We're Singing Cindy's Praise

Congratulations to Cindy Chen, Sunrider International’s October Employee of the Month. Cindy joined Sunrider two years ago and is a Senior Accountant in the International Department. She is always willing to assist in all areas and with a positive attitude. Whether resolving aviation invoices or reviewing documents submitted by Sunrider Japan and Sunrider Korea, Cindy is always efficient in prioritizing her responsibilities. In addition, even with numerous, last-minute ad hoc projects, she maintains detailed work quality, which exemplifies her "can do" attitude.

Most recently, Cindy completed her CPA exams, which not only officially confirmed her credentials as a professional accountant, but more importantly, her assets as a Sunrider employee. She is an absolute pleasure and her work ethic is superb.

Please read below to learn more about Cindy and her time at Sunrider.

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee?
 The best thing about being a SR employee is that you are well-recognized in the public. I’m so proud of being a SR employee. Sunrider is a well-respected company in the USA and is well-known in Asian countries as well—especially my home country, China. Every time I meet new people, I can’t help telling them, “I work for Sunrider!”

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?
 I have been working with Sunrider for two years. My best memory of SR was 2009 convention time. It was my first time to work at our company convention. I was amazed by my many diligent co-workers working very hard to make a great, successful convention.

Q3: What do you like most about your job?
 Not only do I help with SR Korea and SR Japan’s financial perspectives, but I also do accounting work for the Aviation Department. In the beginning, it was challenging because I had no aviation experience, and there were so many new things to learn. I’m still learning today. I appreciate all my Aviation Department colleagues’ kind assistance in building my knowledge these past years.

What I like most about my job is the working environment. People around me are very professional and work diligently, and are great role models to me. Both the International Department and Aviation Department employees are very friendly and professional. They are all great people to work with. We support each other and we work as a team. With all my colleagues’ support, I can handle things smoothly at my position. I’m glad I can help the Aviation Department whenever they need me. I am always willing to help since I admire the team work spirit. Sometimes, I work closely with vendors for the Aviation Department, and I’m happy to build good relationships with the vendors and work proactively to create a positive image for Sunrider.

In order to achieve more, I started working on CPA exams in July 2009, and I’m glad I passed all CPA exams and California ethics exams by September 2010. I’m expecting more challenges in the near future!

Q4: What’s your favorite color?
I like calming, peaceful colors, such as blue, green, and purple. If you ask about my favorite, I will go with green since green is the color of nature and fertility. The color green is also connected to the meaning of my Chinese name “Qian” which means beautiful greens.

Q5: Do you have any pets?
Not right now. I only have two pretty daughters (14 and 4-years old) keeping me busy at home.
However, I love cats very much. When I was a kid, I had a black cat. She lived with me for about eight years. My parents wanted to give her away several times since she was naughty and caused a lot of trouble. If you see me closely, you will find I still have scars on my face because of her :) . I was very sad when she died. I remember crying for quite a long time. I felt I lost a very close family member.

Thanks so much for sharing, Cindy, and congratulations on your remarkable accomplishments at Sunrider.

Lauds for Larry, Sunrider’s August Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Larry Burr, our August Employee of the Month. Larry has been with Sunrider nearly 21 years and was initially hired as a customer service rep in our Order Department. He has progressed steadily throughout the years in our customer service areas, and currently holds the position of Business Services Rep IV.

His typical daily duties consist of responding to customer emails, answering phone calls, and processing returns, in addition to a multitude of other various tasks. Larry is a key member of the department and takes his responsibilities very seriously. He works tirelessly to maintain department service levels, while keeping a high degree of customer service.

When department staffing was recently reduced, Larry was asked to take on new duties and additional responsibilities. He didn’t hesitate to agree with a smile and positive attitude. When the phones aren’t ringing and the emails have all been answered, Larry can be found combing the Sunrider website to ensure he has the most recent information to share with our customers.

In addition, Larry is always willing to assist his co-workers whenever the need arises and without being asked. Larry’s team spirit, strong work ethic, and attention to detail make him an extremely valuable member of our Business Services Department.

His unwavering commitment and positive attitude make him an outstanding employee and a worthy recipient of Sunrider’s Employee of the Month award.

Congratulations, Larry!
  
Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee? Over my 21 years at Sunrider, I’ve enjoyed helping thousands of our members to improve their nutrition and finances.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR? Marrying a former Sunrider Order Rep who later came back to work a second tour with us. She later retired from SR to care for our children at home full time.

