Our best-selling fleece from Patagonia, the Better Sweater jacket is
available for men and
women in a wonderful selection of colors. Click
here for additional information. As
low as $111.20!
This unique pack works as a durable backpack or stylish messenger bag!
Prominent imprint area
allows for detailed custom embroidery. Click here for additional information. As low as $109.88!
Designed to impress our Contigo® select gift sets combine two of our
best-selling drinkware
styles hand-packed into a sleek and stylish gift box. This offering
includes the ever popular
Westloop travel tumbler with the Addison water bottle. Click here for additional information. As low as $49.58!
This premium heavyweight beach towel is a best seller. Featuring a
different solid color on one
side and a two-tone jacquard stripe on the other, the contrasting colors
work great with nearly
any logo or other design. Click here to learn more. As low as $30.39!
Recognize the winners at your next corporate or charity golf outing in a
big way with the
Trumpet award by Origins. Click here for additional information. As low as $69.93!
For golfers looking to shoot their best scores, the new Titleist Pro V1
series provides total
performance from tee to green. Click here for additional information. As low as $30.39!
We are an entirely different breed of promotional marketing agency - a highly specialized beacon in a
choppy sea of choices. Finding someone to paint a logo on and call it a promo is easy. Locating a team
of experienced Professionals who sweat the small stuff is far more rewarding.
As the country's leading purveyor of premium corporate gifts, we deliver a curated selection of quality
merchandise customized with expert precision. We do what we say we are going to do, trust our clients to
do the same, then we execute and deliver - on time and to your complete satisfaction. You've discovered
an agency partner you can trust to get it right the first time - without asterisks or exceptions. We are
pleased to introduce you to our team of qualified Branding Experts™ who make the impossible happen every
day. You are invited to connect with us in the manner you find most convenient whenever we can be of
assistance.
In our business, the devil is in the details. With Derek’s unwavering attention to
the finer points, she simply has nowhere to hide. As our President and Chief
Branding Expert™, Derek wears a number of (custom branded) hats while overseeing
daily functions of a small (but growing) enterprise, including: Marketing,
Operations, Project Management, Website Development, Graphic Design as well as
Client and Supplier Relations.
Prior to establishing the company, Derek worked at PDM Steel Service Centers, Inc., a
distributor of carbon steel products then servicing the western United States. In
this role he developed a basic understanding of business principles and supply
chains together with a more in-depth understanding of how to create value in a
commoditized market. In 2009, Derek decided to apply a seemingly straight forward
formula to a new business venture: do what you say you are going to do, provide a
high level of personal service and forge mutually beneficial, meaningful
relationships with clients, vendors and colleagues. Lastly, enjoy your professional
endeavors and daily work. In the years that ensued, that business evolved into EPI™
– the country’s leading purveyor of premium corporate gifts and incentives.
Since inception, Derek has worked to embed the aforementioned values into the company
culture and DNA while developing what has become an ultra-efficient, nearly
bulletproof process. Never complacent, considerable time is invested researching and
developing process improvements to help ensure the company adapts, evolves and sets
the standard for operational efficiency. All of this ensures the company
successfully completes the projects it is called upon to deliver. 2019 marked a
significant operational milestone whereby every contract was delivered timely and
without reported defects or claims related to the customization we provided.
On the Marketing front, Derek oversees our internal web development and
digital marketing teams, while collaborating closely with our senior web developer to
ensure our site maintains its position as the premier online platform within the
industry. Recently this has included a number of design aesthetic and UX
improvements including more user-friendly desktop and mobile navigation, convenient
browsing and faster page loading.
Derek collaborates closely with our Project Mangers to ensure approved orders under
contract are flowing efficiently and clients are satisfied during every engagement,
at each milestone and with every deliverable. Derek has been instrumental in
developing our Project Management team into the class-leading group of Professionals
they are today – firing on all cylinders without exception.
Derek manages and leads our internal and external graphic design and quality control
divisions which function as the company’s central nervous system. In today’s fast
changing market, he understands the need to produce cutting edge designs in order to
maintain our position as the country’s leading purveyor of premium corporate gifts.
A hands-on, detail-oriented approach to managing these aspects is an important key
to our continued success. All which it takes to break a project is one transposed
character, an overlooked symbol or mismatched ink color. By implementing multiple
failsafe’s throughout the design, production and quality control process we have
been able to entirely eliminate errors which might otherwise effect project
deliverability. This sets the company apart from nearly all of its competitors.
Outside of work, Derek strives to enjoy a healthy lifestyle including regular
exercise to include running, calisthenics, basketball and schedule permitting, golf.
All aspects of design and visual aesthetic are of interest to him personally and
professionally. Derek and his better half Lynette enjoy traveling, and while away
from the office they spend time trend spotting brands and product lines to add to
the company’s ever increasing offering.
Amy Li joined our team in January 2017 as our Office and Accounting Manager. Amy was
born in Xi'an, China where she lived during her formative years. Xi'an is one of the
oldest cities in China and is famous as the home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang.
After attending High School in Xi'an Amy moved with her family to the United States,
where she studied marketing at San Francisco State University. While she missed home
and the amazing food in Xi'an she quickly adapted to life in the United States and
excelled in her studies, having graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing.
Prior to coming to work at EPI Amy worked for Struxtur, Inc. where she was mostly in
charge of Accounting and Bookkeeping in a role similar to her work at EPI. Amy is an
extremely efficient and detail oriented Accounting Professional and takes tremendous
pride in her work. Her responsibilities within the company include accounts
receivable, accounts payable, payroll, managing payments, client invoicing and
general office administration. She is the friendly voice who answers the phone as
well!
