Our Team

Mark Ong

Founder and Managing Director

Mr. Ong had almost 20 years of consulting experience when he founded ITR in 2004. Under his guidance, ITR has become a preeminent property tax consulting firm in California. Mr. Ong has trained a group of highly technical staff that possess extensive knowledge and experience. Mr. Ong uses his intimate knowledge of property tax law, rules, regulations and innerworkings of the assessor and tax collector to benefit clients and achieve maximum tax savings. Mr. Ong specializes in solving valuation issues of complex, unique, and intangible properties. Mr. Ong has appeared before major counties’ Assessment Appeals Boards, especially in Northern California. Mr. Ong served on the Board of Directors of California Alliance of Taxpayer Advocates. He is frequently invited to give presentations to special groups within client, accounting, and law firms.

Mr. Ong started his career at Arthur Andersen. He was a principal when he departed to join Pricewaterhouse Coopers. At PwC, he continued being in charge of the property tax group of the western U.S. until 2004. Mr. Ong holds B.S. degree of International Business from San Francisco State University and has taken most courses on advanced appraisal topics given by the Appraisal Institute.

Patrick Tao

Senior Manager

Patrick Tao specializes in commercial property valuations and assessment appeals in the state of California.  He oversees and coordinates the valuation and appeals of a vast variety of property types, ranging from office, multifamily, retail, hotels, and land, all the way to marinas and convention centers.  Since joining the firm in 2007, Patrick has successfully represented countless property owners in achieving maximum tax savings by leveraging his extensive knowledge of California property tax laws and significant experience in complex property valuations. 

Prior to joining ITR, Patrick worked for the international commercial real estate brokerage firm, CB Richard Ellis. He was involved in business development, and the underwriting and marketing of multifamily properties. Patrick graduated from UC Santa Barbara, earning a degree in Business Economics, with an Accounting Emphasis.

Harvey F. Christensen

Valuation Specialist

Mr. Christensen has over 34 years of valuation consulting experience.

Mr. Christensen specializes in Hospitality real estate property tax valuations and Hospitality intangible asset valuations for property tax appeals.  Mr. Christensen has provided expert testimony for Hospitality property tax appeals.  Together with Mr. Ong, he has developed a methodology for determining a valuation of a hotel’s intangible asset from a brand’s Channel Distribution.

Prior to his association with ITR in 2004, Mr. Christensen was an Experienced Manager with Arthur Andersen from 1995 to 2000 where he worked for Mr. Ong in the Valuations Service Group.  There he specialized in assisting the firm’s hospitality clients. From 1992-1995, Mr. Christensen was as Review Appraiser with Bank of America as a hospitality industry specialist.  Mr. Christensen started his appraisal and consulting career in 1986 with HVS where he was a Vice President in the San Francisco office until 1992. Mr. Christensen’s early Hospitality career experience was in hotel operations with the Westin St. Francis Hotel, the Hyatt Regency SF, the Sheraton Palace Hotel SF, and in restaurant operations with Continental Restaurant Systems. Mr. Christensen earned a B. S. degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 1979.  He has taken most courses on advanced appraisal topics given by the Appraisal Institute.