OnlineGURU boasts a unique mix of individuals. Each with their own flavor, these Gurus commonly see the Web as the coolest thing next to beach bumming. They office in Southern California, take their lunch as a team and push the limits of technology, creativity and communication on the daily. To get a feel for their innovative vibe, keep reading.
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Raj Lahoti
Chief Guru
What You Should Know About Raj
As cofounder and head of the pack, Raj Lahoti is the momentum behind OnlineGURU. His high-energy approach sets the company’s fast-paced direction toward optimal user experience. Developing innovative strategies and brainstorming new ideas rank at the top of this forward-looking Guru’s daily schedule. And with endless avenues of online opportunity, Raj promises to continue playing a big role in the web space for many more years to come. “The web has the ability to positively touch so many live and connect people in ways we never dreamt of. I especially love how it’s so dynamic, how it changes by the minute, and how just when you think you got it, another player comes along with something that changes the game,” Raj adds.What You’ll Be Glad to Know About Raj
Raj runs his company the way he lives his life—creatively, healthfully and mindfully. This alignment affords him the perspective of limitless possibilities. He’s etched a clear path for his company without being so rigid that his team lacks resilience and flexibility. Therefore, they stay rooted in what they’ve learned as a young company, while expanding beyond the boundaries of the latest web technology.What You Probably Didn’t Know About Raj
At 30 years old, Raj is a seasoned online veteran. In fact, he started running his first website at age 14. Since then he has matured alongside the Internet immensely fascinated by the possibility it offers. “I’m inspired by the ways the web can positively touch so many lives and connect people in ways we never dreamt of,” Raj says. While he’s been no stranger to the challenges of this ever-changing online environment, Raj continues to use this platform as a means to sharpen his skills and expand as an individual. To enhance this growth, he’s also deepened his yoga practice and developed a unique healing method you can learn more about at RajMassage.com. -
Shane Hale
Product Manager
Shane Hale’s domain includes a number of areas commonly known by their high-syllable names: conversion testing and optimization, business development, media optimization, partner manifestation and communication. But he is best known as one magnificentatiously gifted product manager. As such, he takes on the role of user experience designer, project manager and all-out promoter of advertisers on DMV.ORG and its sister sites.
Shane embraces cutting-edge technology. He catches the ginormous amount of ideas that shoot out of every Guru’s ears, rushes them a few steps back to his desk and then launches the perfect way to implement these beauties for the benefit of all users. We’ve considered gifting Shane with his own GURU-red QB jersey, but this diehard San Diego Chargers fan just can’t tackle the idea of wearing anything close to the rivaling Kansas City Chiefs’ colors. It’s possible his blood runs powder blue, that he harbors a huge orange cooler of iced Gatorade for dumping on teammates after pulling off a winning day at work, and that his idea of team-building is far more rigorous than some silly trust fall. To learn more about this guru, check out shanemhale.com
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Dave Trager
Community Manger Extraordinaire
Dave Trager is the face of DMV.ORG—not to be confused with the face of the actual DMV, which we picture quite different than Dave’s. In fact, we’re not even sure this guy knows how to frown. Always enthusiastic, Dave heads OnlineGURU’s social media, customer service and online community-building efforts. He also dabbles in business development. Dave is a Web-infatuated visionary with big plans for OG’s visitors, a people-lover with a strong record in building effective communities of users and a magician best known for creating awesomeness out of thin air.
About OnlineGURU, his role and our civic duty, Dave exuberantly remarked, “It's so refreshing to be part of a company interested in changing the world for the better. I particularly love the challenge and the opportunity of creating a loving, inspired and friendly environment around the government. Especially when you consider how many people describe the government in a negative light. By offering dependable info on DMV-related topics, and even more so by taking the initiative to love and change the government, we can be the ones to paint a new face on it!” And he’s just getting warmed up. To learn more on this superhero, check out davetrager.com.
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Yvonne Cao
Graphic Designer
Yvonne Cao describes her primary role at OnlineGURU as “making things look pretty with a purpose” and “keepin’ it ‘hyphy.’” At times this means calling on her skillzzz as an Internet radio DJ extraordinaire to keep ideas free flowing. “I love working at OG because of its vast opportunity for growth and the openness of our work environment. We can be ourselves here. Freely. This is hugely because OG stands for a greater cause than just providing useful information online,” Yvonne says through a voice synthesizer. She believes this surge of creative license paired with the passion of every Guru has been one of the biggest reasons OG has really taken off.
She prefers (Web) space exploration over long walks on the beach, believes the only thing that could enhance the office is a Moonwalk Air Castle, and has no doubt that it was the positive, magnetic forces of the Universe that drew her to OG. Her ability to read people using highly intuitive (and possibly subhuman) brain sensors freaks out some. But we totally dig her otherworldly nature. It makes for some sick designs, out-of-this-world ideas and the occasional awkward moments that end with, “Whoa, that was weird.”