Amy enjoys working at EPI because she enjoys the friendly almost family-like
environment within our office. She is constantly observing and suggesting ways to
improve office operations and client service and has quickly become a key team
member.
Outside of work Amy enjoys hiking, traveling and watching movies. She also enjoys
playing League of Legends.
Justin McGovern co-founded the company in early 2009 after having worked with at PDM
Steel Service Centers, Inc. - a subsidiary of publicly traded Reliance Steel &
Aluminum Co. (RS) - as a Technical Account Manager, having worked as a liaison of
sorts between domestic and overseas steel mills and end-user clients including steel
fabricators, erectors and general contractors. In his second year at PDM Justin was
recognized for having sold the most non-ferrous structural steel by tonnage pro rata
than any other Sales Representative in company history. The Justin J. McGovern Award
for Excellence was named after him and has been bestowed upon a mere two other sales
representatives since he departed the company in 2008.
In his current role, Justin works closely with key existing accounts and collaborates
with our Sales and Marketing team to ensure all new accounts are properly and
efficiently routed and assigned. He works closely with our Account Executives
ensuring all customers receive a high level of client service and that nothing comes
off of the production line that is anything other than first rate. Justin excels as
a Project Manager in large part due to his friendly and genuine demeanor, thoughtful
disposition and no-nonsense approach to resolving customer service and internal
production or quality control issues when and if they arise.
Justin provides valuable insight and feedback as it relates to certain business
decisions and regularly provides advice and insight taking into account his
considerable experience working for various technology companies throughout the San
Francisco Bay Area. He has been instrumental in helping to develop our sales team,
and consults closely regarding strategy, particularly as it relates to company
growth and expansion into new product categories and markets.
Justin has held a number of Sales and Account Management roles at well-known
companies and startups throughout Silicon Valley including Riverbed Technology, Inc.
(RVBD), Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and DataStax, Inc.
Justin was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in South San Francisco. He
attended Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, having graduated from Burlingame
High School. He went on to attend college in San Diego, California where his studies
included Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing. Justin resides in
San Mateo with his wife Nicole, a Certified Public Accountant, his two young
daughters and their rascal of a dog Posey.
Outside of work Justin is interested in home improvement, health and fitness and
sports including baseball, basketball and Golf.
William Draper was born in Philadelphia but moved to Los Angeles, California in his early teens, where he lived with his Aunt and Uncle on his Mother’s side together with his two cousins who are also his very best friends. William attended Harvard Westlake School where he excelled at sports including football and basketball. After High School, William attended the USC Marshall School of Business, where he burnished many of his skills which allow him to perform as such a successful Branding Expert™ with our agency.
Since moving to Northern California in 2010 he has never looked back and enjoys the lifestyle the San Francisco Bay Area supports.
William lives in San Mateo, California where our office is based. William strives to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and enjoys swimming, basketball and golf when he is not busy serving his valued clients.
Karla Nevarez works for the company as a Branding Expert™ specializing in website development. Based in our Mexico office, her work involves adding, updating and managing products on
the company website on a full-time basis. Karla is also in charge of the company's
online paid search campaigns, and has become well-versed in Google Adwords and also
Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Karla has been instrumental in helping create a better website with an unmatched
product selection. This has directly benefitted not only the company but most
importantly our valued customers. She's a true whiz when it comes to adding products
not only quickly but together with great attention to detail to help ensure all
published information and imagery is accurate. Karla is a good problem solver, which
has been evident in her ability to find various solutions that allow her to work
more efficiently without compromising the quality of her work.
Prior to joining our team Karla worked for a company in Mexico which specialized in
billing and invoicing for a variety of industries. Her role there was training
individuals to learn the software. She was born in Ensenada, Mexico and grew up in
Mazatlan, Mexico where she currently resides with her family. Karla attended high
school in Mazatlan, and went on to attend college at ITESUS University, where she
studied criminalistics.
Karla takes a tremendous amount of pride in her work, and mostly enjoys being a part
of a small professional team where her work truly makes a difference. Her work at
the company has been rewarding in that it has allowed her to learn a number of new
skills, while improving her English which is an ongoing professional development
goal for her.
In her spare time Karla mostly enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She
also enjoys playing video games and reading.
Alistair Francis joined our agency in 2018 as staff-assistant to our then Creative Director. Alistair was born and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and studied graphic design at the Pratt Institute. After completing his formal education, Alistair moved to Southern California before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area.
As our Creative Branding Expert™ Alistair heads our entire graphic design and publishing team. He oversees daily functions ensuring all graphic designs and preparations run smoothly, this ensuring an always positive outcome with finished products.
Alistair also serves as our in house Publisher overseeing all print and electronic publications including brand catalogs, look books and other endeavors.
Alistair currently resides in Palo Alto, California with his Fiancé Peter and their two furry four-legged children. In his free time he enjoys creative writing, hiking and exploring various wine regions throughout Northern California and beyond.
Roberto Lopez joined the team in 2014 and specializes in website development and digital marketing. Roberto works from our Mexico office and is tasked primarily with adding, updating and
managing products on the company website. With Roberto's professional assistance, we
have been able to grow the company website from approximately two-thousand products
to nearly seven-thousand, and Roberto works diligently on a daily full-time basis to
continue to help develop our website into a world-class business-to-business
e-commerce platform, where clients can conveniently view accurate product
information, high quality imagery from various angles in multiple colors, and
technical specifications as well as imprint methods and locations.
