The 2019 Excellence in Exit Planning Awards are sponsored by UBS Financial Services, Inc.
The exit planning profession poses unique challenges and opportunities. The advisors leading this industry tend to be more entrepreneurial, display high leadership, and are instrumental in driving best practices for their peers and for business owners themselves. Exit planning advisors are pioneers of a changing industry. Each year, the Exit Planning Institute awards three advisors doing things right, making a lasting impact, and taking this marketplace to the next level. This year marks the seventh annual Excellence in Exit Planning Awards, sponsored by new title partner UBS Financial Services, Inc. It is our true pleasure to introduce the ten finalists:
Named after EPI cofounder, the Peter Christman Exit Planner of the Year Award is the highest honor offered in the exit planning industry and is awarded to a CEPA who either practices exit planning, manages exit planning engagements, educates business owner and advisors, or provides industry-changing exit planning solutions or tools that can be directly tied to changing outcomes for business owners and leading advisors. This advisor makes significant contributions to the industry, exemplifies the core values and characteristics of EPI and the CEPA designation, while making a uniquely significant impact on the larger exit planning profession on a local, regional, national and/or international scale. We are pleased to introduce the two 2019 finalists:
Ray Croff earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2016.
Dan Doran earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2016.
The Leader of the Year Award is presented to CEPA who has successfully trail blazed a first-of-its-kind project, initiative, or practice which has made a significant contribution to the exit planning profession and overall community. This advisor is also a thought leader; someone who has taken a position and become a regarded expert/specialist in a specific niche area, a person who tasks, innovates, and influences, and above all, showcases characteristics of collaboration. We are pleased to introduce the four 2019 nominees:
Kyle Danner earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2017.
James Jack earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2018.
Joe Strazzeri earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2016.
Amy Wirtz earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2014.
The Member of the Year Award is presented to a CEPA or EPI Partner who contributes significantly to the EPI community of advisors and the overall exit planning profession. They act as a key leader and expert in their local or regional marketplace and lead exit planning education while driving market awareness. We are pleased to introduce the four 2019 nominees:
Robert “Bob” Kitzman, CEPA, CTFA, MBA, Senior Vice President of Bank of America
Bob Kitzman earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2017.
Vincent Mastrovito earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2017.
Wes Shelton earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2018.
Martha Sullivan earned the CEPA Designation in the Class of 2016.
On September 24, the 2019 Exit Planning Summit will host the 7TH Annual Excellence in Exit Planning Awards Luncheon, sponsored by UBS Financial Services, Inc. The 2019 Honorees will be announced at that time.
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“This Methodology is Going to Supercharge My Practice!” -Justin Goodbread, CEPA, CFP®
Official ‘Exit Planning’ Definition: Exit planning combines the plan, concept, effort, and process into a clear, simple strategy to build a business that is transferable through strong human, structural, customer, and social capital. The future of the business owner, his/her family, and the business itself are addressed by exit planning through creating value today.
Exit planning is not just a plan (or a keyed-in report to print out for an owner). It is a strategy rooted in execution that grows value while expanding options so that an owner can transition the business on his/her terms when they are ready. It aligns the business, personal, and financial needs of the owner. Good exit planning utilizes the Value Acceleration Methodology™ to move clients through discovery, prepare, and decide gates. Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) educate the owner on all of the exit options and enters an engagement with an exit-option-agnostic perspective as to truly serve the business owner’s diverse needs. CEPAs collaborate with a seasoned, multi-disciplinary team of professionals to support the success of the business owner and use each other’s specialties and expertise to the benefit of the project. [view the award-winning methodology]
“Why did I earn CEPA when I already had an exit planning designation? Simple, the network. The quality of the EPI advisor network is unmatched.” -Paul Meyer, CEPA, CBEC
Do you consider your COIs or your referral network as the #1 source for new business? Look no further for your next membership affiliation. Formed in 2005 to serve educational and resource needs of financial planners and wealth managers, CPA/accountants, attorneys, commercial lenders, M&A advisors and business brokers, management consultants and other business advisors, the Exit Planning Institute is considered the standard trendsetter in the field of exit planning across the globe. It is the only organization that offers the Certified Exit Planning Advisor Program (CEPA) and qualifies for continuing education credits with twelve major professional associations, making it the most widely accepted and endorsed professional exit planning program in the world. [find a CEPA in your area]
“As a CPA, nothing is more important than exit planning.” -Bill Kenedy, CPA/ABV, CFF, CEPA
Our founders paved the way for the organization we are today. In the past three years alone, EPI has grown by more than ten times. We support and enable thousands of professional advisors who are leading the way in their local marketplaces across the globe. We invite you to join the community and experience the EPI difference.
We are powered by a dedicated staff, industry experts, and market leaders, that are passionate about providing top professional advisors the best industry content, ongoing practice support, and owner education resources. From humble beginnings, EPI has grown to become the exit planning market leader while staying focused and true to our mission. We are an education company that certifies and supports more than 900 CEPAs (and counting) as well as thousands of advisors worldwide through national, regional, chapter, and virtual education. Explore our history and make plans to play a part in our future. [explore the EPI history timeline snapshot]
“You want to have the best credential in the industry. So my advice is that you have to go with Exit Planning Institute.” -Vincent Mastrovito, CEPA, CBEC
Do you want help in an increasingly commoditized or oversaturated marketplace? Do you want just another designation for your business card or do you want the credentialing education that helps you adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing industry? You’ve come to the right place.
The Exit Planning Institute creates an exit planning “ecosystem,” and due to the diverse nature of exit planning, EPI has fostered a hyper-engaged exit planning community. This community includes CEPAs, other collaborative advisors, strategic alliance partners, academicians, the media, and business owners from across the globe made up of 15 countries, 44 U.S. States and representing over a dozen different professional disciplines. To serve this elite and cross-functional community on one major platform, EPI produces the best content as it relates to exit planning, succession planning, and value acceleration, provides ongoing advisor support and practice development, and creates connectivity to transitioning business owners. [connect with us today]
The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) Program is the most widely endorsed and accepted exit planning designation in the marketplace today. Experience the EPI difference and determine if earning the CEPA designation is the next strategic move for you to reinvent yourself in a changing marketplace. Visit www.EarnCEPA.com today.