You’ve passed them in the halls, seen their faces on Zoom calls, and exchanged e-mails. You know their job title and department and might even know their extension by heart. But do you truly know who you are working with? Get to know our Vice President of Tandym Health, Romina Margiotta.

Who are you?

I was born in Albania and lived the beginning of my life there. During my childhood, war broke out, so my family and I had to leave everything behind and flee to Italy. When I was 14, we immigrated to New York and settled into Yonkers where I attended Roosevelt High School. This experience helped mold me into who I am today. It gave me a backbone. Being a foreign ESL student and trying to adapt to the culture in a hurry, brought out the best in me and helped me let my personality flourish. From there, I went to Iona College (now Iona University), and I even went to St. Thomas Aquinas to start my MBA. I am currently happily married to my husband. We have a daughter, Madison, and a little dog who we all love.

If you were a dog, what dog breed would you be?

I think I would be a Maltipoo because that’s the type of dog I have right now. He’s mellow and mushy, but feisty at the same time. All he wants is to be loved and taken care of, but he also wants to be respected. And he’s not afraid to protect his family or his things. Even though he’s 14 lbs., he’d bite your head off if he needs to. That’s me.

Who were your mentors / heroes / inspirations growing up?

My inspiration was my dad. He’s one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. He started with nothing, built a whole life and family in Albania, and then had to drop everything and come to America. He came here with absolutely nothing but did it for his family. He would work 16-hour days for a home improvement company that he built up by himself. My drive, my determination, and all my other hardworking qualities are all because of him. The values he has instilled in me, whether they are related to family or my career, are genuinely what I live by every day. He’s my number 1, always.

You hit your head on a rock and now you’re only able to say a single phrase to everyone for the rest of your life. What phrase would it be?

I love you—because the world today needs to hear that. The younger generations need to know that someone loves them and there is someone out there that cares for them. People need to know that. Happiness, empathy, and compassion need to take precedence. They’re a dying art.

But you know, that is a funny question because I did hit my head on a rock years ago. I was in Aruba and ATVing with my soon-to-be husband. You know me, I want to go fast, and I want to win. I hit a ditch or something and fell off and hit my head on a huge rock. I was in a coma for 14 hours and had an internal brain bleed. They were telling my now husband that I had a hematoma and a 50% chance of living. They were talking to him about it in great detail because he would have to make a decision if it came to it! You remember Natasha Richardson, Liam Neeson’s wife? That is the same thing that happened to me, but it was only a small artery for me. It took me 6 months to get fully better. I had a speech impediment and everything. Life experiences like that make you who you are, and I think that’s why I try to appreciate the little things every day. The crazy thing is that it happened 8 months before joining Tandym!

Did you find Tandym Group or did we find you?

Larry, our CEO, actually found me on LinkedIn, where he reached out and asked me to come in for an interview. At the time, I didn’t know what staffing/recruiting was. I truly didn’t know this was an industry. I worked in Marketing at Stryker Orthopedics and was always Marketing-focused with my degree and the classes I took in college. I was intrigued by the opportunity, so I met him two days later and he sold me on the vision of the company and the goals that could come with them. He talked about what it takes to be an A-team player and I wanted to be part of everything he was talking about. So, I joined the team and became the first salesperson for the Healthcare division for the New Jersey market. The vision of the role made it feel like I was taking 5 steps forward in my career. I saw the potential and I wanted in.

You have magically received $1,000,000 but you have to spend it in 24 hours. What is your plan?

This is a really hard question because I’m honestly a saver, not a spender. Why can’t saving it be an option? Fine. I’d use the money to pay off my mortgage. If you need something more fun, I’d use the money to buy a small vacation home down South somewhere. NO WAIT! Aruba. I would buy a vacation home in Aruba. Everyone is going to laugh at me. They know I love Aruba. Nothing but love for Aruba!

If you could go back in time and talk to yourself on your first day of work at Tandym, what would be the advice you would provide?

Hmm, that’s a good one. I’ve changed the way I approach people and I’m a lot more open minded now. So, I would say: listen more than speak, and that is with clients, managers, AND coworkers. I didn’t do that at the beginning. I was very short fused. I wanted to be heard and be the first one to speak. Over the last several years, I’ve been a better listener with clients and with people at the company. I take constructive criticism better now, and it’s all for the best.

If every person had a conspiracy theory made about them, what would be yours?

I don’t know. Some people joke that I’m a Russian spy sometimes, but I’m not even Russian. I think that’s a good one. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories, so I can’t even think of one about myself. I’m such an open book. People know who I am and what I’m about from the get-go, so it’s hard to conspire. I like the Russian spy theory though, so probably that.

What is your goal for yourself and team for the rest of the year?

I want to be the hands-on expert for Tandym Health’s Locum Tenens specialty area, and I’m working really hard towards this goal. I already foresee the team being a huge leading division at the company. In billing or finding candidates, the potential is definitely there. That is my goal. We’re just scratching the surface with how good this team can be, and the results we’re seeing thus far are indicative of that.

If you put out a beverage brand, what would it be, what would you call it, and how would you differentiate your brand?

I’m going to go with wine made from the grapes grown in the alps of Albania. I would call it “MBM” after my daughter who is named, Madison Brooke Margiotta. Everything in that part of the world just tastes so different. My daughter even noticed it; she was wondering why I wasn’t washing any produce before I ate it. It is just naturally grown, organic quality food and a healthy lifestyle. You’ll never want to eat fruits or meat here again after trying some of the food there. And with those grapes in Albania, I’d make the best wine.