Users/MarkOtero

Mark Otero lives in downtown Sacramento, California. After completing his MBA at UC Davis in June 2007, he opened mochii yogurt on July 23rd. Prior to opening mochii, he worked at Franklin Templeton Investments for six years in Rancho Cordova and San Mateo. Mr. Otero is a serial entrepreneur.

Mr. Otero loves to drink tea. In 2006, he completed his tea training and certification at the Specialty Tea Institutute in Manhattan, NY. To further his education in tea, he traveled to Northern India to study the art of Indian-spiced tea, also known as "masala chai." Masala chai - usually - contains milk, black tea leaves, sugar, cardonmon, and cloves and is considered the caffeinated drink of choice in India. In fact, it's not uncommon for most Indians to drink 7 to 8 cups a day!

To further his education in the Indian tea culture, Mark traveled several thousand miles on plane, SUV and foot. He visited New Delhi, Old Delhi, Jaipur, remote areas of Rajistan, Agra (to witness the Taj Mahal), Mumbai and Goa. He returned to California in April of 2007, after 17 days in India, with a greater appreciation for India's tea culture. Since returning to California from India he has been working on a plan to one day open a new tea concept called "Tenbees Tea." In the meantime, he lives and works above mochii yogurt in the loft space that sits above the yogurt cafe. He uses the loft space as office space where he and two of his technology venture partners are developing technology for the healthcare industry.

In June 2007, Mark and his technology venture partners, David McQueen (software engineer and UC Davis MBA graduate) and Dewey Pham (creative designer), launched a web site: Staffari.com. Staffari.com is a peer referral network for healthcare professionals. They developed the first Facebook application for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Since launching Staffari.com they have been in the Sacramento Bee and have over 600 nurses and interested parties registered on the site, many of whom are actively, currently looking for employment. They are working with a nurse recruiter in Atlanta, Georgia to begin placing nurses throughout the United States.