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April2024In this issue:General AnnouncementsEventsOptima Cares/D&IEmployee Recognition/GrowthOFG WinsWellness & BenefitsHR TipsEmployee EngagementOPTI-INSIDER
General AnnouncementsGIVE! EARN! REDEEM!Emailrewards@optimataxrelief.com ifyou have any questionsCore ValueNurtureWe care about each other and ourcommunity Top 10 12335668910Alessandra VelaRosalinda Marin DightonAmerica PueblaYareli LopezLeslie AbrajanEli CovarrubiasMaria CamachoSofia LomeliRuby VillatoroKaleigh FisherJanuary 1st - March 31stFor more information on theOpti-Rewards Program:
Optima’sUPCOMINGEVENTSUPCOMINGEVENTSVita/All Star LunchSkate NightGet ready to roll with us at skate night! Beprepared to groove and skate the nightaway at Holiday Skate Center!See you there!Earn 100 Nectar Points!!April4thLet’s celebrate our All-stars and Vitavolunteers with a company lunch! If youqualify, be on the lookout for an email toRSVP!Off Site EventOptima’s first off-site of the year!!be on the lookout for more details!April17thMay17th
AutismAutismAutism AwarenessAwarenessAwareness MonthMonthMonthLight it Up BlueApril 2024April 2024April 2024We’re callingall Optimiansto wear Blue insupport forAutismAwarenessApril17th
Hello Optimians!My name is Angelica Sinajon, and I am a Case Manager on Team 125. Ihave been with the company 8 years. My longest position held was aClosing Specialist. I started in Customer Service right after the 2016 taxseason. From there went to Tax Prep, RSS, M & R, Closing, and now aCase Manager.I had very little knowledge of the tax world when I started. I actually wasreferred to Optima by my orchestra stand partner, Ben. Little did I know, itwould start a very interesting journey to where I am now.Angelica SinajonG e t t i n g t o K n o w y o uI've been a Case Manager since October 2023. It has taught me so muchabout our clients and how our company has grown to work with such a vastspan of people needing help with tax resolution. The Case Managementteam has been very helpful and welcoming in my transition there. Shout outto Team 125!! My background is in communications. I got my BA at MarquetteUniversity in Theatre Arts, from the College of Communications, in2008. I had no idea it would lead me to where I am today. BeforeOptima, I had experience in physical therapy, food service, and retail.Everything I've experienced has been helpful with how I interactwith people on a daily basis. Now that I've been with Optima, I'm pursuing my EA with the hope ofhaving more of an impact on people through tax resolution. When I'm not studying, I'm biking (indoor stationary and outdoor road),cooking, playing the violin or piano, or thrift shopping. I also find myself onthe occasional food adventure. I live in Irvine, so there's a lot to go see anddo. I also see my family in Costa Mesa (where I grew up), Fountain Valley,and video chat with those in Florida. I have two sets of nieces and nephews,all under 10, who are a hoot. I wish I had more time with them but these days, there's a lot of studying todo. Come say Hi if you are ever by the break room on the 2nd floor!
Sandy ChandlerSandy ChandlerLe ad er sh ip Fun FactsLe ad er sh ip Fun FactsDo you have any pets?I adopted a puppy duringPandemic. He’s an AussiePoodle named Mikko who isnow 4. He craves attentionand always wants to cuddle.He has brought so much joyto my family. We love him! Who inspires you?My biggest inspiration is myMOM. She has taught me to bea strong and independentwoman and to live life likethere’s no tomorrow. I am stillamazed when I reflect on herlife journey, the struggles shehas overcome in chasing andaccomplishing the Americandream. She is my hero. What was your first job?My first job was when I was 16. It was apart time job in the summer telemarketinghomeowners and selling them the localnewspaper. This was way back in the daywhen the internet did not exist! Ironically,I now sell tax resolution over thephone….funny how life sometimes leadsyou back from where you started.If you could travelanywhere in the world,where would it be?What are some of yourhobbies?I love the outdoors! Anything Ican find to do that has to dowith the water or mountains,I’m there! From simplepaddleboarding to repellingdown the side of a cliff. Just alittle thrillseeker! I have Japan on my bucket list.I am ½ Japanese (on myfather’s side) and would love tovisit part of my heritage. I haveheard how beautiful Japan’slandscape is and the warmth ofthe people there. I lookforward to seeing it soon!
