SAN DIEGO - OCTOBER 30, 2024

GOVX Raises Over $11,600 for the First Responders Children’s Foundation

“We are deeply grateful for our partnership with GOVX, which has been instrumental in helping us reach more families of first responders and supporters across the nation. This special contest was a success not only for driving donations to the First Responders Children's Foundation, but also in raising awareness for the needs of first responder children and the programs we provide to help them heal, grow, and thrive. We are thrilled to host the lucky winner for an unforgettable Thanksgiving Day celebration alongside the first responder families who serve our communities nationwide”

-Jillian Crane, President & CEO, First Responders Children's Foundation

San Diego, CA — GOVX, the online shopping platform exclusively for current and former military, first responders, emergency medical professionals, and other government personnel, partnered with the First Responders Children’s Foundation to raise money for children who’ve lost a parent in the line of duty, as well as families enduring significant financial hardship due to tragic circumstances.

Driving a total of 11,648.54 in donations, the fundraising effort gave one GOVX member a chance to win a trip for four to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, on Thursday, November 28th. The grand prize included four VIP tickets to the parade, four VIP Tour tickets provided by the FDNY, NYPD, and PAPD, and travel and lodging accommodations.

The contest, which was active from September 4th to October 4th, awarded GOVX members the opportunity to earn entries through $20, $40, $50, and $75 donations made directly to the First Responders Children’s Foundation.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Sadie Hook, from Montgomery, Texas. A GOVX member since 2014, she is also a United States Army veteran.

“While it remains the GOVX mission to support the military and first responder community year around, the holidays tend to hold a very special meaning,” said Alan Cole, GOVX CEO. “We were honored to step this season in support of the First Responders Children’s Foundation, drive meaningful donations, and reward a deserving GOVX member with the ultimate trip.”

The runner-up winner took home a $500 GOVX shopping spree prize.

About GovX

GOVX is dedicated to serving those who serve our country and communities – military service members, first responders, law enforcement officers, emergency medical professionals, educators, and other government service personnel. With a customizable suite of solutions, GOVX provides leading brands who share in our mission with a unique opportunity to support this deserving audience AND grow sales. Through our flagship site, GOVX.com, brands can authentically reach our growing community of 9M+ members with their own storefront.


With our verification app, GOVX ID, brands can easily enable service member discounts within their own checkout flow. By leveraging our GOVX marketing services solutions, brands can effectively amplify their products or services within our engaged member community and reinforce their support for those who serve. For more information, visit https://www.govx.com.


ABOUT FIRST RESPONDERS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

First Responders Children's Foundation provides financial assistance to firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, police officers, ER nurses, and their families that are facing financial hardship due to tragic circumstances. The foundation also provides college scholarships to children of fallen or injured first responders, as well as agency grants to public safety agencies across the nation that create programs benefiting the children in their respective communities. For more information, visit https://1strcf.org/. 


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CHRIS BOHNERT - CPO

Chris joined GOVX in 2015, bringing more than 15 years of product, marketing and general management experience in the consumer internet space. As head of Product at GOVX, Chris leads product management, design and business intelligence for the entire product portfolio.


Chris began his career at Active Network in 2002 and helped grow the company from start-up to a successful IPO in 2011. During his time at Active Network, Chris managed several teams and product-lines, including the flagship media property, Active.com and the eCommerce division.


In 2012, Chris joined Takelessons, an online education marketplace matching students with qualified teachers. As VP of Product and Technology, he led a cross-functional team, including engineering, product management and design.


Chris earned a BA from the University of Arizona and an MBA from San Diego State University.

ADAM HOMZE - VP ENGINEERING

Adam joined GOVX in 2014 as the Vice President of Software Development and is responsible for leading the software development group, how our applications are built, and scaling the GOVX tech stack.


Since 2005, Adam has actively participated in the growth phase of several startups; holding multiple technical and leadership positions. Over that time, he has developed a wide range of skills to tackle the challenges inherent in building technology companies.


