Meet the Team
EPI Global Headquarters is located in Cleveland, Ohio | Eastern Time Zone (ET)
Meet Christopher M. Snider, CEPA
Meet Christopher M. Snider, CEPACEO & PRESIDENT
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Christopher M. Snider, CEPA, CEO of the Exit Planning Institute, is the award-winning author of Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions an Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth, a business strategy book about the Value Acceleration Methodology™ written for business owners and the advisors who serve them. Snider is a professional keynote speaker and content provider to the middle market business community, trade & industry associations, and professional education organizations. Walking to Destiny is a five-star rated book that truly empowers owners with the knowledge and path to effectively positioning their business and themselves for exit options down the road, sure, but perhaps more importantly, rapid business growth today.
Early in Mr. Snider’s career, he acted as a system integrator, supply chain manager, and mergers and acquisitions specialist for public companies such as The Sherwin Williams Company, Price Waterhouse, FedEx Logistics, Nike, Dell Computer, Hewlett Packard, Freightliner, and many others. A game-changing milestone in his career came when he began working with a middle market family owned business which he helped grow from $90 million to $265 million in three years resulting in the sale to a large multi-national strategic buyer. For his written work and his contributions to the industry, Snider has been awarded recent honors that include 2016 NACVA Industry Titan Architect and 2016 AM&AA Thought Leader of the Year.
In addition to being an award-winning author and sought-after keynote speaker, Snider is the Managing Partner of Snider Premier Growth, the CEO/President of Exit Planning Institute, the Founder of ThinkTank Publishing House, and the author of SniderValueIndex.com. Chris is a family business owner with his son, Scott Snider.
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About the Book:
About the Book:Buy Your Copy Download Free Chapters
In 2016, Chris Snider, President and CEO of EPI, wrote the first book on the Value Acceleration Methodology called Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions an Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth. The book is was written for business owners by a business owner. It’s a proven system to maximize value, grow income, and build a business that can run without you, even if you never plan to leave. And if you do think you won’t ever exit your business, the business owner who never plans to leave needs a well-functioning, attractive business more than anyone.
Chris felt compelled to write a book to arm fellow business owners and their advisors with the knowledge and understanding to recognize their potential and actually know how to execute tactics to grow and harvest the wealth locked in their businesses. It is also designed to bridge the understanding gap between advisors (who EPI trains) and owners and get them on the same page. From an advisor perspective, the Value Acceleration Methodology has become the leading process for exit planning and is prominently utilized by exit planning advisors across the world. We want to change the outcome for business owners who have invested their lives in their business. To do that, we need to change the paradigm of how exit planning is perceived by owners. Exit planning is good business strategy. Exit planning is now. With readiness comes success, freedom, and wealth, and providing that roadmap on your walk to destiny is the purpose of Walking to Destiny.
Meet Scott Snider
VICE PRESIDENT
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Scott Snider is the Vice President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) and the Operating Partner of Snider Premier Growth, a small family investment company. At EPI, Scott is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization along with overseeing the company’s operations and chapter development. Since joining EPI, Scott has expanded the organization regionally, nationally, and globally, providing a transformational educational experience to advisors from all specialties across the globe.
Scott Snider is a nationally recognized industry leader, growth specialist, and lifetime entrepreneur. Two of Snider’s biggest talents: market penetration and rapid growth strategies. As the operational and strategic leader of EPI, Snider thrives on helping advisors learn how to educate clients, achieve market distinction, and deliver real results.
Meet Jocelyn Bires
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
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As the internal team grows so do the needs of a larger headquarters staff and we are thrilled to introduce you to Jocelyn Bires, the EPI Executive Assistant.
In her career Ms. Bires has established a reputation for advanced organization, granular attention to detail, and warm customer service.
In addition to invaluable executive support, Jocelyn works with sponsors and universities from across the network in curating information and coordinating research efforts to further advance the effectiveness and visibility of ongoing owner research reports.
Meet William Detki
OFFICE ASSISTANT
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A deep understanding of what drives people to engage is a huge part of William’s skill set and is his biggest asset when keeping things fresh and exciting. In his role at EPI, William is responsible for bookkeeping, shipping, office management and vendor relations. Known for thinking outside of the box, his passion is to take something ordinary and make it exceptional. With an innate capability to prioritize and execute tasks, William understands what’s important and helps our company focus on the things that really matter.
Meet Alex Hooker
MARKETING ASSISTANT
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Alex Hooker is EPI’s new Marketing Assistant. She is an energetic and pragmatic person who is recognized for attention to detail and exceeding customer and employer expectations. She brings to the table impeccable time management skills, which makes her a huge asset to our team. Her background in restaurant service is where she discovered her passion for customer service and helping others.
Meet Jesse Hudson
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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Jesse Hudson, EPI Director of Business Development, works with top advisors from diverse disciplines that are interested in using exit planning and value growth for market differentiation, new billing opportunities, and thought leadership. He brings a wealth of experience in both business development and operational efficiency strategies to the EPI executive team. Just like developing an effective exit planning strategy for a transitioning owner, EPI recognizes that adding exit planning to your firm’s strategy is not “one size fits all.” Which is why Hudson helps new and prospective CEPAs understand the marketplace opportunity and how it fits into your firm’s current service model.
If you are an advisor considering if the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation is right for you, contact Jesse at JHudson@Exit-Planning-Institute.org and connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking here.
