#ORIGIN STORY Optima's Origin Story
Optima was formed in 2011 by U.S. Army veteran and retired Alaska State Trooper Colonel Tom Anderson.
The mission for Optima is to guide the communications and branding for businesses and non-profits that are making a difference in our society. We provide media and public relations strategies for companies and organizations worthy of building reputation and exposure. We enjoy what we do because helping people in and of itself is empowering.
Optima has blossomed in the delivery of niche services like digital marketing and video/radio branding that produce data-driven, metric-based results. We help sell products and services with tenacity and creativity. We strengthen brands, build visibility, craft and deploy messaging to communities, and lift up businesses and non-profits.
Responsibility, responsiveness, and hard work are some of our core values. Most of our staff have earned college and trade school degrees. Many of our team members are military veterans, former law enforcement, or both. We are faith-based and proud to be Americans.
While partners Tom and his son Tom reside in Alaska, where Optima is headquartered, our national directors and contractors afford us satellite office coverage in Seattle, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and the state of New Hampshire.
We'd be honored to be part of your team. Let us help you make your message matter.
Legacy Leadership
Tom T. Anderson
Legacy - Managing Director
Tom Jr. was a lifelong Alaskan whose expertise lay in media/public relations and innovative messaging. He had a passion for advocacy, politics, and branding, and was motivated to deliver results. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from UAA, as well as a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law in Minnesota, all by his early 30s. Active in government, he served as a state legislative aide for six years, was a member of Anchorage’s Zoning Board of Examiners & Appeals, Light & Power Commission, Parking Authority, and School Board, and was elected to two terms in the Alaska State Legislature in the House of Representatives from East Anchorage. Tom also worked as a freelance writer for numerous publications including Alaska Business Magazine, The Hill, and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) newsletter. He hosted a popular morning radio talk show and loved adventures, which he often enjoyed with his wife Laila and kids. Additionally, he was passionate about gardening, YouTube, and photography.
#TEAMWORK Meet Optima's Team
Tom R. Anderson
Founder
Tom grew up farming with his family in Cottonwood, Minnesota. His passion has always been the great outdoors, from hunting and fishing to camping, and that’s why he ultimately settled in Alaska. A U.S. Army veteran, former Seattle fireman, 22-year Alaska State Trooper (retiring as the Director/Colonel), and retired General Manager over Ogden Allied Alaska’s statewide facility contracts (e.g. Sullivan Arena, Egan Convention Center, Carlson Center), he founded Optima Public Relations in 2011 with an eye on providing comprehensive marketing and public relations services to Alaskan companies, government agencies and non-profits.
BECCA KOONCE
Chief Executive Officer
Becca came to Optima in the summer of 2022. A jack of all trades – capable in creative, media placements, advertising, PR, and event planning. She brings a stellar resume with past employers like MSI Communications, Resource Development Council, and Anchorage Daily News in sales management. Becca double-majored in Integrated Marketing Communications and Business Marketing at the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and Lee Business School at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she worked at a global marketing agency initially getting her start in the industry.
Sarah Paulus
Chief Operating Officer
When you cross an artist… with a horse rider… with a policeman, you get Sarah Paulus. A lifelong Alaskan married to a retired hero fireman and mother of two remarkable kids, Sarah, and her family are nature lovers and Alaskan to the core. Sarah has an amazing talent for designing digital platforms and websites, with an A.S. Degree in Graphic Design and a B.S. in Web Design and Interactive Media from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Sarah is also widely seen as one of the top digital experts in Alaska for online advertising. As a veteran of the Alaska Air National Guard as a security police officer, senior web developer at Alaska Pacific University, application developer for the U.S. District Court of Alaska, and guru of design and web development for over 100 clients at Optima, she can help you with almost any website project or graphic nuance. She’s one of our all-stars.
Cecil Sanders
Director, Graphic and Creative Design
Cecil is addicted to the outdoors. He loves campaigning, hiking, trekking, and any adventure with his camera and wife Anne into nature. He and Anne owned and published Last Frontier Magazine from Palmer, Alaska for over seven years. Cecil earned a degree in Graphic Design and Desktop Publishing from Mat-Su College in 2005. He has designed hundreds of images, logos, brochures, annual reports, newsletters, websites, and a spectrum of artistic creativity for over 14 years. His niche expertise is design in the campaign and elections realm. As a professional photographer and layout expert, he is particularly talented in overseeing newsletters, reports, proposals, and educational material design and compilation.
Lailanie Garcia Anderson
Accounting and Philippines Projects
Lailanie “Laila” grew up in the Philippines where she studied office and computer management at Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan City in Pangasinan. She speaks fluent English, Tagalog, Ilocano, and Pangalatoc, and understands Capampangan and Bisaya. Laila oversees Optima's internal bookkeeping and accounting services and she also oversees Filipino projects including serving as the Treasurer for the Mat-Su Kabayan Community. She enjoys gardening, travel, photography, and raising her family with her husband Tom.
Mike Kocher
Director, Digital Marketing
If there is a national-level sophistication Optima offers clients, it’s digital media opportunities thanks to Mike Kocher and his firm Northwest Media Partners. Mike has been a regional manager overseeing digital platforms at companies like White Pages and Dstillery for almost a decade. He is an expert in full-scale digital media applications, from launch to metric measures, analytic reporting to detailed assessments. That’s why he launched his own firm in 2017. Mike is a critical asset to Optima, making our menu of services remarkably effective. He has managed numerous multi-million dollar budget campaigns nationwide for our firm. With Optima you also benefit from the expertise and magnitude of NWMP and Mike Kocher’s digital mastery.
