Steve Epner Named Chairman of New St. Louis Nonprofit

Brown Smith Wallace Principal and Consulting Group Founder selected to lead Innovate Venture Mentoring Service

ST. LOUIS (December 18, 2013) Steve Epner, CSP, principal and founder of the Brown Smith Wallace consulting group, has been named chairman of the board for the non-profit organization, Innovate Venture Mentoring Service (IVMS). The organization is an offshoot of Innovate St. Louis, a substantial contributor to St. Louis’ growing entrepreneurial culture.
Innovate St. Louis plans to transition the IVMS organization to the new leadership team in the early first quarter of 2014. The new leadership team, headed by Steve Epner, will lead the organization in becoming a free-standing, self-sustaining entity after six years of accomplishments.

“My goal is to create a sustainable organization to continue founding chairman Bill Peck’s vision of supporting early stage business ventures in the region,” said Epner. “We have a lot of work to do, but are fortunate to have a solid foundation. I very much appreciate the board’s confidence in me.”

The new leadership team will work with IVMS’ staff and mentors to accelerate a refresh of IVMS’s programming, operations and funding strategy. IVMS will organize active committees comprised of the many mentors and ventures already part of the IVMS family.

“We are pleased to have Steve lead such an innovative organization and continue to be a part of the local entrepreneurial community,” said Harvey Wallace, managing partner at Brown Smith Wallace. “We are always looking for new ways to engage with startups and reaffirm our firm’s commitment to supporting small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit.”

About IVMS
IVMS was founded in 2014 as an operating unit of Innovate St. Louis, to assist early stage entrepreneurs in launching high-technology, high-growth businesses. IVMS provides free business planning assistance to entrepreneurs in the form of high-impact mentoring teams, comprised of volunteers who are either experienced entrepreneurs or subject matter experts in their fields. Over the past 6 years, IVMS has assisted over 320 client entrepreneurs, who have launched 220 ventures. To date, these ventures have collectively achieved over a 65% survival rate (over twice the national average), have attracted over $70 million in investment, and have created over 800 jobs in the St. Louis region.


About Brown Smith Wallace
Brown Smith Wallace is the second-largest locally owned full-service CPA and business advisory firm in Missouri with more than 200 employees. The firm was nationally recognized as a “Best of the Best Firm” in 2013, by INSIDE Public Accounting and as an Accounting Today “Best Accounting Firm to Work For” in 2013. Brown Smith Wallace is the only accounting firm in St. Louis to receive either of these designations this year. For more information, visit www.bswllc.com or call 314-983-1200.

More Management Changes at Epicor

Earlier this year, Epicor hired Donna Troy, a former Dell, SAP and IBM executive, to lead the distribution business.  This week, Epicor announced that Pervez Quereshi, the CEO and architect of the Epicor/Activant merger, stepped down “to pursue new opportunites.”  Succeed him as President and CEO is Joe Cowan, an executive at Online Resources (an online banking and payment solutions provider) and Interwoven (a content management software provider). 

 

Read the TEC Eval Article to learn more. 

 

Steve Epner, BSW Consulting founder, will be at the Epicor Executive retreat next week and will report on his meeting with Donna and Joe.

 

 

Getting Out of "Do-do" By Steve Epner

In the July Strictly Business Newsletter, Steve Epner writes about the importance of getting work done, attaining results and moving forward.

"Do-do" is the mode most business people seem to always be stuck in. Head down, shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grind stone, push, push, push. We are always doing. Maybe it makes us feel better. Maybe it is an animal instinct that comes from ancient history. Wherever it came from, it can be expensive, less productive than we think, and can make us downright ineffective. It is easy to fool ourselves when we are hard at "do-do" work. As a matter of fact, we often call it busy work. We look busy. That gets us promoted. We work extra hours. We complain that we cannot get away from our desks. We always seem to be in "do-do" mode. What is important is to get out of the "do-do" trap and instead strive for "done-done." It is important to do work — it is more important to get work done. Finish something. Get results. Move forward.

To see the Full article click here: Software4Distributors Media Center

Steve Epner's 9th Book (Simplify Everything) Was Just Published

Steve Epner, Founder of the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting, has finished his 9th book, Simplify Everything. In his first book geared toward the general business audience, Steve presents three effective steps to improve outcomes, keep employees engaged and provide a better daily experience in your organization. Simplify Everything is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and local book stores.

Acumatica, BSWC, & MDM Webinar: Cloud Computing: Reality vs. Theory

Cloud computing is creating a big buzz in consumer markets. But its value proposition for wholesale distribution companies is still a bit fuzzy for IT professionals and executives alike. Join well-known technology consultant Steve Epner in this 60-minute free Webcast sponsored by Acumatica to separate fact from fiction, and learn more about the business case for cloud computing for wholesale distribution businesses.

The discussion on April 7, 2011 will knock down the myths to review the growing number of options, opportunities for wholesale distributors to leverage cloud computing, and the business case for cloud deployment. All this with the help of Steve Epner’s many years of clearly explaining how to use technology to solve business problems!

Register at: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/sc​hedule/display.​do?udc=5f013d4t​8z8f​