EPIC’s Kevin Ach and Walter Palmer to Present on Business Continuity and Theft at Retail Asset Protection Conference

EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Practice Leader Walter Palmer will facilitate a session on May 6 at Retail Asset Protection Conference and Vice President of Risk Assurance Kevin Ach will present on May 7 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Denver, CO.

The Retail Asset Protection Conference attracts top-level executives from the most progressive retailers in the world. These professionals attend to share and solicit the best ideas in the industry in order to enhance their own organizational effectiveness. Attendees will hear top retail executives share and create new solutions to significant challenges and explore where the industry is going.

Walter Palmer will facilitate a session on “Turning the Tide on Retail Theft in CA” on Monday, May 6 at 2:15 p.m. where retailers and law enforcement professionals will share their journey to understand California’s first organized retail theft law, its impact and the importance of partnerships and the role we all play as a part of the community in reducing and stopping the impact of organized retail crime.

Kevin Ach will present on “How Asset Protection Led the Way in Building a Robust Business Continuity Program” on Tuesday, May 7 at 1:15 p.m. alongside Robert LaCommare, vice president, asset protection & safety at Big Lots. In this presentation, Ach and LaCommare will give an inside look at how a $7 billion retailer with multiple brands implemented a comprehensive approach to business continuity resulting in raised internal awareness around emergency response and crisis management and the implementation of a dependable and repeatable process.

See the full agenda

About Kevin Ach, Vice President, Risk Assurance

Kevin Ach is a global leader in the loss prevention industry with over 18 years of experience in retail operations, supply chain, internal audit and international operations. As the Vice President, Risk Assurance for EPIC Integrated Risk Solutions, Ach assists organizations in risk mitigation, process improvements and operational efficiencies in the areas of Risk Management, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, Internal Audit and Loss Prevention.

Prior to joining EPIC, Ach was the senior director of retail loss prevention and safety for Office Depot Inc., overseeing loss prevention and safety activities for over 1,500 retail stores. Ach has also held varying management positions in supply chain, international retail operations, B2B and internal audit during his career. Prior to joining Office Depot, Ach worked for Arthur Andersen as an Information Systems consultant in Houston, TX.

Ach has been actively engaged in the loss prevention industry as a speaker on numerous occasions at National Retail Federation conferences. He has also been an active member of the Loss Prevention Research Council and was a key player in the creation of an industry mentoring program for loss prevention practitioners.

Ach earned his B.S. degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and proudly served our country for four years as an Officer in the US Army’s Signal Corps branch. Ach is a Board Member of the West Point Society of the Palm Beaches. He holds the LPC certification through the Loss Prevention Foundation. Ach currently resides in Boynton Beach, FL with his wife and four children.

About Walter Palmer, Practice Leader

Walter Palmer is recognized as a leading consultant in the Loss Prevention industry and provides strategic guidance, research and training programs for some of the leading retail brands in the world. He has been an invited speaker at more than 100 conferences around the globe and has authored over 60 articles for industry and mainstream media.

Palmer earned his B.S. degree in Security and Loss Prevention with a minor in Fire Safety Engineering from Eastern Kentucky University. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Interviewer. He is a contributing writer for LP Magazine, serves on the Advisory Board for the International Association of Interviewers, and serves on the Advisory Committee for the National Shoplifting Prevention Coalition. In addition, Palmer is actively involved in the field of professional development and training and is a member of the Association for Talent Development, the International Society for Performance Improvement and the Society for Human Resource Management.