Q3: What do you like most about your job? The variety. We’re always learning and sharing new information about new products and the marketing plan which we get to share with our seasoned-veteran Business Leaders and new Customers alike.  

Q4: What’s your favorite color? Sky blue

Q5: Do you have any pets? No, but I greatly enjoyed swimming with the dolphins at the 1993 Sunrider Leadership Conference at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel on Kona! :)

Here’s to Hilda, Sunrider’s July Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Hilda Salazar, our July Employee of the Month, who has been a loyal and dedicated Sunrider warehouse employee for nearly 21 years. In that time, Hilda has progressed through the ranks with positions of increasing responsibility. She first started as a general warehouse worker, was promoted several times, and now holds position of warehouse supervisor! Besides day-to-day warehouse management, Hilda is also a key member on our safety committee, helping to identify safety hazards and recommending improvements within the warehouse.

Hilda takes her responsibilities very seriously, continually seeking ways to reduce picking errors and improve productivity. During last month’s Sunrider ABO Convention, Hilda juggled the usual daily U.S. order fulfillment, yet still effectively organized the picking and packing of the many, many convention orders. She meticulously managed her team to ensure all responsibilities were completed on time and error free.

Hilda’s organizational skills, strong work ethic, and attention to detail make her a valuable team member, and an excellent Sunrider employee. Her cheerful demeanor, unflagging energy, and positive attitude make her an employee we’re happy to have.

Here’s what Hilda had to say about her time at Sunrider:

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee? 
The opportunity to grow with the company.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?
When we first moved to the new building in Torrance, we had a convention where distributors from around the world came to see the installations and I had the opportunity and pleasure to talk in person to customers that I just knew by phone. It was a very nice experience.

Q3: What do you like most about your job?
Meeting very interesting people every day is one of the things that make me like my job.

Q4: What’s your favorite color?
My favorite color is blue because it’s the color of the sea and it brings me nice memories of my young life with my family.

Q5: Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have a Rottweiler mix—his name is Katan. He is really happy to see me when I get back at home after work. This dog is very loyal to me and likes to follow me around the house keeping an eye on me.

Congratulations, Hilda!

June 2010’s Employee of the Month—David Cardenas!

Congratulations to David Cardenas, a gardener in our General Services department, on being Sunrider International’s June Employee of the Month.

When David began his Sunrider employment nearly six years ago, he had very little landscaping knowledge. After making it his goal to improve his skills, he worked and studied on his own to quickly learn. He constantly worked to improve his landscaping knowledge by attending various garden shows and learning from experts. As a result of his determination, he does an excellent job maintaining the building’s landscaping, and most importantly, in the front lobby area.

Regardless of weather conditions—pouring rain or extreme heat—David can always be seen working outside the building making it look gorgeous! Each day, we all enjoy the beautiful scenery he creates.

Not only is David’s work impressive, but he has a great attitude, attendance record, and is a pleasure to work with. Thank you, David, for your dedication and hard work!

May 2010’s Employee of the Month—Lilia Esquivias!

Congratulations to Lilia Esquivias, chosen as our May Employee of the Month. Lilia originally began her Sunrider career in 1995, and after taking several years off to be with her young children (she and her husband, Jose, an IBO Representative, have five!), she resumed her full-time employment at Sunrider in 2007.

Lilia’s energetic manner, which is infectious throughout her department, makes her popular and successful with customers. In fact, she is so well-liked and appreciated by customers, management receives numerous calls and comments expressing what an "absolute pleasure" Lilia is to work with, how polite, helpful, and informative she is, and how far she goes out of her way to make sure they were well taken care of.

Lilia’s positive drive, energy,  passion, and desire to project a positive Sunrider image to customers has paid off, as she is amongst the top performers in a recent project! Lilia accomplishes this by always being excited and positive, and by truly believing she can help customers achieve the best from their Sunrider business.

Congratulations, Lilia, and thank you!

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee? The best thing is being able to help our IBOs, to know people all over the world, and have such wonderful coworkers.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR? It is  hard to say… I have so many.

Q3: What do you like most about your job? What I like the most is being able to help people.

Q4: What’s your favorite color? My favorite color is red .

Q5: Do you have any pets? Yes. I have a parrot and four dogs.

Thanks, Lilia!

