large agencies assume the check will come without much effort, and honestly don't worry much if it doesn't. Her family's business experienced exactly that. It stuck with her.
Bethany built Strata Shield around the idea that smaller employers deserve the same attention a major account gets — real service, real access, and someone who actually shows up when things get complicated.
Outside the office, her favorite moments are unhurried ones. Playing imaginary games with her grandson, cooking dinner and desserts for family gatherings, and finding her best thinking in the garden or somewhere new in the world.
CA License #0F61711
Jonathan Black
Jonathan joined Strata Shield in 2025, bringing a perspective that's harder to teach than any license. He's been a business owner himself.
He grew up in a family business, getting paid by the job before most kids had a paper route. That early lesson in the value of time stuck. He studied electrical engineering at Cal Poly, and whether he's solving a technical problem or untangling a benefits question, the approach is the same: he looks at it differently than most people would, and he doesn't stop until it's figured out.
Jonathan understands what it means to wear too many hats. He knows the frustration of being responsible for everything and having vendors who treat you like a number. He also knows firsthand how much health coverage matters, not as a policy but as a lifeline, after navigating a serious family health crisis. That experience changed how he thinks about this work.
He brings the same build-it-from-scratch thinking to every client situation. If the standard solution doesn't fit, he'll find one that does.
Outside the office, he's a husband, brother, son, and uncle who'd rather be with the people he loves than anywhere else.
CA License #4515324
Licensing
License and disclosures
CA DOI License #OE36371
Van Nest Ventures Inc. · 14985 Bowden Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Information on this website is general in nature and is not a complete description of any insurance policy or benefit plan. Coverage availability, eligibility, terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, pricing, and carrier participation may vary. Actual coverage is governed solely by the applicable policy, certificate, contract, endorsements, and carrier documents.
Insurance coverage cannot be bound, changed, renewed, or canceled through this website, email, or a website form unless expressly confirmed in writing by an authorized licensed representative.
No pitch. Just a conversation.
Tell us what is going on with your benefits or your coverage, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.