Senior Vice President of Marketing & Client Services
Spotlight on William F. Klepper

At its core, a company is the sum of the efforts and energy generated by a group of people in pursuit of a common goal. At Oakwood Capital Management, that group includes 16 educated and highly motivated men and women, whose common goal is to provide Oakwood clients with top quality investment management and superior client service. Bruce Mandel, President and CEO of Oakwood, shares his thoughts on client servicing. “Our business has two parts. Managing money is one part. The other part is explaining how we do it and why. We have a duty to communicate effectively with our clients – to help them be as knowledgeable as possible and to set proper expectations. Our Marketing & Client Services team works diligently to accomplish this efficiently and effectively.” Recently, Oakwood welcomed Bill Klepper to its ranks.

In his role as Senior Vice President of Marketing & Client Services, Bill helps with business development as well as interacting with the firm’s clients. When Bill sits down to discuss Oakwood and its capabilities, he looks upon himself as a problem solver. He takes the time to analyze an individual’s complete financial situation, and determine what is the best overall investment strategy for his or her particular needs.

Caring, concerned and protective describe the approach that Bill takes with Oakwood clients. “The money our clients have entrusted to us represents a lot of hard work, and we are its guardian.” Bill, a Certified Financial Planner, says “I like to think of myself as our clients’ central point of information for all aspects of their financial lives, and help them answer questions they may have. When appropriate, I refer clients to experts in other areas.”

Bill’s 22 years of experience has not dulled his energy or his enthusiasm for the financial services industry. Says Nick Mamaril, Oakwood Senior Vice President and CFO “I’ve known Bill for more than fifteen years, and his always positive, enthusiastic attitude and creativity enhance the Oakwood approach to servicing its clients. His warm and friendly personality permeates not only the marketing team but the entire organization.”

Bill joined Oakwood from Union Bank, where he served as a Vice President/Manager in the institutional trust department. At Union Bank, he interacted with over two hundred money managers and he states, “I always enjoyed working with my friends at Oakwood the most. I respected how they handled themselves and their clients, always with a high degree of professionalism and integrity. I have dealt with the principals of the firm for fifteen years, and it is a pleasure now to work on the same side of the fence.”

Although Bill spends a lot of his time on the road, meeting with prospective and current clients, he tries to be in the office at least some part of each day. This allows him to interact with others in the company. He works with the Operations Department to monitor the initial transition of a new client, ensuring that the client experiences a “seamless transition”. Bill also works hand in hand with Portfolio Management in order to provide all-encompassing professional financial advice.

Bill’s caring nature carries over into his personal life. He serves as a board member for Wise Senior Services, which offers vital support services and programs to preserve the independence and dignity of older adults. He is also a member of the California branch of Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian services and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations.

Bill is one of those people of which others comment “I don’t know how he fits it all in”. In addition to his busy work and community service schedule, he teaches financial planning and analysis, marketing and algebra at several local universities. Bill says he can relate to the students that he teaches. “I enjoy teaching at night because I was a ‘night schooler’ myself. I studied for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at night, while working full time. I understand the challenges only too well.” Bill received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge, and his Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

After a long day of working and teaching, Bill makes the drive to his home in Simi Valley, where he is greeted by his wife, Susan, his sixteen-year-old son Timothy, and his daughter Sophie, age 8. When not involved in golf or family activities such as camping and movie-going, Bill enjoys collecting movie posters, currently concentrating on posters from the 1970s. He also collects signed editions of hard copy books, his favorite genre being murder mystery.