Thumbs-Up to our January Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Greg Palmer, our January Employee of the Month. Greg, a Senior Graphic Designer in Regional Operations, has been with Sunrider nine years and is responsible for designing new marketing and promotional tools, customizing universal tools to the US market, and more.

Last November, Greg completely redesigned the SR Newsletter (now in full color!), which was very well received by US IBOs. He regularly designs original, vibrant, and effective one-page promotional flyers to promote products, teleconferences, meetings, and other programs and events. Greg also works on product catalogs, product cards, and other marketing tools, which he creates in three languages—English, Chinese, and Spanish. This requires him to handle multiple projects at the same time, and with changing priorities. Greg does this fluidly and with a great attitude. He is reliable, dependable, and meets deadlines on a regular basis.

January was a very busy month for Greg, as he worked on the Seasonal Product Catalog in English and Chinese, newsletters in three languages, PowerPoint presentations, and multiple event flyers. These are just a few of the reasons why Greg was chosen as our Employee of the Month—but there are many more (we didn’t have room to list them all)!:)

Congratulations, Greg, and thanks for your great service to Sunrider.

Below, Greg tells us a bit more about his career at Sunrider (and other fun tidbits).

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee?

I think the best thing about being an SR employee is the sense of camaraderie. We all pull together to get the job done...kind of like a family.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?

My best memory of SR is a Christmas party a few years ago. We were doing a Christmas skit with a “beach party” theme, and I helped carry Rick Ricardo into the room on a surf board, dressed as a mermaid. Believe me, I’ll smile about that for the rest of my life!

Q3: What do you like most about your job?

What I enjoy best about my job, is the creative freedom I’m allowed. There are so many new, exciting projects...it keeps my creativity flowing constantly!

Q4: What’s your favorite color?

I don’t really have a favorite color. As a designer, I have to love them all the same (except, I am partial to blue...don’t tell the other colors though!).

Q5: Do you have any pets?

I have two red-eared slider turtles. Their names are Sid and Nancy. I’ve had them for almost three years. They are extremely entertaining!

Thanks for sharing, Greg!

Michelle Castañeda—Sunrider International’s December 2009 Employee of the Month

Michelle, a Senior Paralegal in our Legal Department, graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science where she also obtained her paralegal certificate. Her positive attitude, good sense of humor, and great multitasking ability has made Michelle a vital Legal team member during her 10 years with Sunrider.

Michelle specializes in corporate law and is primarily involved in the formation, compliance, and maintenance of Sunrider’s ever growing number of domestic and international companies. With dozens of legal entities to service and monitor annually, her outstanding organizational skills, judgment, and expertise are invaluable in our multi-national business. She assisted in meeting important 2009 yearend deadlines and coordinated critical company formations and filings. Her involvement with recent corporate reorganizations, due diligence, legal research, transactional work, and coordination of projects with her co-workers and outside professionals was also note-worthy.

Michelle enjoys running with her husband Carlos, even completing the Los Angeles Marathon, and has two beautiful young girls, Giselle and Cayla.

Kudos on this career achievement!

Michelle revealed these tidbits about herself!

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee? It most definitely has to be the friendships and relationships I’ve developed with my co-workers and our affiliate members in the different parts of the world we service.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR? My best memories are the times when all of us in the Legal Dept. got creative and came up with these fun ideas for themed Halloween costumes. We would all dress up and participate in the SR Halloween contest. The most fun was working together as a team and coming up with some pretty great ideas. We would later celebrate by going out to lunch using our winnings. Those were good memories!

Q3: What do you like most about your job?

My job presents different challenges everyday in promoting good health and well being to all people around the world, so that they may have our Sunrider® products available to them.

Q4: What’s your favorite color? Black

Q5: Do you have any pets? A fish

Liz Penaloza is Sunrider’s November 2009 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Liz Penaloza, our November ‘09 Employee of the Month. Liz has been with Sunrider over 10-years, and is a Financial Analyst II in our Corporate Finance Department. Liz always displays a positive attitude and great team spirit, and is a conscientious worker who is always willing to assist co-workers and peers.

Since recently converting to the Oracle Accounting System, Liz has taken extra time and effort to learn the new system and its reporting applications. Her hard work has paid off, as she is learning the system and is able to assist co-workers and peers in navigating and using its different applications.

