I joined the Copia Wealth Management team in February 2016. In the short amount of time that has passed since then, the firm has evolved and grown more than either Aaron or I could have imagined. And if you go back to 2009, when Aaron started the firm, the changes are even starker. As we continue to seek any opportunity to improve our technology, efficiencies, client experience, and team lunch locations, we have gone through a massive rebranding project in 2022 that has been finalized with the launch of our new website! This latest evolution is intended to coincide with our ultimate goal of improving our client engagement and relationships.

Progress toward that goal started with a move to a more modern office located in the Box Factory district and the addition of Geoff Gruetzmacher to the team, continued with the transition of our firm from the traditional broker-dealer world into our own independent RIA, and has since progressed into the launching of Black Diamond (our new custom client portal) and now this blog journal, which will feature market observations & commentary, as well as general musings that we hope you will visit regularly. Whew! It’s been a thorough process, and as we’ve worked through it all, I thought it would be a fun exercise to reflect on how the brand itself has changed over the years, and reminisce with clients that have been through it all, while also filling in Copia’s history for those newer to the firm.

The first question many ask when we first meet is: “What does ‘Copia’ mean?” It started as an acronym for “Central Oregon Professional Investment Advisors,” but was also a play on the word “cornucopia,” which represents a sense of plenty or abundance – something we all seek in our financial lives. Like many businesses in our area, the original company logo featured a silhouette of the beautiful Cascade mountains. Unfortunately, it was discovered a few years later that the logo was *a little* too close to another local company’s logo, which forced Aaron to go through the first iteration of a “rebrand.”

The resulting logo became the now-familiar shield logo with “CWM” emblazoned in the middle. That brand represents a sense of security, tradition, and strength – a nod to our ability to protect our clients’ hard-earned capital and provide security with a long-term financial plan. Those are qualities that we certainly want to continue to express through our brand long-term, but we felt that as we continue to evolve, that brand “expression” needed to be more comprehensive and indicative of who we are as a firm: professional, disciplined, trusted, approachable, and fun. Ultimately, we build relationships first. Then custom, transparent solutions.

The new logo unveils a new script-like font and color scheme that conveys that we are accomplished, but accessible; hardworking, but friendly and easygoing. We’ve dismissed the acronym, taking “COPIA” in title-case, and choosing to focus more on the abundance and growth that is representative of both our personal daily mindsets, as well as our goals for our clients. The shield remains as a secondary logo, but with a more relational and team-like appearance. Although we are a group of individuals with different aptitudes and experiences, we thrive in a team environment and take a team approach with every client interaction. At Copia, you don’t have just one financial advisor – you have three (and counting). And finally, if you peruse our website, you will find it littered with asterisks. The financial industry is notorious for confusing, not-overly-positive fine print. With Copia, the fine print is positive, and a way to articulate the ways that we’re different.

We are truly excited about all that has transpired with our firm over the years, and know that there will always continue to be improvements made along the way! We’re appreciative of our clients who are along for the ride and look forward to many years of building relationships and solutions.