Roberto was born in Mazatlan, Mexico and grew up in both Mazatlan and Hermosillo,
Mexico. He attended high school at Instituto Cultural de Occidente and attended
college at Universidad de Guadalajara Virtual. Prior to beginning his career with
EPI, Roberto worked for a local entertainment facility where he was in charge of
accounting related functions and general administrative oversight.
Roberto enjoys his work at EPI mostly because it has allowed him to learn new
skills, improve upon skills learned previously and because his work helps contribute
to the success of not only a small business but to the success of his fellow
colleagues.
In his spare time Roberto enjoys fitness including gym training and cycling, and also
enjoys playing video games.
Ryan Tacconi initially began his career as a future Branding Expert™ when he joined our agency in 2019thru our summer apprenticeship program. Ryan studied carefully and quickly learned the broad strokes of how the agency functions while simultaneously working to introduce our business to potential new clients. Ryan demonstrated his natural abilities in project managementby taking initiative with several mid to large scale projects during the unexpected absence of our Project Management team.Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) disabled power to a number of cities and counties within Northern California during certain high risk time periods. These power outages forced the closure of a key office location for several days leading into the busy Holiday season. Ryan was able to work what amounted to Holiday miracles from only his iPhone and a dusty old iPad.
Management was impressed with Ryan’s ability to navigate these relatively complex projects with limited training, especially considering one of the most notable projects was considered ultra-time sensitive: East Coast in hand date just six business days out from first touch. The project scope involved a multi-color imprint onto five hundred custom Beats Pill speakers which, due to the substrate composition and desired logo placement, required ink adhesion testing. A special fixture needed to be designed in order to achieve the placement on the outer edge of the speaker. The manufacturer recommended ink curing window for a three-color imprint is 48-72 hours. Ryan stepped into action and effectively pre-planned the project with our production team, then broke thru each and every milestone like a seasoned Branding Expert™, successfully delivering the project a day ahead of schedule. The end-user client was thrilled and provided glowing unsolicited feedback to Management.
As a result of these efforts and Ryan’s successful management of every other project he accepted, Ryan was promoted to Associate Branding Expert™ after returning from a brief hiatus in December of 2019.
Additionally, in April 2020 Ryan officially became our Chief of Staff, tasked with supporting our Management team in a number of daily functions as the company navigates the uncharted territory which presented early in the new decade.
Ryan’s friendly disposition and positive outlook make him a valuable asset to the agency not to mention a valuable partner and advocate for our clients. Suffice it to say, Ryan makes things happen and always delivers which makes him a wonderful fit for our team.
Ryan grew up in Danville, California where he graduated from California High School in San Ramon. When Ryan is not burnishing his skills in Project Management and finding ways to satisfy his ever growing client list, he enjoys watching and playing sports, particularly basketball and soccer. As well, Ryan enjoys traveling with his family, including his two Brothers.
Carlos Batista joined EPI with 10 years of account management experience and a great
deal of knowledge in project administration and customer service. Carlos dedicates
himself to providing the best experience for clients and building long-term business
relationships.
Many of his core values and work ethic stem from his career in the military, a
life-long dream of his. Immediately after graduating from Burlingame High School,
Carlos enlisted in the military as an infantry rifleman in the United States Marine
Corps from December 2003 to December 2007. He served two tours in Iraq as part of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. After his military commitment ended, he was honorably
discharged and moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Carlos truly enjoys working as team and being able to oversee a variety of projects
from start to finish, including assisting clients with tailored proposals; thru to
design conceptualization and eventually onto successful and timely delivery.
Outside of the office, Carlos especially enjoys spending time with his wife and three
children. Having them join him on outdoor adventures, like camping and snowboarding
truly puts a smile on his face. He also enjoys playing basketball, mountain biking
and attending sporting events.
Brittany Jepson joined our agency in 2019 shortly after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Sonoma State University, where she earned a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. Brittany has enjoyed being able to apply what she learned while gaining more in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience related to digital advertising including: Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine and Social Media Marketing.
Brittany is responsible for ensuring the content on our website is produced and published in accordance with company defined standards and generally accepted best practices. She collaborates closely with our web development team to ensure information displayed throughout our website is kept current, is easy to read and process. Brittany is a skilled writer which allows her to efficiently develop, plan and publish snappy, engaging content which helps set our website apart as the leading authority within the industry.
Her strong work ethic and people-oriented approach to developing and implementing solutions have ingratiated her with our close-knit family of Branding Experts™. In a relatively short period of time, Brittany has made a measurable difference not only in terms of helping the company achieve certain goals and milestones, but by helping create a better user-experience online for our valued clients. A self-starter, Brittany has singlehandedly transformed our social media presence thru carefully thought out publications and meaningful updates to existing content.
A significant part of Brittany’s recipe for professional success is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running (with and without her dog, London, a very handsome Black Lab) and other fitness initiatives. She also spends her free time traveling, exploring new places and enjoying time with friends and family.
Gina Thornton joined the company in November 2015 as a Customer Service Representative and Sales Assistant. Gina came to us with ten years of experience in the promotional product industry, having worked for a mid-sized promotional product distributor in Maryland for as many years. She has considerable experience not only with the traditional distributor model, but also with managing company stores and fulfillment programs.
In early 2019, Gina was promoted to Account Executive as a direct result of her dedication to the Company and its valued clients. Gina now handles a number of key accounts and continues to excel with project management due to her ability to multi-task, to listen to customer needs.