Liz is always willing to take on new projects and responsibilities, as well as completing ad hoc requests with short notice and under strict time constraints. She is committed to Sunrider and has shown this through her hard work, positive attitude, and enthusiasm! She’s a pure joy to work with, always happy and pleasant, and loves helping in any situation.

Congratulations, Liz, and thank you for 10-years of service and loyalty to Sunrider!

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee?

A1: Being part of Sunrider means being part of a global family. Over the years, I have developed friendships and working relationships which have enriched my life in some form.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?

A2: My first convention over 10-years ago was memorable. I was astounded by the number of IBOs who attended to better their lifestyles and those around them. I heard their Sunrider stories firsthand and their energetic motivation was incomparable to anything I had ever seen before.

Q3: What do you like most about your job?

A3: I truly enjoy working at Sunrider. I can’t really single out one particular thing about what I like the most because I love it that much! It has always been important to me to be happy where I work more than anything else. Being here this many years should say something about that.

Q4: What’s your favorite color?

A4: My favorite color is silver.

Q5: Do you have any pets? If so, what kind?

A5: I do have a dog. His name is Scooby. My daughter named him when she was two years old. At that age, all dogs were “Scooby” from the TV show.

Drum Roll, Please…

September’s Employee of the Month award goes to...Kevin Hsiung!

Kevin’s known around the office for many things: his entertaining sense of humor, good attitude, and hard work, among others. After joining Sunrider nine years ago, Kevin has steadily climbed the IT department ranks, moving up from his first position as a Programmer/Analyst to his current Systems Administrator II position.

Kevin has recently devoted much of his time to working with our infrastructure team to resolve networking and server operation issues. It’s a complex and time consuming project that Kevin sees as fun and rewarding. Kevin helped set up the network, performed settings tests with our many global IT affiliates, and worked around the clock to ensure they could connect to the server.

At Sunrider World Headquarters, Kevin is a welcome sight where ever he goes! What an achievement, Kevin, keep up the good work!

I asked Kevin the usual questions, so we can all get to know him a little bit better.

Q1: What is the best thing about being an SR employee?
Working with the friendliest, smartest, most capable, most thoughtful, happiest people everyday is the best thing about being a SR employee. We are such a big family. It doesn’t matter what your title is, everybody respects each other like brothers and sisters. Of course, the annual Grand Convention and Holiday Party are also great things about being an SR employee.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?
Although we are super busy before, and during, Grand Convention, my heart is always happy after the mission is completed. Not only can I visit with IBOs and ABOs from all over the world, but the entire staff works together as a team to achieve the same goal—making convention smooth and successful.

The annual Holiday Party is also an unforgettable experience for me. Bringing the most boring department into the funniest performance at the Holiday Party is the most challenging job in our department. But, we have not disappointed anyone yet! We also get to see different sides of everyone’s personality in the performance.

Q3: What do you like most about your job?
Oh…I hate my job—ha ha, just kidding :)!! A career in technology doesn’t allow you to dwell in the moment, because new technologies come out every day, and we have to keep learning, learning, and learning. Sometimes I get tired, but I can’t stop. I still need to go forward. People say, “No pain, no gain.” That’s my philosophy, too. Therefore, constantly learning new technology knowledge is the most challenging part about my job, but it’s also the most delightful!
Q4: What’s your favorite color?
I love all the colors, because my life is colorful.

Q5: Do you have any pets?
I have three little daughters, and they are my pets. <^ o ^>

Ernie Wang is Sunrider’s July Employee of the Month!

Ernie Wang is an auditor in Sunrider’s Internal Audit department and has been with the company for two years. Ernie performs company audits locally and around the world, and is often gone for weeks visiting far away affiliates! He meticulously sorts through records and procedures, and makes suggestions for improvements.

Ernie showed remarkable efforts in leading the Promo Sales area at headquarters during the recent Convention. Ernie didn’t stop until 1:00 am for three straight days the weekend before convention officially began, and the following Wednesday, he worked the entire night without sleep to close out in Torrance, and get ready to start in Anaheim the next day.

Ernie is a caring, sincere, and exceptional person—we are lucky to have him! Congratulations, Ernie, on your Employee of the Month achievement, and thank you for your amazing attitude and efforts during Convention!

I asked Ernie a few questions so we could get to know him better.

Q1: What is the best thing about being a SR employee?