Tim White
Director, Animation
Tim was born and raised in Alaska. He is a professional artist with expertise in illustrations, cartoons, animation and motion graphics. He earned a B.A. in Computer Animation from the Atlanta Art Institute. His niche with Optima includes logos, brochures, and special design projects for non-profit advocacies. Tim’s abilities in cartoon animation and Marvel/DC Comic quality design innovation make him a valuable part of Optima’s design team.
Grayson McGuire Anderson
Lead Researcher
Grayson was born and resides in Alaska and attends high school in Denver. He’s a very talented 17-year-old who has mastered comprehensive online research including competitor and opposition assessments; website content comparisons, and tactical strategies for polling. He is a certified Wikipedia editor. He serves as his high school’s Model United Nations Secretary-General. In his senior year. Grayson plans to attend college in 2024 to earn a degree in engineering or aerospace.
Danny Rosauro
Senior Website Developer / Programmer
Danny is the most recent addition to Optima’s website development team, joining us in the summer of 2021. He’s been a developer-designer, programmer, and webmaster for over 5 years, and while most people run from it, he loves complex coding. Danny is a problem solver and takes the initiative to conquer website build obstacles, which is a great benefit to our clients, particularly in the political campaign realm and in conjunction with digital marketing and fundraising. When he’s not designing creative websites, he enjoys outdoor recreation, exploring nature, and movie nights with his wife (who is also a web programmer/designer) and two kids.
Craig Paulus
Special Projects & Videography
A fervent devotee of the outdoors and accomplished videographer, Craig Paulus has a rich professional history spanning diverse fields. For two decades, he dutifully served the Municipality of Anchorage as a paramedic/firefighter and as part of the Swiftwater Rescue Team.
Originally from Alaska, Craig grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of Unalaska, where his family owned and operated a 56 ft purse seiner named the "Kittiwake." His Alaskan upbringing fueled his passion for nature and set the course for his educational path. Craig is a proud alumnus of the University of Wyoming where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science. His coursework focused on Parks and recreation, environmental policy and administration, and natural resource conservation. Complementing his primary field of study, he also pursued a minor in Geography.
Furthering his technical acumen, Craig attended the University of Colorado on a scholarship for three years, where he dove into the complexities of mechanical engineering. His multifaceted background equips him with unique insights, blending his enthusiasm for the outdoors with his extensive academic and practical knowledge to the benefit of Optima's clientele.
William Bradford
Audio Production Manager
William has been active in technology since he was a kid. He loved the field of audio/visual marketing enough to make it a career. And he’s amazing at it. William works with the latest audio production platforms for Optima. He is a gifted music enthusiast, songwriter, and creative design guru when it comes to unique, resounding radio and sound imaging. Winner of the prestigious “Pollie Gold Award” from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) for Lesil McGuire for Lt. Governor’s “It’s Time” radio ad with national voice-over master Harry Chase, and also the coveted Reed Award from Campaigns & Elections magazine for Edie Grunwald for Lt. Governor radio ad with voiceover titan Sheldon Smith, and Bev Standing's voiceover for "Cut Above The Rest" supporting Mayor Glenda Ledford. William can assist with any and all sound, voiceover, special effects, and script support.
John Floyd
Director, Western USA Region
As Optima expands with digital and political marketing services nationwide, professionals like John Floyd make it happen. He’s a hunter. He’s a fisherman who built his own ocean boat. As a former Air Force Intelligence Officer, insurance and banking executive, and Anchorage School Board member, John’s aptitude with strategy, data analysis, and targeted communications make him a remarkable director of our western region. John will manage Optima’s forthcoming Las Vegas office, placing him in the center of the heat – literally – and for political effectiveness. His wife Cathy is a retired veteran, and they are proud parents and grandparents who put faith and conservative values first.
Anne Tompkins
Special Projects
If you need a marketing and communication specialist, you partner with Anne Tompkins. Anne is a long-time Alaskan with over 25 years of sales, marketing, and web advertising experience. As a former lead and point-person with stellar publications like Alaska Business Monthly Magazine and Alaska Journal of Commerce (with Morris Communications), along with several other popular newspaper publications like Senior Voice, she’s uniquely positioned to provide businesses with strong and effective marketing strategies and media contacts. When she's not working, Anne enjoys spending time with her family in the Mat-Su. She enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and being involved with her community.
Chris W. ten Napel
Director, Texas/Florida
We call him “Mr. Algorithm.” Chris is a three-time World Series of Poker player. He’s a patriot like his grandfather, who is the last surviving U.S. Marine from World War II from the Battle of Midway. Chris is one of the early digital media consultants and pioneers as a regional manager at Go.com (Disney’s portal) in the early days of the Internet in 2000. His experience includes six years as a regional director for the CBS O&O property and four years with Hispanic Broadcast TV & Radio in Dallas, and for the past 12+ years in sophisticated digital platforms, most recently along with NWMP founder Mike Kocher (Seattle). Chris is integrated into the political scene in Texas and Florida and has helped deliver wins for candidates through micro-targeted programmatic digital campaigns. He likes hunting and golf; both of his daughters are professional actresses (ever seen Barney the TV show about the purple dinosaur? That’s one of the shows from their many appearances).
Mike Satterfield
Influencer-Media Manager
As an award-winning designer, photographer, and journalist, Mike Satterfield has become a leader in the national branding, content, and influencer marketing space, speaking at events like Dad 2.0, Association of National Advertisers, and The Western Summit. Think cars, guns, culinary arts, healthcare, and travel, among other topics… Mike’s been featured in publications including Forbes, Western Lifestyle Retailer, Society Texas, and The Drive. With nearly 20 years of experience in creative marketing, Mike’s specialty is content creation and aggregation within publications, podcasts, YouTube channels, social media, and blog mediums. This is a niche service few advertising and PR agencies offer.