One of the things she enjoys most about working at EPI is the relaxed boutique style work environment, and the truly unique level of synergy among the office staff. What she enjoys most about her work itself is being able to be a part of something that is going to make someone feel good, whether the item in question is a high-end custom logo jacket given to employees in recognition of an achievement or a more basic trade-show give away, the fact is, when people receive a promotional item it usually elicits a positive response. This is what makes Gina tick, professionally speaking.
Gina is a proud Mother of two girls, and mostly enjoys spending time with her kids, friends and family in her spare time. When she is not making her clients smile by helping to produce some of the most amazing and eye-catching promotional gifts and incentives or spending time with her beloved children, she enjoys shopping, taking road trips and furniture restoration.
Ms. Alexa Raye hails from Bartlett, Tennessee – a suburb of Memphis - where she was born and eventually developed into one of our most thoughtful and creative Branding Experts™.
Alexa is tasked with ensuring all client engagements – inbound, outbound and otherwise – are handled with the utmost care and attention to detail. Alexa is oftentimes found live chatting with prospective clients thru the engagement portal on our website, or calling around to new and existing clients to let them know about current programs and offers as well as imprint and customization processes as they develop and evolve.
Alexa’s calm, cool and friendly demeanor make her wonderful asset to our team of Branding Experts™.
Alexa resides in Burlingame, California and works from our San Mateo, California office location. In her free time she enjoys cooking, gardening and making her own homemade honey. Whenever possible, she likes to travel the visit interesting small towns throughout the US and Canada. She is an avid Yoga and Pilates enthusiast.
Rupert Coine has been a part of our team since 2012 having thoughtfully assisted us in various informal roles including early advisory regarding business structuring, strategy and liquidity planning. In 2018 Rupert formally joined our agency in a part-time capacity as a Senior Financial Analyst specializing in end-user credit access and facilitation.
During his expansive career, Rupert has done stints at several well-known financial services and accounting companies, including:
Arthur Anderson
JP Morgan Chase Wealth Management
Edward Jones
Deloitte
State Farm Mutual Insurance Company
Rupert is an experienced and knowledgeable Accountant, Economist and Financial Analyst with an uncanny ability to multiply numbers without the use of a digital or analog device. Rupert assists our agency with financial report preparations, periodic credit reviews, accounts receivable/accounts payable analysis and other certain functions which help keep our small but growing business moving along. In certain unique and uncommon instances, we lean on Rupert to assist with client collections and pre-collections. Rupert could be described reasonably as a ‘Financial Personal Trainer’ to our agency: it’s not always pleasant or enjoyable in the moment but you always end up loving him once hindsight sets in.
Rupert Coine was born in North Caldwell, New Jersey and moved to Chicago, Illinois just before starting Kindergarten. He continued to reside in Chicago until 2006 at which point he relocated to Northern California. When he is not working he is usually learning or relaxing over a warm cup of his home-brewed French press coffee. Rupert is currently studying to become a licensed Attorney in the State of California and intends to take the California State Bar Exam no later than early 2023. He stays fit and healthy with a rather fierce early morning lap-swimming routine.
EPI is the country’s leading purveyor of premium corporate gifts and incentives!
Thanks to our amazing team-members and wonderful client base, our small business continues to expand.
We are always seeking uniquely talented individuals to join our team of Branding Experts™.
If you are located in any of the following metropolitan locations or surrounding areas, and enjoy proactively engaging with clients, you may very well be a great fit as an Outside Branding Expert™:
San Francisco, California
Los Angeles, California
New York City, New York
Miami, Florida
Houston, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
Chicago, Illinois
Seattle, Washington
As an Outside Branding Expert™ you will be tasked with identifying businesses and organizations who could benefit from our uniquely curated product offering. Meeting with prospective clients in person to perform product presentations and demonstrations will be a part of your daily functions, as the quality of our products and bulletproof process can oftentimes only be seen or understood with an in-person viewing.
Please email your resume to brandin@reachepi.com with a summary of what interests you most about this opportunity.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team.
ELITE PROMO INC
Derek R. Haskins, President & Chief
Branding Expert™
In our business, the devil is in the details. With Derek’s unwavering attention
to the finer points, she simply has nowhere to hide. As our President and Chief
Branding Officer™, Derek wears a number of (custom branded) hats while overseeing
daily functions of a small (but growing) enterprise, including: Marketing,
Operations, Project Management, Website Development, Graphic Design as well as
Client and Supplier Relations.
Prior to establishing the company, Derek worked at PDM Steel Service Centers,
Inc., a distributor of carbon steel products then servicing the western United
States. In this role he developed a basic understanding of business principles
and supply chains together with a more in-depth understanding of how to create
value in a commoditized market. In 2009, Derek decided to apply a seemingly
straight forward formula to a new business venture: do what you say you are
going to do, provide a high level of personal service and forge mutually
beneficial, meaningful relationships with clients, vendors and colleagues.
Lastly, enjoy your professional endeavors and daily work. In the years that
ensued, that business evolved into EPI™ – the country’s leading purveyor of
premium corporate gifts and incentives.
Since inception, Derek has worked to embed the aforementioned values into the
company culture and DNA while developing what has become an ultra-efficient,
nearly bulletproof process. Never complacent, considerable time is invested
researching and developing process improvements to help ensure the company
adapts, evolves and sets the standard for operational efficiency. All of this
ensures the company successfully completes the projects it is called upon to
deliver. 2019 marked a significant operational milestone whereby every contract
was delivered timely and without reported defects or claims related to the
customization we provided.
