SAN DIEGO - MARCH 6, 2025

GOVX Partners with Margaritaville at Sea to Raise Over $10,000 for Hire Heroes USA, the Veteran Employment Non-Profit

“Partnering with GOVX Gives Back provided the community a memorable way to support our mission at Hire Heroes USA.”

-Ross Dickman, Hire Heroes USA CEO

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 cruise line Margaritaville at Sea to generate donation-based funds on behalf Veteran employment non-profit, Hire Heroes USA.

Driving a total of $10,194 in donations, the fundraising efforts gave one GOVX member the opportunity to win a 5-night Margaritaville at Sea cruise package for four guests to Mexico or Key West aboard the all-new Islander ship.

Running concurrently with the January GOVX Give Back charitable initiative, this contest was an addition to GOVX’s ongoing mission to raise funds for non-profits serving the military and first responder community. Through the program, a portion of the proceeds from every single order made through GOVX.com are donated to that month’s non-profit organization.

The contest, which was open from January 1st to February 15th, 2025 gave GOVX members the opportunity to earn entries through $20, $40, $50, and $75 donations made directly to Hire Heroes USA, the foundation dedicated to providing the financial support necessary for U.S. service members and their spouses to achieve success here at home via a rewarding career path.

"Partnering with GOVX Gives Back provided the community a memorable way to support our mission at Hire Heroes USA,” said Ross Dickman, Hire Heroes USA CEO. “This unique fundraiser not only helped our veterans and military spouses but also rewarded those who gave, making it a truly impactful collaboration. Together, we strengthened the network of support for the clients we serve.”

A Military Veteran and current GOVX member were named the grand prize winner after a random drawing on February 19th, they’ll be awarded a 5-night sailing package, including dinner for four at the Islander’s JWB Prime Steakhouse, $100 in onboard credit, and airfare and lodging provided by GOVX.

"A strong future for our Veterans starts with meaningful opportunities," said Alan Cole, GOVX CEO. "We'd like to express our gratitude to Margaritaville at Sea for continuing to honor those who've served through the Heroes Sail Free program and for joining us in support of Hire Heroes USA."


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 HIRE HEROES USA

Hire Heroes USA empowers US military members, veterans, and military spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. Our organization offers personalized one-on-one coaching, professionally revised resumes, mentoring, workshops, a job board, virtual career fairs, and more to tens of thousands of job-seeking veterans and military spouses annually. Since Hire Heroes USA’s founding, over 100,000 Hire Heroes USA clients have found success in their job search. Hire Heroes USA prioritizes transparency, earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and the GuideStar Platinum Seal. Funded exclusively through public donations and federal and private grants, we provide our services at no cost to clients. For more information about our organization, visit www.hireheroesusa.org.


ABOUT MARGARITAVILLE AT SEA

Margaritaville at Sea brings Margaritaville’s iconic hospitality to the open ocean for a floating offshore vacation experience. The cruise line’s maiden vessel, the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, carries passengers from the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, on shorter, easy-breezy getaways to The Bahamas and Key West, while the newly launched Islander sails longer adventures to Key West, Mexico and the Western Caribbean. Learn more, by visiting https://www.margaritavilleatsea.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.

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.