A1: Sunrider is a great company to work for. I have a terrific boss who treats me with dignity, respect, and is always willing to coach me. The company offers competitive wages, excellent benefits, and provides a healthy work environment. My colleagues are helpful, collaborative, and friendly. I feel deep in my heart that Sunrider is simply the best!

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?

A2: The most memorable one was when I got the support I needed most during the last Grand Convention, i.e., while I was severely short on “pickers” at the Product Sales operation. Janene, our Human Resources Director, provided the leadership and initiative to send additional staff in time to ensure Product Sales was a success. I was so moved that I truly could not thank her enough.

Q3: What do you like most about your job?

A3: The fundamental responsibility of my job is to assist members of Sunrider in the effective discharge of their responsibilities by testing internal controls over all areas of operations. In a nutshell, my job is to ensure that Sunrider businesses are run effectively and efficiently. However, technology is rapidly changing the nature of most internal auditors’ work. With this ever-evolving business world, internal auditors are facing challenges in replacing the “control activities” with an internal control structure consisting of five elements: control environment, risk assessment, control activities, communication and information, and monitoring. To confront these challenges head on and ascertain that the results of operations are consistent with established objectives is what I love most about my job.

Q4: What’s your favorite color?

A4: I love red, blue, and white. That was the very reason that some 30 years ago I came to this country, which I love so dearly. However, blue would be my most favorite color if I had to pick one of the three.

Q5: Do you have any pets?

A5: No, I do not for the time being. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to adopting a few lovely birds in the near future.

Ernie, congratulations on your achievement!

June’s Employee of the Month is…Tim Johnson!

It’s time to recognize another wonderful Sunrider employee, so let’s give a big hand to June’s Sunrider EOM, Tim Johnson. Tim was chosen as Sunrider’s latest EOM for his dedication, consistently strong work ethic, continued desire to grow with Sunrider, and his drive to go above and beyond his scope of duties.

A Senior Receiving Clerk in Sunrider’s General Services Department for nearly seven years, Tim handles various projects in the corporate warehouse, along with making deliveries throughout the building. Tim always wears a big, bright smile and is friendly and outgoing with everyone!

Tim is also a great multitasker! He recently worked on this year's busy convention-item receiving and helped with Jonathan Chen’s gorgeous wedding reception, all while attending Oracle training and completing his routine duties!

He’s a real go-getter :)

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication, Tim, and congratulations on this important recognition in your career!

Jose Esquivas is Sunrider’s May Employee of the Month!

Each month, a select set of Sunrider’s finest get together to discuss which employee has contributed the most to their department, and after lots of discussion and contemplation, the latest choice for Sunrider’s “Employee of the Month” (EOM), emerges.

Recognized for exhibiting a top-notch work ethic, great attitude, and a spirit of teamwork, the EOM distinction is a proud and exciting title. And although Sunrider has many incredible employees, and it’s not always an easy choice, it’s a distinction reserved only for those that go above and beyond their job duties.

We’re currently recognizing Sunrider’s May EOM, Jose Esquivas. A member of the Sunrider team for over 18 years, Jose is a Business Services Department representative. According to those who work with him, Jose is always optimistic, works well under pressure, assists management with various department functions, and is dependable and loyal! And, on top of all that, he’s always got a smile on his face!

In order to get to know Jose a little better and find out what makes his time at Sunrider enjoyable, I asked him a few questions about his long career here.

Q1: What do you think is the best thing about being a SR employee?

A1: The best thing is that I get to work with good people who’ve helped me achieve the honor of Sunrider’s Employee of the Month.

Q2: What’s your best memory of SR?

A2: My best memory was at my very first annual convention, just three months after I was hired, when I learned how many IBOs we had. I had no idea we had this many!

Q3: What do you like most about your job?

A3: The people I work with make it worth it. We sometimes act like brothers and sisters.

Q4: What’s your favorite color?

A4: Blue.

Q5: Do you have any pets?

A5: I have a little dog (a cross between a dachshund and a white terrier) as well as a green, talking parrot.

Jose’s manager Sid Schreiber said, “Jose is a self motivated, team player. He is very meticulous in his duties and always willing to do whatever it takes to complete the job…He is very knowledgeable regarding the Sunrider marketing plan and extremely adept at sharing it with our customers. He is well liked by his colleagues and management team. In addition to being a hard working member of the Business Services Department, Jose often fills in as our resident photographer.”

Congrats, Jose, on this exciting achievement! Keep up the good work!