On the Marketing front, Derek oversees our internal website development and
digital marketing team, while collaborating closely with our senior web
developer to ensure our site maintains its position as the premier online
platform within the industry. Recently this has included a number of design
aesthetic and UX improvements including more user-friendly desktop and mobile
navigation, convenient browsing and faster page loading.
Derek collaborates closely with our Project Mangers to ensure approved orders
under contract are flowing efficiently and clients are satisfied during every
engagement, at each milestone and with every deliverable. Derek has been
instrumental in developing our Project Management team into the class-leading
group of Professionals they are today – firing on all cylinders without
exception.
Derek manages and leads our internal and external graphic design and quality
control divisions which function as the company’s central nervous system. In
today’s fast changing market, he understands the need to produce cutting edge
designs in order to maintain our position as the country’s leading purveyor of
premium corporate gifts. A hands-on, detail-oriented approach to managing these
aspects is an important key to our continued success. All which it takes to
break a project is one transposed character, an overlooked symbol or mismatched
ink color. By implementing multiple failsafe’s throughout the design, production
and quality control process, we have been able to entirely eliminate errors
which might otherwise effect project deliverability. This sets the company apart
from nearly all of its competitors.
Outside of work, Derek strives to enjoy a healthy lifestyle including regular
exercise which includes running, calisthenics, basketball and schedule
permitting, golf. All aspects of design and visual aesthetic are of interest to
him personally and professionally. Derek and his better half Lynette enjoy
traveling, and while away from the office they spend time trend spotting brands
and product lines to add to the company’s ever increasing offering.
Justin McGovern co-founded the company in early 2009 after having worked at
PDM Steel Service Centers, Inc. - a subsidiary of publicly traded Reliance Steel
& Aluminum Co. (RS) - as a Technical Account Manager, having worked as a
liaison of sorts between domestic and overseas steel mills and end-user clients
including steel fabricators, erectors and general contractors. In his second
year at PDM Justin was recognized for having sold the most non-ferrous
structural steel by tonnage pro rata than any other Sales Representative in
company history. The Justin J. McGovern Award for Excellence was named after him
and has been bestowed upon a mere two other sales representatives since he
departed the company in 2008.
In his current role, Justin works closely with key existing accounts and
collaborates with our Sales and Marketing team to ensure all new accounts are
properly and efficiently routed and assigned. He works closely with our Project
Managers ensuring all customers receive a high level of client service and that
nothing comes off of the production line that is anything other than first rate.
Justin excels as a Project Manager in large part due to his friendly and genuine
demeanor, thoughtful disposition and no-nonsense approach to resolving customer
service and internal production or quality control issues when and if they
arise.
Justin provides valuable insight and feedback as it relates to certain business
decisions and regularly provides advice and insight taking into account his
considerable experience working for various technology companies throughout the
San Francisco Bay Area. He has been instrumental in helping to develop our sales
team, and consults closely regarding strategy, particularly as it relates to
company growth and expansion into new product categories and markets.
Justin has held a number of Sales and Account Management roles at well-known
companies and startups throughout Silicon Valley including Riverbed Technology,
Inc. (RVBD), Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and DataStax, Inc.
Justin was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in South San Francisco.
He attended Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, having graduated from
Burlingame High School. He went on to attend college in San Diego, California
where his studies included Business Administration with an emphasis on
Marketing. Justin resides in San Mateo with his wife Nicole, a Certified Public
Accountant, his two young daughters and their rascal of a dog Posey.
Outside of work Justin is interested in home improvement, health and fitness and
sports including baseball, basketball and Golf.
We’ve all heard of a blacksmith, a metalsmith or a wordsmith but up until Brandin’ joined our agency in 2019 we had yet to know a true ‘Brandin’ Smith’!
Brandin’ is truly an expert in all things corporate branding. As the country’s one and only Brandin’ Smith, he takes time understanding every client’s individual needs then gets to work in his Brandin’ facility to produce only the finest custom branded merchandise.
during business hours, Brandin’ can usually be reached via the live chat engagement portal on our website. When Brandin’ is not in the office he has an apprentice who assists him with client engagements, our other Brandin’, Brandin’ A. Prentiss. No matter which Brandin’ you live chat with, you can rest assured you are in good and capable hands.
Reach out to Brandin’ Smith for qualified assistance with any of your custom branded merchandise needs.
BRITTANY JEPSON, Branding Expert™, Digital Marketing, Social Media
Brittany Jepson joined our agency in 2019 shortly after graduating Magna Cum
Laude from Sonoma State University, where she earned a B.S. in Business with an
emphasis in Marketing. Brittany has enjoyed being able to apply what she learned
while gaining more in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience related to digital
advertising including: Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine and Social
Media Marketing.
Brittany is responsible for ensuring the content on our website is produced and
published in accordance with company defined standards and generally accepted
best practices. She collaborates closely with our web development team to
ensure information displayed throughout our website is kept current, is easy to
read and process. Brittany is a skilled writer which allows her to efficiently
develop, plan and publish snappy, engaging content which helps set our website
apart as the leading authority within the industry.
Her strong work ethic and people-oriented approach to developing and implementing
solutions have ingratiated her with our close-knit family of Branding Experts™.
In a relatively short period of time, Brittany has made a measurable difference
not only in terms of helping the company achieve certain goals and milestones,
but by helping create a better user-experience online for our valued clients. A
self-starter, Brittany has singlehandedly transformed our social media presence
thru carefully thought out publications and meaningful updates to existing
content.
