USA Triathlon has announced a ‘first-of-its-kind partnership with Elk Grove Village’, as the Illinois municipality was named the Exclusive Entrepreneur Community and Exclusive Making Dreams Come True Partner of USA Triathlon through September 2021.
The sponsorship program is the first of its kind between a municipality and a US Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Body.
USA Triathlon was selected for the partnership through an RFP process, in which the organization submitted its proposal alongside several other summer-sport US Olympic and Paralympic NGBs.
Elk Grove Village worked with 4FRONT, a sports marketing consultancy, to evaluate the entries and identify the strongest submissions. In addition to USA Triathlon, USA Track & Field and USA Wrestling also produced winning proposals resulting in sponsorships with Elk Grove Village.
Elk Grove Village is home to the US nation’s largest contiguous industrial park, a six-square mile expanse that is home to more than 5,600 businesses that employ 56,000 men and women and over 400 manufacturers specializing in plastic, metal, food, tech and more.
The partnership with USA Triathlon will showcase Elk Grove Village’s ‘Makers Wanted’ brand. According to a release, this enables the municipality to ‘leverage the popularity of triathlon to both increase its visibility and attract world-class manufacturers and businesses.’
“Competing in a triathlon takes incredible focus, discipline and determination,” said Craig Johnson, Mayor of Elk Grove Village. “These are the same qualities that allow entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed in Elk Grove Village, home to the largest industrial park in the US.
“We’re so proud to welcome USA Triathlon into the Elk Grove Village community to help push our ‘Makers Wanted’ initiative to new heights.”
“Triathlon is a complex sport, and its athletes by definition are innovative, entrepreneurial and ambitious — making this partnership with Elk Grove Village a perfect match for the USA Triathlon family,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO.
“We look forward to working with our new partner to create unique business opportunities for the multisport community, while showcasing Elk Grove Village and its ‘Makers Wanted’ campaign on the world stage in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
USA Triathlon will work with Elk Grove Village to create and host a Corporate Wellness Program, in which Elk Grove Village businesses and their employees will have the chance to take part in a virtual triathlon training plan and race while engaging with area triathlon clubs.
In addition, a Virtual Triathlon CEO Challenge presented by Elk Grove Village will serve as a competitive opportunity for CEOs and other C-level executives in the area to compete against each other in a virtual format.
USA Triathlon and Elk Grove Village will also partner to present a new annual award for business leaders in the multisport community: the USA Triathlon Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year.
After an initial proposal process judged by a panel of multisport industry executives, finalists will be asked to pitch their ideas live at the 2021 Virtual Endurance Exchange conference, set for January 21-23.
After the live presentations, one winner will have the opportunity to meet with executives at the Elk Grove Village-based ENCLAVE for Entrepreneurs to network and discuss their business plan.
Finally, the partnership with Elk Grove Village will enhance USA Triathlon’s recently announced Power Within campaign. This will aim to foster a ‘community of people working toward common goals, finding innovative ways to introduce new athletes to multisport and encouraging individuals and businesses to chase their dreams, embrace their passions and push their limits.’
www.usatriathlon.org
www.elkgrove.org
www.makerswanted.org
