SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 14, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center), a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Michael Gonthier has joined the firm as Chief Financial Officer. EPIC's current CFO, Elaine Andrian, will now focus on merger and acquisition strategy and diligence as the firm continues to expand nationally.<br /><br />SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 14, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center), a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Michael Gonthier has joined the firm as Chief Financial Officer. EPIC's current CFO, Elaine Andrian, will now focus on merger and acquisition strategy and diligence as the firm continues to expand nationally.<br /><br />Gonthier brings more than 20 years of experience in operations, information technology, finance and administration to EPIC. His fields of expertise include insurance, financial services, and high technology.<br /><br />"With EPIC's focus on national expansion, Mike's exceptional knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, coupled with his expert planning and analysis skills, make him an outstanding addition to our executive team," said John Hahn, co-founder and CEO of EPIC.<br /><br />As CFO for EPIC, Gonthier will be responsible for overseeing all Finance and Accounting, Human Resources and Information Technology functions across the organization. Additionally, Gonthier will provide support to the firm's managing principals and branch leaders by assisting them with financial planning and economic modeling. Gonthier will also oversee all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities for EPIC.<br /><br />Prior to joining EPIC, Gonthier served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2008 for Crump Insurance Services. Gonthier also held the titles of Vice President, Finance Division CFO for BISYS Insurance Service from 2003 to 2007 and Vice President, Corporate Service for BISYS Group, Inc. from 1999 to 2003.<br /><br />Gonthier holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Merrimack College and a Masters of Business Administration from Northeastern University - Graduate School of Business Administration.<br /><br />"The opportunity to develop and execute strategy for a organization that is aggressively pursuing national expansion is exciting. This, combined with EPIC's core values of ownership, innovation and work/life balance, makes it a rare opportunity and I am excited to be joining this team," shared Gonthier.<br /><br />Michael Gonthier can be reached at:<br />EPIC<br />Office: 415-356-3930<br />mgonthier [at] edgewoodins.com<br />LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-gonthier/7/17a/ab8.<br /><br />About EPIC:<br />EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty, and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions across California and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.<br /><br />The 8th largest broker based in the U.S. West, EPIC has more than 450 team members operating from nine offices across California (Los Angeles, Irvine, Inland Empire, Fresno, Folsom, San Francisco, San Mateo, Petaluma and San Ramon) and in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York.<br /><br />With more than $100 million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 30 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by the Carlyle Group and Stone Point Capital, the company's strategic plan calls for a dramatic increase in revenue ($250 million by 2018) and further expansion across the country. For additional information, please visit http://www.edgewoodins.com/.