MARCH 4, 2024

GOVX RAISES OVER $22,000 FOR FIRST RESPONDERS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

"For the families of the fallen, it’s vital that we work together to procure the resources necessary to give them every opportunity to succeed"

- Alan Cole, GovX CEO.

GOVX, the online shopping platform exclusively for current and former military, first responders, emergency medical professionals, and other government personnel, is honored to announce its most recent monthly donation through the GOVX Gives Back program. This latest donation – $22,447 – was provided to the non-profit organization, First Responders Children’s Foundation. Generated by the support of the GOVX member community, this donation was the product of a multi-pronged effort combining proceeds from orders placed through GOVX.com, and a generous supplementary donation match of $7,447 from Fire Dept. Coffee, the veteran-owned, firefighter-operated coffee company.


First Responders Children’s Foundation provides financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty, as well as families enduring significant financial hardship due to tragic circumstances. They also support, promote, and facilitate educational activities and programs created and operated by first responder organizations whose purpose is to benefit children or the community at large.

GOVX’s monthly donation is part of the ongoing GOVX Gives Back charitable initiative, raising 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.


“I'm profoundly touched and filled with gratitude for the support extended by GOVX and Fire Department Coffee," said Jillian Crane, President and CEO of First Responders Children's Foundation. "Their generosity embodies the spirit of unity and compassion that defines the missions of all three organizations and underscores our commitment to the first responder community.”


GOVX is committed to assisting our nation’s first responders and their families and supporting the mission to aid future generations.


“For the families of the fallen, it’s vital that we work together to procure the resources necessary to give them every opportunity to succeed,” said Alan Cole, GOVX CEO. “We’re proud to stand with the First Responders Children’s foundation and contribute to such a meaningful cause.”


GOVX is honored to assist our nation’s finest non-profit organizations through every single order placed through GOVX.com. To support GOVX Gives Back’s charitable initiatives and learn more, visit https://www.govx.com/t/govx-gives-back.



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 8M+ members with their own storefront.


More than 1K 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 more than $1M through our GOVX Gives Back initiative. 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/.


ABOUT FIRE DEPT. COFFEE

Fire Department Coffee is a veteran-owned business and certified by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA). They’re dedicated to providing great-tasting coffee to people everywhere. The coffee is freshly roasted in the USA by a dedicated team of firefighters, first responders, and coffee experts. To discover their coffee and support fire departments across the country, visit https://www.firedeptcoffee.com/.

Marketplaces Matter

Find out Why

Download the latest Worldwide Business Research (WBR) report on retail eCommerce and discover how retailers are finding growth opportunities by leveraging eCommerce Marketplaces and AI.

In this FREE 24-page PDF, you’ll learn from your retail peers about:

  • Marketplace adoption and growth trends
  • Marketplace challenges and opportunities
  • What the future holds for marketplaces
  • AI adoption trends, concerns, and opportunities
DOWNLOAD THE FREE WBR REPORT
WBR

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.