SAN DIEGO (PRWEB) JUNE 10, 2022

GovX Raises Record $28,000 For IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA

The vet-owned apparel brand BORN PRIMITIVE joined the GovX community in raising a record monthly total for post-9/11 veterans.

"We are proud to partner with GovX to support our fellow veterans who have bravely served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11 "

- Bear Handlon, co-founder and CEO of Born Primitive

A fundraising effort organized by GovX.com—the online shopping site exclusively for current and former military, first responders, and federal employees—raised over $28,000 for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) the advocacy nonprofit serving post-9/11 military veterans.


The total raised amounted to a new monthly record for GovX Gives Back, the charitable arm of GovX.


GovX was able to donate to IAVA through a multi-pronged charitable effort combining individual orders from the catalog and a generous matching donation by Born Primitive, the veteran-owned athletic apparel brand and long-time GovX business partner. Born Primitive matched over 50% of the funds raised, bringing the total to $28,334.


"We are proud to partner with GovX to support our fellow veterans who have bravely served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11," said Bear Handlon, co-founder and CEO of Born Primitive. "We are privileged to live in a country where every time our freedom or way of life is being threatened, an entire generation of patriots will step up the plate to defend it without hesitation. Our post 9/11 vets are no exception. "

Founded and led by veterans, IAVA is the modern-day veteran's hall for the current generation with over 425,000 members worldwide. IAVA's mission is to connect, unite and empower post-9/11 veterans through education, advocacy, and community. Its programs include non-partisan advocacy on Capitol Hill, data-driven research on post-9/11 veteran issues, and veteran transition assistance. 


"IAVA is incredibly grateful to GovX for their continued leadership supporting our work and stepping up once again for the veteran community," said Jeremy Butler, IAVA CEO. "We also thank our friends at Born Primitive for their partnership in the GovX Gives Back program and their generous matching donation to support our work on behalf of post-9/11 veterans."


IAVA also offers the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) program, a free, confidential, 24/7 comprehensive care and peer support program for veterans and their family members who need immediate help. The QRF program has helped over 18,000 veterans and family members since its inception, and provides frontline support related to mental health, housing and homelessness, legal concerns, education benefits, employment services, disability claims and more. Services are free and confidential, and open to veterans of all eras and their families.

IAVA also has a significant and vocal advocacy arm performing work on behalf of veterans in Washington DC. Since 2004, IAVA has been a constant presence in the capitol, creating and driving the national conversation on issues ranging from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), suicide prevention, veteran unemployment, women veteran issues, and more. They work closely with the White House, Members of Congress, the Department of Defense, and lawmakers across all parties to achieve legislative agendas that benefit veterans from all eras, while constantly serving as a watchdog to hold political leaders accountable for failures to support the veteran community. 


"Continuing to care for our nation's veterans is of critical importance to the entire GovX community, no matter what uniform you wear," said Alan Cole, GovX CEO. "I'd also like to extend my deepest thanks to the veteran community of Born Primitive, who are some of our closest allies in giving back to those who serve. I'm so grateful for their donation and for their participation in the GovX Gives Back program." 

Post-9/11 veterans interested in becoming a member of IAVA can join for free by visiting their website. 

Learn more about IAVA's advocacy work and policy priorities here.

ABOUT GOVX

GovX.com is for men and women of service. A members-only online destination for military and first responders, the site offers thousands of products from hundreds of brands at exclusive, below-retail pricing. Members include active and veteran U.S. military, firefighters, law enforcement officers, federal agents, healthcare workers and personnel from related government agencies. For more information, visit www.govx.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.