A significant part of Brittany’s recipe for professional success is maintaining a
healthy lifestyle. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running (with and without
her dog, London, a very handsome Black Lab) and other fitness initiatives. She
also spends her free time traveling, exploring new places and enjoying time with
friends and family.
Gina Thornton joined the company in November 2015 as a Customer Service
Representative and Sales Assistant. Gina came to us with ten years of experience
in the promotional product industry, having worked for a mid-sized promotional
product distributor in Maryland for as many years. She has considerable
experience not only with the traditional distributor model, but also with
managing company stores and fulfillment programs.
In early 2019, Gina was promoted to Project Manager as a direct result of her
dedication to the Company and its valued clients. Gina now handles a number of
key accounts and continues to excel with project management due to her ability
to multi-task, to listen to customer needs.
One of the things she enjoys most about working at EPI is the relaxed boutique
style work environment, and the truly unique level of synergy among the office
staff. What she enjoys most about her work itself is being able to be a part of
something that is going to make someone feel good, whether the item in question
is a high-end custom logo jacket given to employees in recognition of an
achievement or a more basic trade-show give away, the fact is, when people
receive a promotional item it usually elicits a positive response. This is what
makes Gina tick, professionally speaking.
Gina is a proud Mother of two girls, and mostly enjoys spending time with her
kids, friends and family in her spare time. When she is not making her clients
smile by helping to produce some of the most amazing and eye-catching
promotional gifts and incentives or spending time with her beloved children, she
enjoys shopping, taking road trips and furniture restoration.
OFFICE HOURS (Pacific Standard Time):
Monday: 6:00 AM until 2:30 PM
Tuesday: 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 6:00 AM until 2:30 PM
Thursday: 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM
Friday: 6:00 AM until 2:30 PM
Karla Nevarez, Website Product
Manager
Karla Nevarez works for the company as a Branding Expert™ specialized in website development. Based in our
Mazatlan, Mexico office, her work involves adding, updating and managing
products on the company website on a full-time basis. Karla is also in charge of
the company's on-line paid search campaigns, and has become well-versed in
Google Ad-words and also Search Engine Optimization in general.
Karla has been instrumental in helping create a better website with an unmatched
product selection. This has directly benefited not only the company but most
importantly our valued customers. She's a true whiz when it comes to adding
products not only quickly but together with great attention to detail to help
ensure all published information and imagery is accurate. Karla is a good
problem solver, which has been evident in her ability to find various solutions
that allow her to work more efficiently without compromising the quality of her
work.
Prior to joining our team Karla worked for a company in Mexico which specialized
in billing and invoicing for a variety of industries. Her role there was
training individuals to learn the software. She was born in Ensenada, Mexico and
grew up in Mazatlan, Mexico where she currently resides with her family. Karla
attended high school in Mazatlan, and went on to attend college at ITESUS
University, where she studied criminalistics.
Karla takes a tremendous amount of pride in her work, and mostly enjoys being a
part of a small professional team where her work truly makes a difference. Her
work at the company has been rewarding in that it has allowed her to learn a
number of new skills, while improving her English which is an ongoing
professional development goal for her.
In her spare time Karla mostly enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
She also enjoys playing video games and reading.
Roberto Lopez, Website Product
Manager
Roberto Lopez joined the team in 2014 to help with website development and digital marketing. Roberto works from our Mexico office and is tasked primarily with adding,
updating and managing products on the company website. With Roberto's
professional assistance, we have been able to grow the company website from
approximately two-thousand products to nearly seven-thousand, and Roberto works
diligently on a daily full-time basis to continue to help develop our website
into a world-class business-to-business e-commerce platform, where clients can
conveniently view accurate product information, high quality imagery from
various angles in multiple colours, and technical specifications as well as
imprint methods and locations.
Roberto was born in Mazatlan, Mexico and grew up in both Mazatlan and Hermosillo,
Mexico. He attended high school at Instituto Cultural de Occident and attended
college at Universidad de Guadalajara Virtual. Prior to beginning his career
with EPI, Roberto worked for a local entertainment facility where he was in
charge of accounting related functions and general administrative oversight.
Roberto enjoys his work at EPI mostly because it has allowed him to learn new
skills, improve upon skills learned previously and because his work helps
contribute to the success of not only a small business but to the success of his
fellow colleagues.
In his spare time Roberto enjoys fitness including gym training and cycling, and
also enjoys playing video games.
CARLOS BATISTA, Corporate Branding Expert™, Project Management
Carlos Batista joined EPI with 10 years of account management experience and a
great deal of knowledge in project administration and customer service. Carlos
dedicates himself to providing the best experience for clients and building
long-term business relationships.
Many of his core values and work ethic stem from his career in the military, a
life-long dream of his. Immediately after graduating from Burlingame High
School, Carlos enlisted in the military as an infantry rifleman in the United
States Marine Corps from December 2003 to December 2007. He served two tours in
Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After his military commitment ended, he
was honorably discharged and moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Carlos truly enjoys working as team and being able to oversee a variety of
projects from start to finish, including assisting clients with tailored
proposals; thru to design conceptualization and eventually onto successful and
timely delivery.
Outside of the office, Carlos especially enjoys spending time with his wife and
three children. Having them join him on outdoor adventures, like camping and
snowboarding truly puts a smile on his face. He also enjoys playing basketball,
mountain biking and attending sporting events.
Amy Li joined our team in January 2017 as our Office and Accounting Manager. Amy
was born in Xi'an, China where she lived during her formative years. Xi'an is
one of the oldest cities in China and is famous as the home to the Terracotta
Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
After attending High School in Xi'an Amy moved with her family to the United
States, where she studied marketing at San Francisco State University. While she
missed home and the amazing food in Xi'an she quickly adapted to life in the
United States and excelled in her studies, having graduated with a Bachelor's
degree in Marketing.
