May 02 April Sax Spotlight: Omar Nasif and Stuart Berger
Omar Nasif
Please join Sax as we shine our Employee Spotlight on Tax Associate, Omar Nasif. Omar joined the team at Sax in October of 2018 and has already accomplished so much in his professional and personal life. His biggest achievement has been graduating college with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. Omar’s strong work ethic and determination to the firm has been a great asset to have at Sax. He strives to learn something new every day and his long-term goal is to become a Partner in Sax’s Not-for-Profit Practice.
Since starting his career as an Accountant, Omar has developed a passion for the field and is creating a Tax Newsletter blog for people to utilize for a clearer understanding of the industry and its policies. Be on the look-out for Omar’s blog, coming soon!
Read our Q&A to learn more about Omar:
What college did you attend? What was your major?
I attended the City College of New York, where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and my Master’s Degree in Economics. After graduating from CCNY, I decided to go back to school at Queens College where I studied Accounting and received my second Bachelor’s Degree.
Do you have any credentials?
After obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, I received my Enrolled Agent Certification and I am currently studying for the CPA exam and taking the first part this summer.
When did you start working at Sax?
I started working at Sax in October of 2018 as a Tax Associate.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Sax? What do you specialize in?
As a Tax Associate, I mainly prepare tax returns for all size businesses and individuals. I had a lot of individual 1040 experience under my belt before I came to Sax, so I have been specializing in that, which has been a great fit for me.
What are a few things you have learned at Sax?
The most important thing I have learned at Sax is how to perfect my business return skillset. The knowledge and support I have received from the employees at the firm have helped me strengthen my expertise.
Explain some of your biggest achievements in your career.
I’ve achieved a lot throughout my professional career so far, but I would say some of my biggest accomplishments have been learning from my mistakes and accepting constructive criticism from my peers. By being able to learn and grow from my mistakes, I have been able to develop a higher skillset and continue to do so every day.
Explain some of your biggest achievements in life.
My biggest life achievement is my academic career and being able to obtain two Bachelor’s Degrees and a Master’s Degree, all in six years. It definitely was not easy, but I learned so much throughout my college experience and I’m proud I was able to accomplish those goals at a young age.
Do you have a vision or goal for your career?
Throughout the next few years, I see myself advancing my career at Sax and hopefully becoming a Partner in the firm’s Not-for-Profit Practice. I’ve always wanted to work with the Not-for-Profit industry because I want to be able to help organizations achieve their mission as their trusted advisor.
What volunteer work and/or charities do you participate in?
I have been making annual contributions to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Feed the Children since 2007. I always knew I wanted to give back to the community, so when I started to research different organizations I could get involved with, St. Jude’s and Feed the Children stuck out to me because of their mission to help children in need.
Are there any other interesting facts about you outside of your work life?
I am currently working on launching a Tax Newsletter blog, aimed towards people who are not in the accounting field. My goal with the blog is to give people a better understanding of the industry and its changing policies. Aside from my work life, I have a passion for photography and try to travel and take pictures as much as I can. More recently, I’ve been interested in becoming a life coach and give my family and friends life advice in my free time.
Stuart Berger, CPA
Sax is proud to shine our Employee Spotlight on Real Estate Partner, Stuart Berger, who has been with the firm for nearly 40 years. Stuart has come a long way since being hired at Sax in 1982. Some of his career milestones include becoming a Partner at the firm, founding the firm’s Real Estate Practice, and being named Managing Partner from 2008-2011. Stuart has prided himself on being his clients’ most trusted advisor and continues to instill the same values in the generations that follow him.
Throughout his time at Sax, Stuart has remained dedicated to the firm and his responsibilities and is proud of the career he has built. He has enjoyed his time at the firm and is glad Sax is where he chose to spend his career. Not only has he been very successful in his role at the firm, but he has made life-long relationships with his clients and the people he has worked with at Sax.
Read our Q&A to learn more about Stuart:
What college did you attend? What was your major?
I attended Syracuse University, where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Going into college, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my future, so I declared undecided for my first year. During my sophomore year I had to take an accounting course, and it was then I realized I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life.
Do you have any credentials?
I received my CPA License right after I graduated college. It was not an easy exam to study for, but I stayed extremely focused on the end goal and was able to pass all four parts of the exam pretty quickly. I try to encourage the younger staff at the firm to study for it right after college, so they can get it over with.
When did you start working at Sax?
I started working at Sax in 1982 in the Audit Department.
What is your current title?
I am a Partner in the firm’s Real Estate Practice.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Sax?
My day-to-day responsibilities include creating and shaping a service team that serves our real estate clients. As a Partner, I oversee the team and make sure each individual client is getting the best service that we can provide. At Sax, we pride ourselves on being our clients’ #1 advisor, so my responsibilities also include building long-lasting and trustworthy relationships with my clients.
What are a few things you have learned here?
The most valuable thing I have learned throughout my career at Sax is that you must face business as an entrepreneur. In this field, you have to be willing to take risks and make difficult decisions. As an advisor, our clients come to us for advice daily and we must be able to think fast and strategically.
Explain some of your biggest achievements while working at Sax.
My entire career has been one big achievement for me. My most memorable accomplishments while at Sax were becoming a Partner and being promoted to Managing Partner for 4 years. Looking back, everything that has happened throughout my career has impacted my life in some way or another and I truly have enjoyed growing through my experiences and building life-long relationships with my clients and the people at the firm.
Explain some of your biggest achievements in life.
I am very proud of my family and everything my children have accomplished in their own lives. Another big achievement of mine has been being able to give back to my community in various ways and remain active in my synagogue.
Do you have a vision or goal for the rest of your career?
When the time comes to retire, I would like to leave behind a team that can continue to successfully service our clients and be their most trusted advisor. Over the next few years, my goal is to educate the younger staff on as much as possible so they can also lead successful careers.
What volunteer work and/or charities do you participate in?
Eight years ago, I developed and helped bring to life Sax’s Annual 4 Miler at Garret Mountain, which benefits St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Since beginning the race in 2012, we have raised over $400,000 for the children’s hospital and I am excited to see what’s to come for the future of the event.
Are there any other interesting facts about you outside of your work life?
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling with my wife and have visited 24 countries within the past 5 years, Israel and Jordan being the most recent ones. When I am not traveling, I like to collect model trains and try to golf as much as I can.
