SAN DIEGO (PRWEB) AUGUST 19, 2022

GovX Supports San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb: Honors Fallen and Current Firefighters

Saturday, September 10 at Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel

"It is wonderful to see the community come together to take part in the climb in remembrance of those firefighters who gave their lives. We are proud to partner with FirefighterAid and assist in their efforts and mission."

- Alan Cole, GovX CEO.

SAN DIEGO, CA – GovX, the largest online marketplace focused exclusively on serving those who serve, is proud to announce its continued partnership and support for the 2022 San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. To honor and commemorate the 21st anniversary of the brave firefighters and first responders who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, the Memorial Climb aims to raise $120,000 for FirefighterAid, a San Diego-based nonprofit that provides charitable assistance to firefighters and families in crisis. The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will take place on Saturday, September 10, 2022 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel from 7am - 3pm.

“At GovX, our goal is always to support those who serve and give back to the community as much as possible. The San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb is a premier event to raise funds for firefighters and we are honored to support FirefighterAid to the greatest extent possible,” shared GovX CEO, Alan Cole. “It is wonderful to see the community come together to take part in the climb in remembrance of those firefighters who gave their lives. We are proud to partner with FirefighterAid and assist in their efforts and mission.”

GovX team with local SD Firefighter at the 2016 Memorial Stair Climb.

FirefighterAid’s San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, supported by GovX, aims to honor the sacrifices of the 343 firefighters who died responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 while raising funds to support care for current firefighters and their families. As the only event of its kind in the region, the Memorial Stair Climb is a unique and powerful experience shared by thousands of patriots every year. Teams and individuals of firefighters, police officers, military personnel, and civilians will join to climb nearly 100 flights of the hotel's stairs, symbolically completing the climb of emergency personnel who were lost in the attacks on 9/11.

GovX has participated in the San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb with fundraising efforts since 2016. Each year a team of GovX employees rises to the challenge of completing the rigorous and rewarding climb. In addition to their participation, GovX has also donated a total of $68,000 USD to FirefighterAid as of August 2022, and even provided donations when the event had to be canceled in 2020 and 2021. For the month of September, GovX will resume its fundraising effort and send ten employees to make the honorary climb.

FirefighterAid is GovX’s featured nonprofit for the month of September during its ongoing monthly GovX Gives Back campaign. Members of GovX.com can help raise funds by buying the exclusive Patch of the Month and GovX Gear apparel, with proceeds going directly to the nonprofit. September’s Patch of the Month will honor the sacrifices of the 343 firefighters who died responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. "GovX has supported the San Diego Memorial Stair Climb for over half a decade. Support from companies like GovX doesn't just help us memorialize that tragic day 21 years ago but helps us honor all first responders who put their lives on the line for us everyday,” said Sara Berns, Executive Director of FirefighterAid. Despite having to cancel the event the last two years due to the pandemic, Berns shared that the need to care for Firefighters never went away. In fact, first responders have faced many challenges due to the pandemic on top of other health risks they take every day.

“GovX was there to support us even during those cancellations and we are so grateful for their loyalty,” Berns continued. “GovX’s support is getting us that much closer to meeting our goal of raising $120,000 to support our Firefighting heros. When we hit our goal, that money goes right to work in our Cancer Prevention, Mental Wellness and grant programs helping our firefighters when they need it most."

The San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb invites participants and teams to register for the race in spirit of remembrance and courage to honor the memories of those lost 21 years ago. To sign up, donate, or learn more, please visit www.sandiegostairclimb.com. Learn more about FirefighterAid at www.firefighteraid.org.

GovX is proud to serve those who serve and their families by offering the best prices on top brands and experiences and creating a platform where members can support the important work that nonprofits and organizations are doing for the community, like FirefighterAid and the San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. To learn more about GovX and GovX Gives Back, please visit www.GovX.com.


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 http://www.govx.com.

About FirefighterAid:

FirefighterAid is a 501(c)(3) fund managed by San Diego Fire Relief Association. Our mission is to provide charitable assistance to Firefighters and their families in times of need and to promote awareness of Firefighter health and safety issues and the impacts they have upon their families and communities. For over 100 years, the San Diego Fire Relief Association has been providing for the protection, care, and relief of the members of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

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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.