MEET THE MEMBER
This month’s Meet The Member podcast features E1 member Zach Winner, the CEO and co-founding partner of Prosperity CRE, a private equity firm that provides passive investments in multi-family apartment complexes that deliver ongoing cash-flow and long-term wealth creation. The firm has a value-add approach, buying existing apartment complexes, and implementing strategies to increase the net operating income and cash flow that investors receive, and significantly increasing the value of the properties, so his investors see strong profits on sales. Real estate is one of the most tax advantaged investments, and Zach’s clients receive significant tax benefits as well.
Zach has successfully owned and operated a residential real estate company, mortgage brokerage company, and escrow company, with offices in Northern and Southern California, and specialized in assisting clients in the purchase, finance and sale of properties throughout the United States. Zach also has extensive legal, public affairs and ballot measure campaign management experience, including representing clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate and land use transactions. He represented the developers of the former Hollywood Park Race Track site in gaining approval by the City of Inglewood for the development of one of the largest, mixed-use development projects in California that includes the SoFi NFL stadium.
A new member to Echelon, Zach recently joined our Estates Succession Group in Woodland Hills: “So far, it’s been a great experience and I’ve met some terrific members,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed the meetings, and my group leader is Brian Rabinovitz – his goal is to create a mastermind experience within a smaller group of members. Our meetings have been playing out that way and allow us to establish deeper relationships with the other members because these gatherings are intimate. I also appreciate the additional benefits that Echelon provides, like the video interviews, podcasts and other media materials designed to embellish my brand. I’ve gotten great response to my video which appears on my LinkedIn, and I plan to use that same video for intro emails to potential new clients. It’s a good 90-second intro into who we are and what we do. I would absolutely recommend Echelon to others.”
A licensed attorney and member of the California Bar Association, Zach holds a B.A. degree from USC, and a JD degree from McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. He is also a Board Member of the Lambda Alpha International-Land Economic Society for professionals in commercial real estate. Zach and his wife, Serena, are both fans of Los Angeles Football Club, and enjoy spending time with their two children, son Max (27) and daughter Sophie (21).
Listen to Zach’s story here:
HOW SHE GOT HER START
Our How She Got Her Start podcast for September profiles E1 member Danielle Gotcher, the Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Global Immigration Partners (GIP) in Agoura Hills, CA. In the podcast, Danielle discusses how her firm, which employs 11 attorneys, exclusively practices immigration law, with a special expertise in business immigration and employment-based immigration matters.
Danielle and GIP provide employers, business owners, investors, and foreign students with immigration solutions, experienced legal advice, and hands-on support. Her firm also handles family-based immigration matters and corporate compliance (I-9 Audits & E-Verify). Danielle specializes in the Labor Certification (PERM) process, employment-based green card sponsorship petitions, worksite enforcement (I-9), and compliance issues.
As GIP is a federal practice, Danielle’s clients are not only based all over the U.S., but also internationally. She reps clients in all industries and sizes, from small start-up tech businesses of 2-3 people to multinational corporations with employees all over the world. When a U.S. employer finds a talented person who is not a U.S. citizen or green card holder, that employer will reach out to GIP for help obtaining the work authorization needed so those employees can work either short or long-term.
Danielle is a graduate of Boston University in 2001, from which she received two Bachelor’s degrees – in Political Science and in Communications – both awarded Magna Cum Laude. Prior to her BU graduation, Danielle was selected to work in the White House and served in the Office of Communications and Press for Vice President Gore. Danielle was working with Gore during the time the 2000 Presidential Election was contested before the Supreme Court.
She next earned her law degree from Southwestern University in 2005, where she met her husband, Jim. Following graduation, she went on to serve as a litigation attorney for three different LA-based law firms. After giving birth to her daughter, Kaya, she made the decision to leave litigation and join Jim at GIP. Danielle has been invited to speak at numerous HR professional conferences, and has been selected as an expert for panels and seminars at both attorney conferences and continuing education courses.
Why Echelon? “What I like about Echelon compared to other, similar groups is that they have a clear focus on biz dev and marketing outside of just networking,” Danielle says. “Biz dev can be very broad — a lot of our Echelon meetings focus on just what it means to be a business owner and the challenges and issues that come with being an owner. It’s nice to be with a group of like-minded fellow members who also own or manage their companies and are going through the same types of issues. I’d recommend to any business owners or partners that they consider joining Echelon. The support you get, in addition to the meetings, is of great value. For example, their newsletter, podcast, and magazine articles are all things I would never have had the opportunity to do if I wasn’t a member. And for someone like me who’s not very media savvy with social media, and wouldn’t even know how to start building my brand, Echelon’s resources have been invaluable.”