Prior to coming to work at EPI Amy worked for Struxtur, Inc. where she was mostly
in charge of Accounting and Bookkeeping in a role similar to her work at EPI.
Amy is an extremely efficient and detail oriented Accounting Professional and
takes tremendous pride in her work. Her responsibilities within the company
include accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, managing payments,
client invoicing and general office administration. She is the friendly voice
who answers the phone as well!
Amy enjoys working at EPI because she enjoys the friendly almost family-like
environment within our office. She is constantly observing and suggesting ways
to improve office operations and client service and has quickly become a key
team member.
Outside of work Amy enjoys hiking, traveling and watching movies. She also enjoys
playing League of Legends.
ALEXA RAYE, Branding Expert™, Client Engagement
Ms. Alexa Raye hails from Bartlett, Tennessee – a suburb of Memphis - where she was born and eventually developed into one of our most thoughtful and creative Branding Experts™.
Alexa is tasked with ensuring all client engagements – inbound, outbound and otherwise – are handled with the utmost care and attention to detail. Alexa is oftentimes found live chatting with prospective clients thru the engagement portal on our website, or calling around to new and existing clients to let them know about current programs and offers as well as imprint and customization processes as they develop and evolve.
Alexa’s calm, cool and friendly demeanor make her wonderful asset to our team of Branding Experts™.
Alexa resides in Burlingame, California and works from our San Mateo, California office location. In her free time she enjoys cooking, gardening and making her own homemade honey. Whenever possible, she likes to travel the visit interesting small towns throughout the US and Canada. She is an avid Yoga and Pilates enthusiast.
Alistair Francis joined our agency in 2018 as staff-assistant to our then Creative Director. Alistair was born and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and studied graphic design at the Pratt Institute. After completing his formal education, Alistair moved to Southern California before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area.
As our Creative Branding Expert™ Alistair heads our entire graphic design and publishing team. He oversees daily functions ensuring all graphic designs and preparations run smoothly, this ensuring an always positive outcome with finished products.
Alistair also serves as our in house Publisher overseeing all print and electronic publications including brand catalogs, look books and other endeavors.
Alistair currently resides in Palo Alto, California with his Fiancé Peter and their two furry four-legged children. In his free time he enjoys creative writing, hiking and exploring various wine regions throughout Northern California and beyond.
RUPERT J. COINE, Senior Financial Analyst, End-UserCredit Services
Rupert Coinehas been a part of our team since 2012 having thoughtfully assisted us in various informal roles including early advisory regarding business structuring, strategy and liquidity planning.In 2018 Rupert formally joined our agency in a part-time capacity as a Senior Financial Analyst specializing in end-user credit access and facilitation.
During his expansive career, Rupert has done stints at several well-known financial services and accounting companies, including:
Arthur Anderson
JP Morgan Chase Wealth Management
Edward Jones
Deloitte
State Farm Mutual Insurance Company
Rupert is an experienced and knowledgeable Accountant, Economist and Financial Analyst with an uncanny ability to multiply numbers without the use of a digital or analog device. Rupert assists our agency with financial report preparations, periodic credit reviews, accounts receivable/accounts payable analysis and other certain functions which help keep our small but growing business moving along.In certain unique and uncommon instances, we lean on Rupert to assist with client collections and pre-collections. Rupert could be described reasonably as a ‘Financial Personal Trainer’ to our agency: it’s not always pleasant or enjoyable in the moment but you always end up loving him once hindsight sets in.
Rupert Coine was born in North Caldwell, New Jersey and moved to Chicago, Illinoisjust before starting Kindergarten. He continued to reside in Chicago until 2006 at which point he relocated to Northern California. When he is not working he is usually learning or relaxing over a warm cup of his home-brewed French press coffee. Rupert is currently studying to become a licensed Attorney in the State of California and intends to take the California State Bar Exam no later than early 2023. He stays fit and healthy with a rather fierce early morning lap-swimming routine.
WILLIAM C. DRAPER, Corporate Branding Expert™
William Draper was born in Philadelphia but moved to Los Angeles, California in his early teens, where he lived with his Aunt and Uncle on his Mother’s sidetogether withhis two cousins who are also his very best friends. William attended Harvard Westlake School where he excelled at sports including football and basketball. After High School, William attended the USC Marshall School of Business, where he burnished many of his skills which allow him to perform as such a successful Branding Expert™ with our agency.
Since moving to Northern California in 2010 he has never looked back and enjoys the lifestyle the San Francisco Bay Area supports.
William lives in San Mateo, California where our office is based.William strives to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and enjoys swimming, basketball and golf when he is not busy serving his valued clients.
RYAN TACCONI, Associate Branding Expert™, Chief of Staff
Ryan Tacconi initially began his career as a future Branding Expert™ when he joined our agency in 2019thru our summer apprenticeship program. Ryan studied carefully and quickly learned the broad strokes of how the agency functions while simultaneously working to introduce our business to potential new clients. Ryan demonstrated his natural abilities in project managementby taking initiative with several mid to large scale projects during the unexpected absence of our Project Management team.Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) disabled power to a number of cities and counties within Northern California during certain high risk time periods. These power outages forced the closure of a key office location for several days leading into the busy Holiday season. Ryan was able to work what amounted to Holiday miracles from only his iPhone and a dusty old iPad.
