Meet Our Team
founders
Cyndi Shifrel, Owner/President
Cyndi is Darrin’s wife and business partner. Together, they built Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals in 2008. They have two beautiful children – Zac and Alyssa, who have recently left the nest, but are out and about pursuing their dreams!
Cyndi is quite active in various organizations related to the event and wedding industry, and is considered the face of the business (Darrin is 1st runner up though). Managing the daily office operations, overseeing payroll, HR, and other business activities keeps her quite busy, so if anyone wears more than one hat here at OWPR, it’s her. She is extremely passionate about her relationship with Christ and seeks to glorify Him through her business. She loves encouraging and supporting others including, her employees whom she considers her second family.
When Cyndi isn’t in the office she loves to spend quality time with her family and friends, as well as, traveling around the country whether it be for business or for fun. Also, when Cyndi isn’t working- she’s werking out at the gym!
Important fact: she makes a mean PB&J sandwich.
Darrin Shifrel, Owner/Vice-President
Darrin is head of business development and sales. In addition, he is continuously looking for exciting and exceptional products to expand OWPR’s inventory. When a unique configuration is presented, you can find Darrin onsite measuring and determining the optimal placement for the most visually impacting effect. While Darrin can often be found behind the scenes as General Manager, he is passionate about the quality, the service and the relationships that make Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals the areas leader for awesome rentals.
Important fact: If he had his way, his employee photo would be Kermit the frog.
accounts
Brittney Bouche, Event Consultant & Business Development Manager
Important fact: Brittney runs on coffee.
Amy Hill, Event Consultant
With a Bachelor’s Degree from UCF specializing in Advertising and Public Relations, Amy Hill comes to us with 7+ years of having worked in the wedding industry (dang, you go girl). This experience and versatility in designing, creating, and executing all of the various elements associated with putting together beautiful weddings and events, makes her an asset for OWPR.
Amy is very passionate about what she does and if you’ve got the time- she’ll tell you all about it! As an Event Consultant, Amy is in the “trenches” (otherwise known as driving down I4), personally meeting with clients and helping them create their vision. Amy is such an endearing individual, you’ll love her from the get-go.
Important fact: Her middle name is “gimme a minute.”
Christina Tadros, Event Consultant
Christina is the newest member of our team, and is currently pursuing a degree in Hospitality Management at UCF’s Rosen College. She can’t wait to graduate in December 2018! At OWPR, she works closely with Brittney to give each client reliable and attentive service. With Brittney- she draws up contracts & sends quotes, processes payments, communicates with clients, and more. When she’s not takin’ care of business she’s ‘cutting a rug’ to live music, and enjoying a balanced diet of tacos. You’ll also see her at the Dr. Phillip’s Center, catching the latest musical / play!
Important fact: Her puggle, Dexter, is America’s Next Top Model.
marketing
Kelly Shapiro, Marketing Assistant
She hopped off the plane at MCO (you said that to the tune of “Party in the USA” didn’t you…) after graduating from the University of Oregon in 2017. Kelly grew up in Sunny SoCal, and has lived in various places across the US- 5 to be exact! She moved to Orlando last summer bringing with her, a BS in Business Administration and decided to test the Hospitality waters by completing Disney’s College Program before joining our ranks! Kelly is a budding expert on all things ‘wedding’ as she also has experience in wedding planning + coordination, as well as, bridal consulting.
At OWPR, you may know her from our #WarehouseWednesday segment! Kelly handles our social media + blog, and more. She engages with our followers so that we’re not just another account they feel like scrolling past. We’re cool, you should follow us 😉
When not at work, you can catch her soaking up the magic of WDW and binge-watching the Bachelor franchise.
Important fact: She hoards salt + pepper packets.
operations
Ron Guevara, Operations Manager
Ron has been working in the events industry since 2005! Over the years, Ron has held positions such as: driver, warehouse supervisor/manager, tent manager, kitchen supervisor also, sales and dispatch- so he knows his stuff. Through his 11+ years’ of experience, he has learned how each of these positions function and how they work together. As the Operations Manager, he can be considered a “tetris” master as he configures the delivery schedule to best accommodate our clients’ events!
Ron’s ultimate goal has been and always will be, to go above and beyond for each client- no event is ever too big or too small. Ron’s favorite quote is ” A life without music is a mistake.” Thus, he spends his free time recording music, playing his guitar, and spending time with his best friend – his gorgeous wife!
Important fact: The boogeyman checks under his bed for Ron.
Zachery Gutierrez, Assistant Operations Manager
Larry Hutchinson, Warehouse Manager
Larry comes to us from the northernmost, southern state: Huntington, WV- home to the Thundering Herd of Marshall University. He worked in the Huntington events industry for several years before moving to the sunshine state. As our Warehouse manager, Larry works diligently to keep our products in ‘tip-top’ shape and works around the clock to make sure our warehouse is as organized as IKEA. Need to find something in the Warehouse? Ask Larry. In Harry Potter houses, we’re convinced that he’d be a Hufflepuff. We’re also sure he has no idea what a Hufflepuff is.
support
Aileen Puerto, Office & Event Specialist
Aileen was born on St. Patrick’s Day and raised in the Bronx. She worked administrative positions on Wall Street until she was 21, then went to her mother’s home town of Puerto Rico for a 2-week vacation, that turned into a 26 year stay.
What does Aileen do for OWPR? She makes it happen. At OWPR, she’s whipping up event contracts, and adds that extra personal touch to phone calls- making her the superstar of client relations. Habla Espanol!
In her free time, she loves listening to music, and going to the movies. She enjoys “TGIT” shows like Scandal & Grey’s Anatomy, but her biggest love of all is the TCM channel. To her, there’s nothing better than a classic movie with a glass of wine (yeah, see?)
Important fact: She thinks that a Florida winter, is cold….
Christine Nguyen, Office & Event Specialist
Christine comes to us with 5 years of event industry experience! She’s a graduate of the University of Central Florida, having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Event Management with double minors in Mass Communications and Hospitality. Her dream is to coordinate high-profile red carpet events- the Governor’s Ball is major #GOALS!
Christine is always willing to lend a helping hand wherever she is needed! If you call in to our office, there’s a 40% chance of her picking up the phone before Aileen does (Aileen is freaky fast at answering the phone). If you move forward with an order, there’s a 60% chance of her being the one who drafted the contract. If you stop by our office, there’s a 100% chance of catching her greeting an UberEats driver, bringing her food that she ordered.
When she’s not working, Christine is spending time with her puppy: Gambit, who thinks he’s a cat. There’s also a 58% chance that while you’re reading this, she’s watching Lord of the Rings.
Important fact: she hasn’t texted you back yet because she’s looking for the perfect GIF.