Ed Zier is the author of the award-winning bestselling non-fiction narratives entitled Undaunted: Leadership Amid Growth and Adversity.

He was the Chief Operating Officer of Baseline Financial Services on September 11, 2001. He recognizes how fortunate he is to be alive, although does not like the term “lucky” as it suggests that those lost were unlucky. “It seems disrespectful to the families to call myself lucky.” In 2005, Ed outlined what would become Undaunted, but he would not have the time nor the courage to write about the collective experiences of his colleagues until 2017. It then took him four years to write, perfect, and publish the book. “It was much harder than I ever expected,” Ed said of his journey. “Nearly every interview begot another interview as I learned more and more about that day and how my associates faced disaster. And, given that it was a work of non-fiction there were tons of facts that had to be triple checked.”

His greatest satisfaction from writing Undaunted comes from the thanks and gratitude he receives from his former colleagues for writing their mutual story, although Ed added that “the absolute best feedback comes from the families of those associates who lost their lives on 9/11. I was hesitant to talk to them, but my fears were allayed when I learned how welcoming they were to have me keep their loved one’s legacy alive. That meant a lot to me.”

As Head of Sales, and later the COO, Zier helped grow the business from $3 million to more than $50 million in annual revenue in less than ten years. He also helped lead his Baseline colleagues through the rebuilding effort after the complete devastation at the World Trade Center on 9/11. He is a recognized authority in the financial information services industry and is known for his sales and marketing leadership. Undaunted is his first literary work.

After leaving Baseline in 2004, he ran his own consultancy helping emerging financial information firms realize their potential. Earlier in his career, his pioneering sales efforts with CompuServe helped investment bankers access key data in new ways and earned him multiple sales awards. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He and his wife live in Naples, Florida.

In 2026, as America marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, Ed Zier continues to speak publicly about leadership, resilience, and the importance of keeping the memory of that day alive for future generations.