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.

Derek Haskins | President & Chief Branding Officer™

In our business, the devil is in the details. With Derek Haskins' unwavering attention to the finer points, she simply has nowhere to hide.

As President and Chief Branding Officer™ EPI, Derek Haskins oversees the strategic direction and daily operations of a nationally serving corporate gifting and branded merchandise company. With professional and personal ties spanning California and Florida, including Boca Raton, Derek brings a hands-on leadership philosophy to virtually every aspect of the business, from marketing and operations to project management, website development, graphic design, quality control, and client and supplier relationships.

Entrepreneurial Background & Business Philosophy

Before establishing EPI in 2009, Derek worked at PDM Steel Service Centers, Inc., a distributor of carbon steel products serving the western United States. There, he developed a foundational understanding of business operations, supply chains, and, perhaps most importantly, how to create meaningful value in an otherwise commoditized marketplace.

Derek subsequently applied a straightforward philosophy to this new business venture: do what you say you're going to do, provide exceptional personal service, build lasting relationships, and take genuine pride in your work.

What began as an entrepreneurial venture evolved into EPI, a national provider of premium corporate gifts, retail-branded merchandise, and customized promotional products serving businesses and organizations across the United States.

Since the company's inception, Derek has worked to embed these principles into EPI's culture, establishing operational processes that emphasize accountability, responsiveness, exceptional craftsmanship, and consistent project execution.

Operational Excellence & Project Management

Never complacent, Derek continually evaluates opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen quality controls, and refine the customer experience.

His leadership has helped establish a highly coordinated project management model built around a single point of contact, clear communication, meticulous attention to detail, and reliable delivery.

Working closely with EPI's Project Management team, Derek helps ensure that every engagement progresses efficiently from initial consultation and creative development through sourcing, production, quality control, and final delivery.

A significant operational milestone came in 2023, when the company completed every contracted project on time and without reported defects or claims relating to its customization services.

That commitment to execution remains central to the company's approach today.

Marketing, Technology & Digital Innovation

Derek also oversees EPI's digital marketing and website development initiatives, collaborating closely with the company's development and creative teams in our California and Florida office locations.

His work encompasses search engine optimization, user experience, website functionality, product presentation, and digital marketing strategy.

With thousands of customizable products and a growing portfolio of premium retail brands, EPI's online platform reflects Derek's belief that technology should simplify complex purchasing decisions while preserving the personalized service that distinguishes the company.

Creative Direction & Quality Assurance

As Chief Branding Officer™, Derek maintains an active role in the company's graphic design, creative development, and quality assurance functions.
He understands that successful corporate branding requires far more than placing a logo on a product. Every detail matters, from the selection of the right retail brand and product to the precision of embroidery, printing, engraving, and other specialized logo treatments.
A transposed character, overlooked symbol, or mismatched color can compromise an otherwise successful project. Through carefully developed production workflows, multiple quality-control checkpoints, and a culture of accountability, Derek has helped build a system designed to prevent those errors before they occur.

California Roots & South Florida Connections

With longstanding professional roots in California and an established presence in Boca Raton, Florida, Derek maintains connections on both coasts.

As EPI evaluates opportunities to expand its presence in South Florida, Derek is involved in assessing how a Florida operation could complement the company's California foundation and support its nationwide customer base.

His experience managing business operations, developing efficient organizational systems, and building professional relationships informs his approach to continued growth.

Beyond the Office

Outside of work, Derek enjoys an active lifestyle, including fitness, basketball, boating, golf, and travel. With a longstanding appreciation for design, visual aesthetics, and innovation, he frequently draws inspiration from experiences beyond the workplace.
Whether developing a new business initiative, refining an operational process, or exploring emerging trends, Derek brings the same curiosity, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence that have shaped EPI since its founding.

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):

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.

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.

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.