Continuing our focus on the leaders of Yardi Canada, meet Dana Samargiu, senior software development engineer, and Kwok-Kin Wong, senior technical project leader. Both are part of the Yardi Canada programming team and joined the company with the acquisition of Newstar in 2003. Since becoming part of the Yardi Canada team 15 years ago, both have worked on a variety of Yardi products. And both have fully embraced the collaborative nature of the Yardi culture, with a focus on supporting clients, employees, and striving to grow. Dana Samargiu “Yardi Canada is my second/extended family,” said Samargiu (pictured, left). “My favorite part about working here is the spirit of camaraderie, the way everybody pitches in to help in need or to have fun together. It makes working here a real treat.” An immigrant to Canada from Romania along with her husband, the family came to North America in 2001 as part of the Skilled Worker Immigration Program in hopes of increased professional opportunities and a better future for their son. Samargiu had a degree in computer science and engineering and had been a developer and software consultant back in Romania, where she and her husband owned their own small firm. But when she arrived in North America, the dot com bubble had burst and opportunities were slim. She took a client support role when she was hired at Newstar, but hoped for more. “My skills were recognized at Yardi. I moved from a customer support position to a tech analyst role, and then to a development position the next year,” she recalled. “Today, my favorite part of my job each day is when I manage to help a client, QA or CSD with any technical issues they have, or when I manage to find solutions...

Yardi honors exemplary members of the customer service department during the annual CSD Week Awards ceremony. Amanda Siegel received the Directors Award while she worked with the government services team. Josh Cunningham, Director, Specialty Solutions Group at Yardi, reflects on Siegel’s contributions. “Amanda has a calm presence that allows her to de-escalate difficult situations with ease. She worked with some of our largest government clients on upgrades, custom reporting and data conversions. I chose her for the Director’s Award because she was the top performer in her department.” The Balance Sheet sat down with Siegel to learn more about the woman behind the honor. TBS: What does it mean to you to receive the Director’s Award? Siegel: I was honored to be recognized with this award alongside co-workers that I know to be knowledgeable, hard-working and fantastic examples of leadership and integrity on their teams. The respect I have for the other recipients of this award motivates me to emulate their strengths in my own work. I think, for me personally, this award represented a lot of personal growth in learning to approach new challenges with determination and flexibility. Knowing how to use my resources and having the shared knowledge and support of my team has helped me be successful taking on some difficult tasks and new responsibilities this past year. I’m very grateful to have the additional confidence and new skills that came from these experiences. TBS: What do you enjoy most about working at Yardi? Siegel: I enjoy the company culture the most. Having a symbiotic rather than an adversarial relationship with my teammates makes me feel supported and motivated to not let my group down. I also really appreciate the value this company seems to put on integrity and empathy. I see this both in the attitudes of...

On the outside, Holly Angel leads a normal life: full-time consultant and project manager at Yardi, mother of two girls, PTA mom, and recreational soccer player. But when it comes to the Yardi clients that she works with daily, Angel lives up to her last name on a regular basis. During CSD Appreciation Week, Angel took home two awards, the Directors Award and the MacGyver award. She was nominated by fellow Yardi employees. MacGyver Award Remember the television show “MacGyver?” IMDB describes it as “the adventures of a secret agent armed with almost infinite scientific resourcefulness.” One generation remembers it as hunky Richard Dean Anderson with duct tape and a Swiss army knife. It’s now being rediscovered by a new cohort of viewers on CBS, with Lucas Till in the starring role. In her two years with the company, Angel has proven to be both resourceful and supportive of her peers. Angel was honored to receive the MacGyver award. “Starting from a Technical Account Manager and moving in to the Consultant role, I am constantly given a variety of issues from our clients, challenging me to use my personal knowledge and the resources around me to find the solution that will work for the client,” she says. “This award is given to me by my peers and I am honored to be thought of so highly by those that I work with daily.” Directors Award Angel assists Yardi clients on the West Coast with projects such as software upgrades, ancillary product rollouts, and best practice reviews. With each interaction, Angel has demonstrated Director-quality character. “This is one of the highest awards that can be given as it is given by the Director of our Division,” explains Angel. “I am honored that I was chosen as...