NOVEMBER 17, 2023

GOVX Becomes an Official Sponsor of Spartan and Tough Mudder

The one-year agreement will also make GOVX the official verification platform for qualified members.

San Diego, CA— GOVX, the online shopping platform exclusively for current and former first responders, U.S. military servicemembers, emergency medical professionals, and other government personnel, is honored to announce its official partnership to sponsor the 2024 US

Tough Mudder and Spartan series seasons.

Effective immediately, and running through the 2024 seasons, this agreement continues the ongoing mission to bring Tough Mudder and Spartan race series registration discounts to the more than 7.5M members of the GOVX community. GOVX will now enable a 25% registration discount to either series for those who serve our country and communities. Additionally, Tough Mudder and Spartan merchandise will be now available for purchase at discounted prices exclusive to the GOVX community.

"We’ve been working with GOVX for a number of years but are excited to formally announce our exclusive national partnership for both the Tough Mudder and Spartan brands in the US."

- Ian Lawson, Spartan Race VP of Global Partnerships

“We’ve been working with GOVX for a number of years but are excited to formally announce our exclusive national partnership for both the Tough Mudder and Spartan brands in the US,” said Ian Lawson, Spartan Race VP of Global Partnerships. “GOVX delivers an incredibly important service of verifying our military community, first responders, government employees, and teachers to qualify for a unique ticket offer. They also provide special discounts for 1000’s of brands and gear, including for the first time, Spartan and Tough Mudder merchandise.”

To kick the partnership off, GOVX will be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 Tough Mudder SoCal event, taking place December 2nd and 3rd in Lake Elsinore, CA. GOVX will also have a presence at future Tough Mudder and Spartan events in 2024.


“To participate in Tough Mudder and Spartan events, you have to face challenges head-on and overcome obstacles, and this is what GOVX members do every day serving our nation,” says Alan Cole, GOVX CEO. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with two incredible race series that GOVX members are passionate about, and we appreciate both Tough Mudder and Spartan for stepping up to support those who serve.” 

 

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 while growing sales. Through our flagship site, GOVX.com, brands can authentically reach a growing community of 7.5M+ 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 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 SPARTAN 

Founded in 2010 by CEO Joe DeSena, Spartan is the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, with more than 200 global events annually. The Spartan lifestyle spans more than 40 countries and encompasses a global championship series, training and nutrition programs, health and wellness products, and a range of media entities. To learn more, visit https://www.spartan.com/. 

 

ABOUT TOUGH MUDDER 

Tough Mudder creates unconventional life-changing experiences that challenge people to step outside their comfort zone and overcome obstacles through teamwork. Built on a foundation of camaraderie and community our series of obstacle courses and mud runs will push your physical and mental limits, all without the pressure of competition. With events ranging from 5K to 24 hours, featuring world-class obstacles and plenty of mud – there is an event for everyone. To learn more, visit https://toughmudder.com/. 

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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.