Meet Max Humphrey
MARKETING COORDINATOR
On top of being an accomplished sketch artist, Max Humphrey brings advanced technical knowledge to the EPI marketing team, including the ability to program in more than 5 web languages. With these skills and ambitions in growing his career in brand and art direction Max supports and champions graphic design and collateral advancements at EPI global (that you will see rolling out in the near future).
Meet Joe Klauer
MEMBER EXPERIENCE, TEAM LEAD
Joseph “Joe” Klauer is the tenth addition to the EPI team. As a Member Experience Representative, he dedicates his time to providing best-in-class practice support to Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) worldwide. Klauer brings his marketing and entrepreneurship acumen combined with his diverse professional experience to EPI Global Headquarters.
Most recently, as the operating manager of a privately held, owner-operated, micro-market business, Joe developed a remarkable level of autonomy, resourcefulness, and tenacity. These traits are evident as he quickly raises the bar for rapid response time and systematically heightens the EPI customer service satisfaction standard.
In addition to his inbound responsibilities, Joe heads up attendee communication and VIP experience for the annual Exit Planning Summit (aka “The Superbowl for Exit Planners”).
Joe Klauer is passionate about relationship building and critical problem-solving. When a need arises, you are encouraged to consider Joe a resource to help you achieve measurable professional development success.
If you are looking beyond CEPA and would like to discuss your long-term member path or unique needs, contact Joe at (216) 712-4244 ext. 110 or by emailing JKlauer@Exit-Planning-Institute.org.
Meet Paige Koerper-Wysocki
MARKETING COORDINATOR
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Paige Koerper-Wysocki, a stunningly talented marketing professional, has joined the EPI team as the Marketing Coordinator. Bringing fresh perspective and modern techniques to the table, Koerper-Wysocki plays a key role in the EPI marketing and fulfillment teams with content branding, website enhancements, and client experience research. In fact, she is a project lead on a research project to help EPI Global better understand the evolving needs of the rapidly growing CEPA community, that will help the organization further understand and tailor customized, individualized industry solutions.
Meet Colleen Kowalski
MARKETING COORDINATOR
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Colleen joins the EPI team after years in the hospitality marketing industry. Her experience in social media marketing and content creation is an asset to our team as we continue to grow our brand. Kowalski is responsible for creating engaging and unique content for our website, generating organic communication between EPI and the Exit Planning community, and conducting targeted market research.
Meet Josh Koza
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
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At EPI, Josh manages business development opportunities and fosters ongoing strategic needs for CEPA firms through online and offline methods of engagement. He works with top advisors (CPAs, Wealth Managers, Strategic Consultants, Attorneys, Exit Planners, M&A Advisors, Insurance Professionals, etc.) that are interested in using exit planning for market differentiation and thought leadership. Josh’s primary focus is on enhancing the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) brand and increasing the opportunity for those advisors to be showcased as industry leaders throughout the market.
If you are an advisor considering if the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation is right for you, contact Josh at JKoza@earnCEPA.com and connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking here.
Meet Scott Lang
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
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Scott Lang, EPI Senior Business Development Manager, works with top advisors from diverse disciplines that are interested in using exit planning and value growth for market differentiation, new billing opportunities, and thought leadership.
Just like developing an effective exit planning strategy for a transitioning owner, EPI recognizes that adding exit planning to your firm’s strategy is not “one size fits all.” This is why Lang, alongside the EPI Business Development team, helps new and prospective CEPAs understand the marketplace opportunity and how it fits into your firm’s current service model.
If you are an advisor considering if the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation is right for you, contact Scott at Slang@earnCEPA.com and connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking here.
Meet Joshua Lewis
MEMBER EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVE
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Josh joins the EPI team as a new Member Experience Representative. He has a background in customer service and negotiation, and he looks to excel the needs of our members and build solid relationships for the future. Josh’s impeccable ability to build rapport makes him a valuable asset to the EPI Member Experience department.
Meet Chase Ross
MARKETING TEAM LEAD
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As an exit planning community we all know with rapid growth comes complication and risk. To address and elevate the EPI brand and invest in ongoing accuracy and reliable information we are pleased to introduce Chase Ross, our Marketing Team Lead. With project management experience, Chase pays close attention to detail and is the perfect fit for the quality insurance role. As the company grows, so does brand impact, making quality assurance instrumental in assuring future growth.
Meet John Weishar
MEMBER EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVE
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Coming into 2020 as Vice President, Scott Snider united the entire EPI global team around the idea of becoming a customer obsessed, member experience focused organization and when interviewing the many member relation executives interested in working with CEPAs like you, John Weishar showcased being the right fit in two ways that reshaped how EPI would look at relationships; dedication to providing high-class experiences and focusing on timely solutions to members existing wants and needs. John has a background in VIP client management and is hyper focused on relationship building. John will be a huge asset as a resource to our growing and diverse member base.
If you are looking beyond CEPA and would like to discuss your long-term member path or unique needs, contact John at (216) 712-4244 ext. 110 or by emailing, JWeishar@Exit-Planning-Institute.org.
MEET THE CEPA® FACULTY
The CEPA Program is the only exit planning credentialing program taught by a diverse team of 13+ experts. Why? A single advisor cannot understand every facet of exit planning with deep expertise. Each exit planning advisor has a certain expertise or service they provide within the exit planning engagement. While you certainly maintain an important role, it is critical to surround yourself with like-minded experts with complementary strengths, so you can truly serve an exiting owner’s holistic needs.
