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In this issue:General AnnouncementsEventsOptima Cares/D&IEmployee Recognition/GrowthOFG WinsWellness & BenefitsHR TipsEmployee EngagementMay 2024O P T I - I N S I D E R
General AnnouncementsMay 24thCore ValueEthicalWe build trust through honesty andclear communication Top 10 12245678910John PhamDeanna AldayyatRachel LabazioAlessandra VelaMarisa BruceRosalinda Marin DightonKaleigh FisherLeslie AbrajanMiguel VergaraSofia LomeliJanuary 1st - April 30thFor more information on theOpti-Rewards Program:May 27th
Skate NightRecapT H A N K Y O U F O RT H O S E W H O J O I N E DU S D U R I N G O U RF I R S T E V E N T O F T H EY E A R ! !C l i c k H E R E t o v i e w p h o t o s
Vita/All-StarLunchRECAPThank you for everyone who showedup. We had a blast celebrating youraccomplishments!Click HERE to view photos
Help break the stigma on mental health. Remember to nourish yourmind and take care of your mental health.Diversity and Inclusion Recognizes May is Mental HealthMay is Mental HealthAwareness MonthAwareness MonthTake a Wednesday Walk with D&ISend grams of positivity to your coworkers!Be on the lookout for emails on how you can participateThis months activities:HappyHappyMother’s DayMother’s Day
Beach Clean UpBeach Clean UpBeach Clean UpMay 11th9:00am-11:00amThank you for all of those whosigned up!! Be on the lookout formore Optima Cares eventsOptima Cares Presents our First EverNote: Attendance for the Improv presentation is expected. The Post (Tax) Party is optional
One of my hidden talents is DJing.My nephews gave me the name DJTIAhhh. I was always the person toconnected to the speaker choosingsongs and then one year for mybirthday my husband & kids boughtme a turntable and I was hooked. D o y o u h av e a h id d e nt al e n t ?Some of my hobbies areattending concerts, hostingparties for family and friends,going off roading andcamping.W ha t a r e s o m e o fy ou r h o b bi e s ?The Raiders, the Lakers and theDodgers are my favorite sportsteams! During every playoff season itis tradition to jump in the pool afterthey win their playoff games. (Aseveryone knows we are not in thepool much for football season.) W ha t i s yo u r f a vo r i t es po r t s t ea m ?This is really going to show myage. When I was 17 years old, Iworked at a video store. Checkingout VHS movies to customers,rewinding the tapes upon returnand restocking the boxes on theshelves.W ha t w a s y o u f i rs tj ob ?I currently have only one pet. Afour-year-old Pomeranian namedPresley. Named after my favoriteentertainer Elvis Presley. Presleywas given to me by my daughterwhen both my husband and sonwere deployed in 2020. He is myheart. We take him everywhere.D o y o u h av e a n y p e t s ?L E A D E R S H I P F U N F A C T SPatricia Ahumada-Cortez
Hi Everyone! My name is Susan Formento. Since starting atOptima in September 2021 as a Benefits Specialist in the HRDepartment, I have also had the opportunity to assist and leadthe Wellness Committee and started learning leave of absence.I was born and raised in Illinois and moved to southernCalifornia in my 20’s, a long time ago, lol. I began my careerworking for insurance carriers and eventually transferred mybenefits knowledge over into the HR Department as a BenefitsSpecialist. I enjoy working with the HR Team, assistingemployees with their benefits needs, working with our broker,the insurance carriers, and the Accounting/Payroll Department.The employees inspire me when I hear that they have met theirwellness goals from participating in Optima’s monthly wellnesschallenges.Outside of work I enjoy hanging out with my adult son, Josh.He’s so much fun and the only person that can make me laughto tears. I live at the beach and have fun on the weekends withnew and old friends going from hiking to dancing, travelingadventures and road trips to the Sierra’s and National Parks. Ilove the saying “Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.” Iam also involved at church greeting Sunday visitors and helpingwith the homeless and I recently discovered a new hobby, theart of forming flower arrangements.I’m so grateful to be part of the Optima family knowing thatHarry, Jesse, and David really want the best benefits for theemployee!Susan FormentoSusan FormentoSusan Formento
