EPI GREATER NEW YORK BUSINESS OWNER FORUM
Join the EPI Greater New York Chapter on October 20th for our 13th Annual Business Owner Forum. This landmark event marks over a decade of dedication to helping business owners secure their legacies and navigate the future of exit planning.
Agenda Highlights:
- 9:00 am – 9:30 am: Registration & Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 9:40 am: Introductions
- 9:40 am – 10:15 am: Jim McCann - Success That Endures: Relationships, Purpose, and Impact
- 10:15 am – 10:50 am: Fireside Chat with Rick Friedman – Tales of an Entrepreneur and Art Collector, Interviewed by Mark Kravietz
- 10:50 am – 11:05 am: Break
- 11:05 am – 11:45 am Renee Russo - Rising Through Transitions
- 11:45 am – 11:50 am: Closing Remarks
This gathering is a vital connection point between industry experts and business owners. By participating, you'll position your firm as a market leader and demonstrate your commitment to guiding businesses toward successful exits. The forum fosters a collaborative environment where owners can access the crucial information they need to take actionable steps within their businesses.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a milestone celebration that continues to shape the future of exit planning.
About the Presenter:
Hear from industry experts Jim McCann, Rick Friedman, and Renee Russo.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Event Location
Event Details
Who Should Attend?
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Attorneys
You have close relationships with clients, and can benefit from being the first advisor to introduce the idea of exit planning.
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CPAs/Accountants
Owners participating in the State of Owner Readiness research continue to indicate that you are the No. 1 "Most Trusted Advisor." You are a natural fit to lead the exit planning team and deepen your relationship (and retention) of next generation owners.
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Wealth Managers
You’re a skilled relationship person. Being entangled into your clients’ professional lives matters as you build a strategy to manage their wealth upon them harvesting it from their business. Exit planning allows you to build a deeper relationship with your client, expands your COI network, while giving you an early seat at table well before the liquidity event.
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Financial Advisors
One of the critical ‘legs of the stool’ is personal financing planning. An owner must have a strong financial plan & contingency plan post-transition to enable them to thrive in the next act of the lives personally and financially. Exit planning brings this future mindset into the present. Exit is now.
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Valuation Analysts
Valuation is both a billable engagement AND an opportunity to provide owners some perspective on how to accelerate value drivers (and deal with value killers). Use exit planning to make that valuation into a longer term value acceleration engagement.
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Investment Bankers
Only 2 of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. Learn how exit planning can bring attractive AND ready business to your purview.
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Estate Planners
Exit planning is a natural fit for estate planners who want to operate more holistically with their owner clients.
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Strategic Consultants
One of the most critical roles in exit planning is building transferable value. Strategic consultants have the ability to expand options and drive rapid business value that affect performance today.
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Insurance Professionals
Exit planning addresses the 5 D's. So do you. Approach the risk conversation differently with exit planning.
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Mergers & Acquisition Advisors
Proper exit planning causes less deals to fall through at the last minute. Connect with CEPAs to build your healthy deal flow network.
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Commercial Lenders
One of the best relationships a business owner makes is with their banker. How can you help your corporate clients think about the future and ensure financial continuity? Answer: exit planning.
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Family Business Advisors
More than 50% of lower middle market business owners would prefer to transition to the next generation. Help them succeed with exit planning strategies.
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Other Professional Advisors
Regardless of your unique specialty, there is seat at the exit planning table for you. Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.
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Private Business Owners
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Members of Family Business Boards
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Professional Advisors
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Business Consultants
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Other Business Professionals
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Business Owners
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Business Owners & Their Trusted Advisors
EXIT PLANNING IS GOOD BUSINESS STRATEGY
The Exit Planning Institute, provides Financial Advisors, Accountants, Consultants, and other advisors of business owners with the critical education to differentiate themselves and add value to their existing client relationships through a credential, conference, courses, and content. Download the CEPA brochure for more information.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Rick Friedman, Collector, Art Fair Producer
Mr. Friedman is a champion for the viewing, awareness, and acquisition of fine art by creating art fairs around the country. In the Hamptons, he created the region’s first fine art fair, ArtHamptons, nearly a decade ago, and Attendance has grown from 3,000 to 14,000 under his ownership. Over 100,000 art lovers attended his fine art fairs annually in places like Palm Springs, SF, and Silicon Valley.
