It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Robert Douglas Knapp, 78, born in 1946. He passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 27, 2024, with his wife, Marcia, by his side in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rob was the President and founder of Supernova Consulting, LLC., President of the Knapp Family Foundation, and Chairman of the non-profit Supernova Scholars. He was considered an icon in the financial services business, helping thousands of financial advisors grow their practices.
Growing up in Hingham, Massachusetts, alongside his brothers, Rob was an intrepid businessman from a young age–even figuring out how to make a profit selling baby squirrels to neighborhood kids.
He earned a degree in history/political science from Wake Forest University in 1968, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and played varsity tennis all 4 years, in which he was captain his junior year. From there, Rob served his country as a Naval Officer and aviator. It was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Marcia, who was his constant companion for 52 years. The couple traveled all over the world together and had many adventures as a family with their two children, Courtney and Christopher.
Possessing a strong business acumen, Rob joined Merrill Lynch in 1972. During his 34-year career at the company, he was a financial advisor, branch manager, complex manager, and district director to over 2,000 FAs. Upon retirement in 2006, Rob founded Supernova Consulting Group, a company committed to providing financial service professionals with a holistic process to build their practices through excellent service.
Rob is the author of The Supernova Advisor, a critically acclaimed resource for financial advisors; The Supernova Multiplier, a compendium of best acquisition practices, and the coauthor of The Supernova Advisor Teams; a Pathway to Excellence that explores how teams can work together for the greater good. The Supernova Process was used as a case study at Harvard University as a model for successful growth and by graduate students at MIT.
Rob’s passion for coaching talented individuals to reach exceptional levels of performance solidified his reputation throughout the financial services sector as a visionary and creative leader. So much of this process included giving back to one’s community, and he himself was involved extensively in every community in which he resided, including Chicago, Indianapolis, and Boca Grande.
Honoring and supporting the institutions that were instrumental to the Knapp family’s success was paramount to Rob. Through the Knapp Family Foundation, Rob and Marcia built a Tennis Center and a Health and Fitness Center at Pfeiffer University in 1997, as well as a tennis court and scoreboard at Wake Forest University in 2016. Each was dedicated to the memory of his parents, Warren [Bud] and Jane Knapp. Rob also created 14 athletic scholarships at Wake Forest University to help others succeed in their passion for sports.
Throughout his life, Rob was an avid sportsman who loved to golf, hike, fish, bike, play tennis, and more. He lived for being on the green at the Coral Creek Golf Club in Boca Grande, Florida, and a personal highlight was winning the Men’s Invitational. Rob sought out adventure and hiked all over the world with his closest friends and family, including reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro and the base camp at Mount Everest.
Rob was preceded in death by his parents, Warren [Bud] and Jane Knapp. He is survived by his wife Marcia Knapp, daughter Courtney [Simon] Ford, son Christopher [Kate] Knapp, and son Larry [Kelly] Picard. Also surviving him are 3 brothers [Warren, Richard, and James] and 8 grandchildren.
A celebration to honor Rob’s memory will be held in early November of this year. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Rob’s name to the Robert D. Knapp Men’s Tennis Scholarship [Deacon Club at WFU, Bridger Field House, Attn: Alan Ashworth, 499 Deacon Blvd, Winston Salem, NC 27105], the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org, or a charity of your choice.
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