Management was impressed with Ryan’s ability to navigate these relatively complex projects with limited training, especially considering one of the most notable projects was considered ultra-time sensitive: East Coast in hand date just six business days out from first touch. The project scope involved a multi-color imprint onto five hundred custom Beats Pill speakers which, due to the substrate composition and desired logo placement, required ink adhesion testing. A special fixture needed to be designed in order toachieve the placement on the outer edge of the speaker. The manufacturerrecommended ink curingwindow for a three-color imprint is 48-72 hours. Ryan stepped into action and effectively pre-planned the project with our production team, then broke thru each and every milestone like a seasoned Branding Expert™, successfully delivering the project a day ahead of schedule. The end-user client was thrilled and provided glowing unsolicited feedback to Management.
As a result of these efforts and Ryan’s successful management of every other project he accepted, Ryan was promoted toAssociate Branding Expert™ after returning from a brief hiatus in December of 2019.
Additionally, in April 2020 Ryan officially became our Chief of Staff, tasked with supporting our Management team in a number of daily functions as the company navigates the uncharted territory which presented early in the new decade.
Ryan’s friendly disposition and positive outlook make him a valuable asset to the agency not to mention a valuable partner and advocate for our clients. Suffice it to say, Ryan makes things happen and always delivers which makes him a wonderful fit for our team.
Ryan grew up in Danville, California where he graduated from California High School in San Ramon. When Ryan is not burnishing his skills in Project Management and finding ways to satisfy his ever growing client list, he enjoys watching and playing sports, particularly basketball and soccer. As well, Ryan enjoys traveling with his family, including his two Brothers.
YOUR NAME HERE, Marketing Manager
ELITE PROMO INC (EPI™), one of the fastest growing Promotional Product
Distributors in the United States two years in a row according to the
Advertising Specialty Institute, is seeking a full-time Marketing Manager. We
are an industry-leader specializing in Branded Luxury™. Our new Marketing
Manager will work hand in hand with Management to pave the way for continued
growth within our niche.
The right candidate will be fulfilled professionally, creatively and
otherwiseconsidering they will be tasked with oversight, management and
implementation of the following:
Digital marketing efforts (online advertising, SEM etc.)
Social media management &marketing (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn)
Bachelor’s Degree or similar qualifications/experience
3+ years hands-on experience with a combination of print, digital and social
media marketing
Knowledge and keen understanding of Social Media
Knowledge and keen understanding of Modern Digital Marketing
Knowledge and experience with graphic design software such as Adobe Creative
Suite
Experience with e-commerce platforms/functionality
IDEAL SKILLS/TRAITS:
Detail oriented/focused
Knowledge of modern retail brands and products
Trendspotting capabilities/abilities
Limited knowledge of business to business, supply chains etc.
Catchy, fresh, SEO friendly content writing
Knowledge surrounding custom merchandise, printing or engraving a tremendous
plus
COMP/BENEFITS:
Please inquire
OUR HISTORY
EPI™ was founded in 2009 by Derek Haskins and Justin McGovern, longtime friends who met
while attending Burlingame High School. In its original model the business provided professional golf
event management and production services to corporate and non-profit clients throughout the Western
United States. As the company matured, demand was noticed within our existing client base for customized
merchandise. Initially product was sourced thru various online merchants who promised the moon and
usually delivered storm clouds. Service failures began to adversely affect client relations. In 2012 the
company restructured its supply chain and created an online platform with a limited selection of branded
golf apparel, embroidered pullovers, imprinted golf balls and other golf-themed promotional items.
Over time the agency refined its area of expertise and began developing a carefully curated selection of
products consisting of what we consider to be the finest corporate gifts and incentives. Strategic
alliances were established with many of the key retail brands we offer to date. Presently our agency
delivers a most unique, sought after collection of more than one hundred interesting brands, many of
whom are premium lines who have trusted us to supply the corporate marketplace. Many of our most
meaningful partnerships represent brand exclusives - several of today's leading retail brands choose to
partner solely with EPI™ in the corporate B2B market. In doing so, they have recognized an unwavering
commitment to representing premium brands in a manner which strategically enhances their retail
footprint.
End-user clients of all sizes including a number of Fortune 500 companies have come to trust our agency
having learned we will deliver no matter what, and in many cases when no one else can. Dedicated, single
point of contact Project Management allows us to assess the situation and swiftly develop a bulletproof
plan to deliver even under the heaviest time constraints. Unlike the businesses who try to compete with
us, our Branding Experts™ are enabled with broad decision making authority allowing them to efficiently
manage and deliver the most complex projects. All of this together with prompt, unambiguous
communication and careful attention to detail allow our agency to accept projects others have labeled
'impossible'. If you are interested in becoming a client or would like to learn more about our agency,
please contact us in the manner you find most convenient.
our locations
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
411 Borel Avenue, Suite 350
San Mateo, California 94402
MEXICO OFFICE
Río Lerma No. 232, Pisos 28, 29 y 30,
Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Ciudad de México,
CDMX, Mexico
CONNECT WITH A BRANDING EXPERT™
CONNECT WITH US
We take pride in our work. All orders receive a complimentary design proof to ensure you're happy
with the
finished product. Plus, we offer free expert design services. Contact us today for more
information.
You will be happy with your order, we guarantee it. If your order is not produced to the approved
specifications we will replace your order, on our dime, no questions asked. For more information
click here.
Do you like being nickel and dimed? We sure don't and we don't think that's good business. Our
pricing is
all-inclusive, and ground shipping is included with our advertised pricing. Keeping it simple. That's how we
roll.