ABOUT US
Premium Corporate Gifts™
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.
Our Team
President and Chief Branding Officerâ„¢
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 Expertâ„¢, 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 EPIâ„¢
– 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.
Branding Expertâ„¢, Agency Operations, Accounting
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.
Chief Branding Expertâ„¢, Project Management
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.
Corporate Branding Expertâ„¢
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.
Branding Expertâ„¢, Web Development
Karla Nevarez works for the company as a Branding Expertâ„¢ 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.
Creative Branding Expertâ„¢, Associate Publisher
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 Expertâ„¢ 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.
Branding Expertâ„¢, Web Development
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.
Associate Branding Expertâ„¢, Chief of Staff
Ryan Tacconi initially began his career as a future Branding Expertâ„¢ 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.
Corporate Branding Expertâ„¢, 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.
Branding Expertâ„¢, 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 Expertsâ„¢. 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.
Corporate Branding Expertâ„¢, Project Management
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.
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
Branding Expertâ„¢, 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.
Senior Financial Analyst, End-User Credit Services
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.
Brandin’ Expert™, Client Engagement
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 Expertsâ„¢.
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 Expertâ„¢:
- 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 Expertâ„¢ 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
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 empowered with decision making abilities 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 connect us in the manner you find most convenient.
our locations
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
411 Borel Avenue, Suite 350
San Mateo, California 94402
MEXICO OFFICE
RÃo Lerma No. 232, Pisos 28, 29 y 30,
Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Ciudad de México,
CDMX, Mexico
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