5 yearsJames SwanerDavid NicholsLeah KirkseyJoshua Conyers11 yearsAlina Yuryeva7 yearsAlexis HernandezMaria Camacho9 yearsTracy Nguyen 3 yearKenia GomezIsaac Cornejo 1 yearSam WarrenCindy ValenciaDavid LyShuan Elam 2 yearJimmy NguyenDiana MontoyaNick CarrascoDakota AndersonEMPLOYEERecognitionNew HiresZahed Abassi - ACS Case ManagerAsif Afsar - Senior Tax Associate 1Connor Borchardt - Senior Tax Associate 1Theresa Bustamante - Senior Tax Associate 1Sergio De La Torre - Senior Tax Associate 1Andrew Dominguez - Senior Tax Associate 1Timothy Erber - Senior Tax Associate 1Ashley Esparza - Documents SpecialistJack Hernandez - Senior Tax Associate 1Faith Kennedy - Senior Tax Associate 1Russell Martinez - Senior Tax Associate 1Gabriel Mena - Senior Tax Associate 1Kamila Mohammad - Protection SpecialistAida Motlagh - Protection SpecialistAndrew Nguyen - Protection SpecialistCharlie Park - Protection SpecialistGabe Perkins - Senior Tax Associate 1Cathy Ramirez - Customer ServiceRepresentative IIIPaula Reichelt - Senior Tax Associate 1Aida Sarkamarian - Protection SpecialistKayla Soto - Customer Service Representative IIILa'Onie Stanley - ACS Case ManagerMark Stephens - Senior Tax Associate 1Eduardo Vargas - Senior Tax Associate 1James Vo - ACS Case ManagerQuan Vo - ACS Case ManagerLeslie Barboza - Tax Preparer 2Christopher Bright - Senior Tax Associate 2Albert Duenas - Tax Preparer 2Wendy King - Senior Tax Associate 2Jeremy Linnebur - Senior Tax Associate 2Gary Mead - Senior Tax Associate 2Erik Sapra - Tax Preparer 2Justin Tolentino - Senior Tax Associate 2Peter Villanueva - Senior Tax Associate 2Isaac Cornejo - ACS Case ManagerPromotions/TransfersHappy Birthdays!
Li RiopelleE M P L O Y E E O F T H EM O N T HClient Reviews“Li has been amazing,helping the new hireclass with patience,knowledge and class.He is the best at hiswork by leading byexample.”Working with Adriana Lopez was a pleasure.Adriana was extremely professional and easy towork. Adriana was very knowledgable. Adrianawalked me carefully through each step of theOIC process. Adriana was always available toaddress my concerns or questions. Adriana wasinstrumental in obtaining my favorableresponse from the IRS.Very professional work. Patient andalways kind. Would definitely refer thiscompany to be through and accurate.Always answered all of my questionspromptly and made sure I understoodall processes.I got more than I expected. I wastreated with dignity and respect and Icould see they did the best they couldfor me. They treated me like a personand not a number. I was underpressure and they brought me relief.
Wellness andBenefitsSetting wellness goals is a great way to challengeourselves. This month our Wellness committee ishosting a hiking challenge. Get outdoors forsome fresh air and build your strength!While mental health includes mental illness, the twoaren't interchangeable. You could go through aperiod of poor mental health without having amental illness. Mental health plays a huge role in ouroverall health, but it’s often not as prioritized as itshould be. Poor mental health can negatively affectyour physical health and all aspects of your life. As an employee of Optima Tax Relief, you have accessto the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which isavailable to support everyday issues and lifechallenges. With a plethora of resources, someexamples are emotional wellness (stress, anxiety,depression), mental health, relationship issues, griefand loss, legal assistance, financial services andreferrals, childcare resources, senior care, pet care,identity theft, and so much more available to you andyour covered dependents.May Hike ChallengeMental HealthAwarness Month
ENGAGEMENTLAST MONTH'S EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT::ANSWER: 14EmployeeWHAT IS THE THEME FOR OURFIRST OFF-SITE OF THE YEAR?ENTER YOUR ANSWER TO OUR MONTHLY QUESTION IN THELINK BELOW BY NO LATER THAN MAY 15TH.ANYONE WHO PARTICIPATES WILL RECEIVE FIVE OPTIMAREWARDS POINTS! YOU WILL ALSO BE ENTERED IN ARAFFLE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE!Congrats to Steve Stoffel forwinning last month’semployee engagementquestion!$25 GIFT CARDCOMING YOURWAY!How many blue hearts didwe place throughout thenewsletter?