Adam earned a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego.

AARON PELANDER - CHIEF BRAND OFFICER

As the leader of the Brand Marketing team at GOVX, Aaron is responsible for crafting and executing a comprehensive brand strategy that supports GOVX’s business goals and mission. Working closely with the wider marketing and creative teams, Aaron brings the GOVX identity to life through creative storytelling, consistent brand messaging, strategic marketing channel investments, impactful partnerships and sponsorships, and alignment with key non-profit organizations, all aimed at increasing GOVX brand awareness and recall.


Before joining GOVX in 2014, Aaron held senior marketing and management roles at the Active Network and Provide Commerce. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona and his MBA from San Diego State University.

AMBER MILLER - CRO

Amber joined GOVX in early 2014 to head up marketing and member acquisition. She has been leading the Ecommerce efforts since 2016 focusing on the 2 most important customers at GOVX: our deserving members and the brands that provide outstanding products to members.


Prior to GOVX, Amber worked at Active Network for close to 10 years developing a business unit responsible for selling and fulfilling advertising for some of the world’s top endurance events.


Amber holds an MBA from University of San Diego and a B.A from University of California, San Diego.

JOEL PASION - CCO

As Chief Creative Officer, Joel oversees all branding, web, print and other design requirements of the Company. Prior to joining GOVX, he served as Chief Creative Officer for AnyArt, Inc., which operates the AnyArt e-commerce website. Before that, he served as Creative Director for ClosingCorp, a real estate data provider serving large banks and real estate companies. Prior to ClosingCorp, Joel was the Creative Director for Epic Cycle Interactive, a San Diego web and design agency working with major league sports teams.


Before relocating to San Diego, Joel taught web, multimedia and technology courses at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He earned a B.A. in Biology from St. John’s University.

ROB MORRISON - CTO

Rob serves as CTO for GOVX and oversees all software development associated with the GOVX.com Web site as well as integrations with Vendor-Partner ERP/ecommerce platforms.


Prior to joining GOVX, Rob was a Partner with Kore Technologies, where he architected and developed the company’s ecommerce web platform used by large institutions to facilitate transactions through integrations with large enterprise systems.


Prior to joining Kore Technologies, Rob was a technical lead with Intuit, which owns Quicken, QuickBooks and other financial and accounting software applications.


Prior to his work at Intuit, Rob was Manager of Advanced Product Development for Epicor where he managed a large-scale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed for Microsoft BackOffice.


Rob received a B.S. in Computer Sciences from East Carolina University.

CAROL SCHNUGG - CFO

Carol serves as Chief Financial Officer for GOVX and oversees all financial, accounting and administrative matters for the Company as well as negotiating and administrating Brand-Partners’ wholesale pricing. Prior to joining GOVX, she served as Controller for Billabong’s Sector 9 company, where she oversaw its acquisition by Billabong and was recruited to oversee all financial and accounting matters along with managing its e-commerce site.


Carol previously owned and operated her own accounting and tax practice and was an accountant with Deloitte & Touche.


Carol received a B.S. in finance from San Diego State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

ALAN COLE - CEO/PRESIDENT

Alan began his career as co-founder and President of DELTYME Corporation, a San Diego-based web services firm working with national clients including Target, Cisco Systems, Costco and Garden Fresh.


After stepping away from an operating role at DELTYME, Alan attended business school at the University of Texas with a focus on entrepreneurial management. During his time in Austin he took on due diligence responsibilities at Gefinor Ventures (an early stage venture firm) and worked in marketing and business development roles in several Austin-area startups including Convio and Metreos.


Alan ultimately moved back to San Diego to join Active Network, where he held executive responsibility for the company's $50M Media + Marketing division. After six years with Active Network, Alan moved on to serve as COO of TakeLessons, an online education marketplace connecting students with qualified teachers. In late 2016, Alan joined GOVX as CEO.

Alan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Santa Clara University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.