MARKETING OPTIMIZER

Sarah Warner

Sarah brings a fresh perspective on social media marketing and branding. Her skills and experience range from designing a complete branding package for a start-up business (everything from logo work, brand guide, and digital and print assets); creating audio-visual content for a theatre company; and developing a winning strategic campaign for a study-abroad program. Her imagination and thirst for learning help Optimal Station stay fresh and innovative.

Sarah earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Strategic Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations (and also minored in English) at West Virginia University. She will be completing her Master’s degree in Marketing Communications (with an emphasis on Creative Strategy) in 2021.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Hanser Guadarramas

Hanser earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Keiser University in 2016 and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Accounting from the University of Oklahoma. Hanser has accumulated over six years of public accounting experience while working with several CPA firms in Miami, FL. His areas of expertise include business foundations, bookkeeping, financial accounting and reporting, and taxation of real estate businesses, delivery contractors, personal service providers, and wholesalers.

SENIOR TECHNICIAN AND OPERATOR

Nicole Hatch

Nicole has been with Optimal Station since its origin as a route operator almost ten years ago. She continues to run that subdivision of the company with passion and integrity. She also contributes her expertise to other field projects, as needed. Nicole has earned numerous industry certifications. Those, combined with her work ethic, honesty, and self-motivation are qualities that are of paramount importance to the Optimal Station corporate culture.

PROJECT MANAGER

Alex Garnier

After having graduated with a degree in computer engineering, Alex worked as an IT Manager for more than 15 years at his family’s freight forwarding and customs brokerage company. Subsequently, he moved to Miami to open a new branch for his company, which is where he met Optimal Station’s founders, Michele and Teddy. After realizing they had similar integrity, aspirations, and goals, Optimal Station presented Alex with the opportunity to join the team as a Project Manager, which he gladly accepted, entrusting control of his own company to his wife, Chrit. Alex dove into Optimal operations headfirst, quickly becoming an integral part of the organization.

PROJECT & SALES OPTIMIZER

Christian Neste

Christian came to Optimal Station with 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. His culinary career included everything from caterer to executive chef, running the kitchens for some of the best restaurants, hotels, and corporate dining facilities in North America and the Caribbean. Christian’s extensive operations and management background in that field made him the perfect choice to guide the continued development of Optimal’s creative and visionary food and consumable applications.

Christian attended Johnson & Wales University in Miami, Florida, and earned a Food Service Management certification from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Christian is fluent in English and Spanish.

DIRECTOR OF QA & ACCOUNTS

Pam Patterson

Pam Patterson spent many years with a company that has been on the Fortune 500 list for over 25 years. Her experience with that company ranged from customer service to account manager to senior analyst. She joined Optimal Station in its early years, initially providing occasional advice and input but ultimately committing to a full-time role in assisting in Optimal’s explosive growth. She brings a history of attention to detail, controlled-growth management, and a customer-first perspective. Quality is her number one priority for Optimal Station and for its customers. Her education in accounting and business management has been instrumental in ensuring that Optimal Station continues to make smart business decisions that are effective in both the short and long term. But first and foremost, Pam has the kind of integrity that’s congruent with OptimalStation’s mission and purpose.

Co-Founder & CTO

Teddy Sanchez

Teddy Sanchez earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a top vocational school in the year 2000 and afterward started his career in the boating manufacturing industry. With over a decade of boating manufacturing experience, Teddy ventured over to project management where he led construction teams specializing in custom railings throughout the Caribbean islands. After two years in the railing manufacturing and project management industry, he recognized the need and several uses for vending machines. In 2010, he was hired by the Jofemar Corp (a vending machine manufacturer headquartered in Peralta, Spain) to work with the United States division, where he was eventually promoted to Director of Operations. What makes Teddy unique is that he has worked in all departments in the vending industry, from manufacturing to shipping to sales and support. He has helped operators, manufacturers, suppliers, and entrepreneurs start projects and see them through to completion. In 2017, Teddy ventured with Co-Founder Michele Lee to establish Optimal Vending Systems (later rebranded, Optimal Station). At Optimal he enjoys the unique challenges that he faces, executing special projects and custom machines with custom training and deployment solutions. He also relishes in using his creativity when designing Optimal Station’s innovative experiential marketing solutions.

CO FOUNDER & CEO

Michele Lee

Michele Lee is an experienced entrepreneur who has owned a variety of businesses including real estate, fitness centers, and vending routes. In her vending business, she figured out how to optimize the routes and then taught others to do the same, realizing how rewarding and invigorating it was to teach and help others. As a seasoned owner/operator, Michele was asked to consult for Jofemar Corporation, where she quickly recognized the need to take the vending world to another level. In 2017, she partnered with Co-Founder, Teddy Sanchez, to bring Optimal Vending Systems (subsequently rebranded to “Optimal Station”) to life. The successes (and occasional failures) of her previous businesses, along with the example set by her restaurateur parents, taught Michele the lessons she needed in order to make Optimal Station the success that it is today. As the CEO, Michele appreciates that she can make a difference she didn’t feel like she could make as an employee. She’s driven in her mission to provide the best in customer service to her clients while creating jobs people are actually excited to do. But Michele’s biggest motivation in building Optimal Station is to generate enough revenue to be able to give back to the community making a difference on a large scale.