Danielle lives in Thousand Oaks with her husband and daughter, Kaya (11), an active water polo athlete. Danielle and Jim spend a lot of their weekends poolside, watching their daughter compete in tournaments. The family also loves to take road trips, travel, watch Marvel and Star Wars movies, and build impressive Lego structures of various shapes and sizes at their home.
Listen to Danielle’s story here:
TAX MATTERS
Our September Tax Matters podcast features E1 member Brad Fredrickson, the President and CEO of Brad Fredrickson Insurance & Financial Services, Inc., in Woodland Hills. In the podcast, he discusses the fact that while he is a Certified Financial Planner, a great deal of his business these days involves Medicare: “It seems like everyone over 65 is talking about Medicare — they go out to dinner, and then they call me the next day!”
The focus of Brad’s business at present deals with life insurance, medical disabilities, and employee benefits. “Most people working within the insurance or financial planning fields today have trouble wearing so many hats at the same time,” he notes. Brad started his own independent insurance brokerage agency in 2006. His primary focus is working with individuals, families and small to mid-sized companies, with those clients then using a variety of insurance products he suggests to cover their diverse personal, business, and financial planning needs. Brad’s agency represents over 40 top insurance companies by which to help solve a client’s particular needs with the most appropriate products at the best available rates.
Brad graduated from Westmont College with a B.A. in Economics and Business Administration in 1980. Later that same year, he became licensed, and was accepted into a 4-year training program with the large MONY (Mutual of New York) insurance company. MONY focused on life, medical, and disability income insurance and employee benefits. To date, Brad has earned the CFP (Certified Financial Planner), CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) and ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) professional designations. And most recently, he completed the requirements to earn a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) designation, having completed coursework in insurance, investments, Medicare, employee benefits and retirement planning.
Why Echelon? Brad says: “I was initially introduced to Echelon by Jim Cagle, a CPA with Allegent Group, since I’ve been sharing space in his office in Woodland Hills since 2018. He suggested I join, and I did, during the Covid era. Jim and Allegent have been good to me in referring business. When business is referred to me by another professional, it’s a done deal — it takes the guess work out of everything. In the last 18 months, I’ve gone to several Echelon events and as many meetings as I could. I find being an Echelon Member a very good avenue by which to share ideas with other pros who are trying to keep their current clients happy and grow their businesses at the same time. Echelon is certainly giving us members that added advantage of suggesting a variety of media outlets for marketing purposes. After all, a lot has changed since 40 years ago, when we used to do mass mailings and place newspaper inserts! Echelon is a very good business resource at an affordable fee, giving members like me access to these other professionals and the wisdom of their experience.”
On the personal side, Brad and his wife, Janet, enjoy traveling to new destinations, hiking in the Eastern Sierras and spending time with their three children and their growing families: Laura (a Math Professor at the University of Oregon), Allyson (a Nurse Practitioner at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles), and Kyle (a PhD Candidate in Computer Security at UC Santa Cruz). Brad is currently the grandfather of three grandchildren, two grandsons and a brand new granddaughter, Lydia Joy.
Listen to Brad’s story here:
Tune in to our Echelon Podcast each month for new episodes
E1 Member Don Jones, President of DMJ Insurance Services, contributed a piece entitled “AI as a Self-Diagnosis Tool in Health Care“ to our Echelon blog this month. Don discusses how AI (Artificial Intelligence) is paving the way as a potentially beneficial tool to self-diagnose medical conditions, reduce medical costs, and find answers to health-related questions.
In today’s digital world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed when researching health-related information. Obtaining accurate health advice and information comes down to using all available sources but understanding their limitations. LLM chatbots could take provider + AI collaboration and diagnosis to the next level, but it has yet to be seen. While generative AI is not meant to replace professional health care, it can be a good supplementary source and help you increase your health literacy and get answers quicker. Contact your doctor for the most accurate and personalized health care information and guidance.
Don specializes in employee and employer insurance needs, including: national employee benefits, complex legislation, claim issues, and HR training and implementation.