Ever the entrepreneur, Mr. Friedman pioneered advanced software technology in the 1990s through a worldwide network of publications, conferences, and expos in 6 countries. During that period, his SIGS Publications became one of the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the US. His original team of advisors and writers included Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. After the sale of the company to private equity, he went on to pioneer and champion the growth digital media/digital video/special effects/animation with a series of expos which culminated with owning the venerable ShowBiz Expo in LA, the largest event for filmmakers in the world, which he acquired from Variety Magazine.
Earlier in his life, as a colorful entrepreneur, his range of ventures including creating, directing and hosting as series of Disco Dance Contests at Regine’s in the late 1970’s which was sold to and became the format of Merv Griffin’s popular “Dance Fever” syndicated TV series in the 1980’s. He then moved into sports promotion, focusing on volleyball, where his popular NCAA matches led him to owning the USA Mens and Women’s National Teams. His tours set national attendance and revenue records for the sport, including playing at Madison Square Garden.
Rick lend artworks from the 250 piece art collection to museum exhibits, eclectically ranging from Guild Hall, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, to the National Museum of Picasso in Paris. I bring you Rick Friedman, the collector, writer, producer, publisher and philanthropist
Renee Russo is a powerhouse in the exit planning and business advisory space, known for her rare ability to integrate value acceleration, operational systemization, and personal transformation to set business owners truly free. As Founder and CEO of Rise Up Business Coaching, Renee leads a team of elite female advisors who deliver high-touch, results-driven coaching rooted in one mission: helping entrepreneurs build transferable value, unlock personal wealth, and achieve real freedom in both business and life.
A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Renee’s work is grounded in the Value Acceleration Methodology. She brings a strategic, real-world lens to helping owners prepare for exit—on their terms and timeline—while aligning business, personal, and financial goals. Her background as a Professional EOS Implementer® and Certified Outgrow Advisor allows her to embed scalable operating systems that drive sustainable growth and shift the owner from the day-to-day to the Owner’s Box.
Renee’s proprietary Ready to Rise Energy Management System complements her business strategies with a powerful framework that helps entrepreneurs overcome internal barriers to growth. Drawing from personal experience—including a high-stakes business turnaround and her own “double exit” from a marriage and company—she is uniquely equipped to help founders navigate complexity, regain control, and chart a new path forward.
At Rise Up Business Coaching, Renee has architected an end-to-end advisory model that prioritizes strategic, value-enhancing initiatives to accelerate enterprise value. Her approach focuses on six core business value drivers—financials, sales, marketing, leadership, recruiting, and productivity—and three essential owner freedom drivers: personal planning, financial planning, and succession planning. Through customized strategic roadmaps, live KPI tracking, and consistent accountability, Renee helps clients create a business that is scalable, transferable, and aligned with the owner’s long-term vision.
Recognized for her sky-high energy, compassionate heart, and relentless solution focus, Renee has guided hundreds of leaders through pivotal inflection points. Whether helping owners 10x their valuations, reduce reliance on themselves, or finally get clarity on what they want from their business and life, she brings an unwavering commitment to unlocking potential.
As a dynamic speaker and bestselling author, Renee brings thought leadership and real-world tools to national stages, consistently energizing audiences of advisors, founders, and professionals alike.
Renee’s message is clear: when we create value for business owners, we create choices—and in those choices lies their freedom.
Jim McCann
Founder and Chairman, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
Jim McCann is an entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist best known for transforming a single flower shop into the billion-dollar omni-channel retailer, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. Guided by a belief in the power of human connection, he built a company dedicated to helping people express and strengthen relationships.
Founded in 1976, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM pioneered toll-free ordering and e-commerce, redefining how people give gifts for life’s most meaningful moments. Today, the company leverages data, technology, and innovation across a portfolio of iconic brands including 1-800-Flowers.com:registered:, Harry & David®️, PersonalizationMall.com:registered:, Cheryl’s Cookies®️, and many more.
McCann is also the co-founder of Smile Farms, a nonprofit providing meaningful employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. He serves as Chairman of Worth Media Group and Brandfuel Ltd., Vice-Chairman and Lead Independent Director of Brightstar Lottery and sits on other private and nonprofit boards.