SAN DIEGO - MARCH 6, 2025

GOVX Partners with Darn Tough to Donate Over 4,000 Pairs of Socks to the Veterans Village of San Diego

“At Veterans Village of San Diego, we are deeply grateful for the incredible partnerships that help us provide life-changing support to our nation’s heroes.”

-Akilah Templeton, Veterans Village President and CEO

GOVX, the online shopping platform exclusively for current and former military, first responders, emergency medical professionals, and other government personnel, recently partnered with the outdoor apparel brand Darn Tough to generate sock donations on behalf of the military non-profit, the Veterans Village of San Diego.

During the month of January, Darn Tough donated one pair of socks to the Veterans Village of San Diego for every Darn Tough order completed on GOVX.com. Accumulating a total of 4,285 pairs, the fundraising efforts were driven by the generous and willing support of the GOVX community.

“At Veterans Village of San Diego, we are deeply grateful for the incredible partnerships that help us provide life-changing support to our nation’s heroes,” said Akilah Templeton, Veterans Village President and CEO. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to GOVX for their unwavering commitment to our mission and to Darn Tough for their generous donation of high-quality socks. These thoughtful contributions go beyond meeting a basic need—they represent dignity, respect, and comfort for veterans who have given so much in service to our country. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of those who deserve it most."

The charitable campaign, which was active from January 1st to January 31st, 2025 and was promoted through GOVX emails, social media posts, and homepage placements.

“At GOVX, we strongly believe in giving back to those who’ve given everything to their country,” said Alan Cole, GOVX CEO. “Teaming up with Darn Tough to provide high quality socks this winter is a small way we can show gratitude and support our local San Diego Veterans.”


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. Through our flagship ecommerce site, GOVX.com, brands can authentically reach a growing community of 10M+ members with their own storefront.


More than 1.5K trusted brands currently have a storefront on GOVX.com, offering unbeatable deals to those who serve. With our verification app, GOVX ID, brands can easily enable service member discounts within the checkout flow of their own sites. More than 3K brands currently utilize our GOVX ID technology to honor service members. By leveraging GOVX marketing services solutions, brands can effectively amplify their products or services within our engaged and exclusive community and reinforce their support for Americans who make a difference. In addition to providing unmatched value to those who serve, GOVX also donates a portion of every order to non-profits who serve the military and first responder community. To date we have donated nearly $2M through our GOVX Gives Back initiative. For more information, visit https://www.govx.com.


ABOUT DARN TOUGH

Guaranteed for life and made in the USA, Darn Tough socks are the best merino wool socks for hiking, running, work, and everyday wear. All pairs are backed by a lifetime guarantee. To learn more, visit https://darntough.com.


ABOUT VETERANS VILLAGE OF SAN DIEGO

Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has served all veterans since 1981 and is dedicated to “Leave No One Behind.” With five locations throughout San Diego County, VVSD is the only program of its kind in the United States and is nationally recognized as the leader in serving homeless military veterans. Each year, VVSD provides services to more than 3,000 military veterans throughout San Diego County. Visit https://vvsd.net to learn more.


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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.

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.