E X C I T I N G U P D A T E S C O M I N G F R O MT H E D & I C O M M I T T E E T H I S W E E K !S T A Y T U N E D T O L E A R N M O R E Diversity andInclusion 2.0
11 yearsTim Lin10 yearsAndy TorresDaniel Wright12 yearsBlessy Kurien7 yearsEric MarquezNan Paturzo8 yearsJose AnayaKarina ArreagaAngelica SinajonCrystal Tavarez9 yearsMaly Chhoeun 5 yearsHector Marquez 3 yearRubyt Lopez 2 yearPhong ChungMarthita MirandaMariah SalasRonny SilvaDerek StoupEli ValdezJason Wolfson 1 yearManuel Tiburcio6 yearsMonica AbidoErica Gipson BenjaminAmy HogancampTiffany HuynhNew HiresNew HiresScott Berntsen-Sr. TA 1Peter Blancarte-Sr. TA 1Vann Nguok-Sr. TA 1Ricardo Pacheco-Sr. TA 1Sara Coughlin-Sr. TA 1Stephen Ferris-Sr. TA 1Promotions/TransfersPromotions/TransfersKimberly Cortez-Customer Service Rep IVReyna Gonzalez-Customer Service Rep IVSoyeon Kim-Customer Service Rep IVDiana Montoya- Customer Service Rep IVLuis Puzon-Customer Service Rep IVEMPLOYEERecognitionTerrance Johnson-Sr. TA 1James Nguyen-Sr. TA 1Kyle Mchpail -Sr. TA 1Jasmine Alcantar-CM-ACSRonald Santos-CM-ACSSteven Nguyen-CM-ACSMaria Teresa Bracco-CM-ACSMartha Casillas-Payment CoordinatorVictor Martinez-Customer Service IIIMia Salgado-Document SpecialistChristina Truong-Sr. Talent Acquisition Specialist Happy Birthdays!Happy Birthdays!
Employee of theMonthClientI ran into a little tax issue and with the help of Optima Tax Relief,everything got settled and put back ontrack. I have a great case manager, MarissaMarin, that kept me informed and if I hadany issues. She always helps out to makesure I understand what is going on.Very professional handle my tax problem in timely fashion withgreat results I would recommend thiscompany to anyone with resolvingtheir tax problemsELI VALDEZ“Eli has taken the hats of twodepartments and excel in less than sixmonths. Has helped the Client/ERBdepartment in many ways. Eli willalways uplift and provide greatsuggestions when needed. GreatlyAppreciate you ELI!"Spoke with Lily and she made the experiencesmooth and easy to beginthe process.
Did you know? Once you make benefit electionsfor the year, you cannot change them during theyear unless you experience a qualifying event asdefined by the IRS. Coverage for a new dependentis not automatic. If you experience a qualifyingevent, you have 30 days to update your coverage.Otherwise, you will have to wait until next year’sOpen Enrollment to make any changes. WellnessandBenefitsApril Step ChallengeAny amount of walking is beneficial, butaveraging 10,000 a day is great! With us sittingat our desk all day we often forget to movearound. Did you know walking can help reducethe risk of heart disease and improverespiratory functions. That’s why we arechallenging Optimians to take 10,000 steps aday!Though the term “autism” first appearedaround 1911, very little was known or medicallyresearched about autism spectrum disorderuntil the late 20th century. New discoveriesand advancements continue to be made todayto help individuals on the spectrum achievetheir full potential.
In honor of Autism Awareness month, we placed blue hearts all over this newsletter! Count them and see how many you find thensubmit your answer!!E m p l o y e eE m p l o y e eEngagementEngagementHow many blue hearts did we placethroughout the newsletter?Enter your answer to our monthly question in the linkbelow by no later than April 15th.Anyone who participates will receive FIVE OptimaRewards Points! You will also be entered in a raffle for achance to win a $25 gift certificate!Congrats to Yareli Lopez forwinning last month’semployee engagementquestion!$25 gift carecoming yourway!Last Month's Answer:To create lifelong client relationships byproviding solutions that take stress out of tax