Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Kollins Ezekh, Celebrity Personal Trainer and Established Life Coach

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If you want a new you in 2024, you might want to listen to Kollins Ezekh.

Ezekh has been a leader within the realm of fitness for 15+ years. A-listers such as Praya Lundberg, Shay Mitchel, Mena Massoud, and Laysla Deo have gravitated to this vegan trainer for a myriad of reasons. He’s defied all of the myths with his plant-based chiseled physique. Ezekh was chosen by Floyd Mayweather to help establish one of the fastest growing gym franchises in America. With him at the head, they’ve grown from one location to over a 100+ in just under a year. Also a personal life coach, Kollins is extremely competent and well-versed within his discipline. Charismatic yet informative, he constantly produces fitness content which people can indulge in while on the go. He has spent his career developing results-driven regimens that make an impact on his clients’ overall mental and physical health.While some of his counterparts tote around NASM certificates, he pushes an unprecedented work ethic which is unequaled by many.

A well-versed fitness guru in the elite fitness community, he’s been featured in Men’s Journal, SHAPE, Forbes, SELF and Oxygen Magazine. In addition, he has been interviewed on multiple networks including: KTLA 5, Fox 11, ABC, Good Day LA and CBS.

Learn how to meal prep and cook plant-based meals that are quick and easy, yet nourishing with celebrity health and wellness coach, Kollins Ezekh.

Kollins provides access to a wide variety of nutritious and filling plant-based recipes, without sacrificing taste! Self-care can be made easy, with something as simple as nourishing your body with delicious and nutrient-dense food. With Kollin’s guidance, the transition to eating plant-based and trying new recipes can be made easy.

Kollins is known as @plantbasedboxer on Instagram, where he has over 135k followers. He has been featured in outlets such as Forbes and CNN Health for his celebrity-worthy tips and tricks. Please let me know if you would like to connect with Kollins about vegan recipes for back to school!

Melissa Fry, Hooters’ Senior Director of Marketing

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Rick talks everything Hooters this week in terms of marketing and sports with Hooters’ Senior Director of Marketing, Melissa Fry.

She has over 23 years in the hospitality industry, from management to marketing with proven success in guiding brand messaging and delivering impactful marketing solutions.

Hooters, a long-running partner of both Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports, has officially unveiled the newly designed No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro that will appear three times throughout the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The brand-new paint scheme, which features a primarily orange and black base design, will make its on-track debut in the second event of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 25.

NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver will then carry the Hooters colors on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for a second time at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14, before the scheme makes one final appearance at Richmond Raceway on August 11.

The company, which has developed a pedigree in the NASCAR Cup Series over the last three decades, is widely known for its stint as primary sponsor of the late Alan Kulwicki from 1991 to 1993.

Hooters has been involved with many different sports over the years. From golf to NASCAR and everything in between. The Hooters brand is about empowering women and part of that is their annual Hooters calendar.

Give a Hoot Background 

During this year’s annual October Give a Hoot campaign, Hooters raised $786,000 in the fight against breast cancer. The funds were presented to the V Foundation for Cancer Research during last night’s 2023 Men’s Jimmy V Basketball Classic held at Madison Square Garden. 

Since the program began in 2002, Hooters has raised a cumulative $9.4 million towards breast cancer research, reinforcing the cause as a priority for a company whose workforce is roughly 70% women, most of which are made up by the iconic Hooters Girls whose numbers have reached nearly 10,000 worldwide.

Consumers can still support the cause with calendars available for the holidays. For every 2024 Hooters Calendar purchased, Hooters donates $1 toward the Give A Hoot fundraising effort.

Enjoy this interview with Melissa and learning about Hooters.

Ryan Lepicier, President and CEO of National Peanut Board

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After a yearlong nationwide executive search, the National Peanut Board (NPB) announces Ryan Lepicier as its new president and CEO beginning January 1, 2024. Most recently, Lepicier served as NPB’s senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). 

Rick talks to Ryan this week.

Lepicier has led marketing and communications for NPB for the past 15 years. During this leadership at NPB, U.S. per capita consumption of peanut butter has reached all-time highs through compelling consumer promotions and the backing of groundbreaking research on prevention and treatment for peanut allergies. Prior to NPB, Lepicier served as communications manager for the Office of the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, a multimedia producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting and worked as a television news reporter and anchor at several network affiliate TV stations.

Lepicier shares his outlook for the agricultural and food industries and his vision for NPB as he steps into his new role as the CEO of the National Peanut Board. He can also speak to the importance of early introduction in the prevention of peanut allergy, food and snack trends, product innovation and more.

They talk everything peanuts and how sports could get involved.

See more at: https://nationalpeanutboard.org/

 

Andrew Corkill, Vice President, Global Marketing and eCommerce at Targus

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Rick talks about Targus with Andrew Corkill this week. Targus with a bunch of new products coming off CES.

Targus EcoSmart Backpacks and other sustainable products that travel well for the sports-minded consumer, and how Targus utilizes recycled plastic, some from the Oceans!

At this year’s show, the industry leader in laptop cases and mobile computing accessories, is celebrating their 40th anniversary with the launch of several new products, including those recognized as a CES 2023 Innovation Awards Honoree, designed to help empower a seamless life and a sustainable future.

Targus will unveil new products under the EcoSmart line, including:

· extended collection of EcoSmart tech accessories

includes three new EcoSmart keyboards)
· Backpack made from Ocean bound plastic

+new Zero Waste Backpacks
· Women’s Collection of laptop cases in various silhouettes

· Laptop bags made for Dell and Lenovo

including a lineup of gaming backpacks

· Plus, the Award-winning MiraLogic Workspace Intelligence System

Danny Bryant, Classic Center Arena General Manager

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The Classic City will have a new entertainment venue come Summer of 2024.

Danny Bryant, Athens Arena General Manager, began his successful career at The Classic Center in 2010. Danny has served in multiple operational roles during his time at The Classic Center, but since 2015, he has primarily focused on the development of The Classic Center Arena, which is set to open in 2024. He joins Rick.

The Arena is slated to have 5,500 permanent seats with the capacity to hold up to 8,500 people along with the ability to transform for any occasion from concerts and sports tournaments to banquets and general sessions. Built into the fabric of downtown Athens, The Classic Center Arena will echo the energy of the college town with its rich music history, outstanding clubs, restaurants, and breweries, along with walkable access to hotels.

The arena will be home to The UGA Ice Dawgs, an ECHL team and used as a learning lab. The Georgia Music Hall will also open in The Classic Center, bringing the state’s collection of memorabilia to life in The Classic Center Arena through an interactive, museum-quality experience.

For the past 25 years, The Classic Center’s mission has been to enhance the quality of life in Athens-Clarke County by serving as the cultural, civic, and social center of the Southeast and by generating maximum economic impact. The new LEED-certified arena will continue The Classic Center’s mission along with generating more jobs for the Athens area while focusing on sustainability and green energy.

In 2015, Danny was inducted into the inaugural class of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) 30|UNDER|30. He earned his Certified Venue Professional certification in 2019, received an IAVM Chair Citation in 2023, and now serves on the IAVM Foundation Board.

Danny is a graduate of Central Michigan University. He and his wife Beth proudly call Athens, Georgia, their home and enjoy spending time with their zoo of animals.

Emily Johnson, Miss Hooters International, 2024 Hooters Calendar Cover Girl

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Rick is joined by the new Miss Hooters International, Emily Johnson, this week.

The 2024 Hooters Calendar has just been released.

To celebrate the 2024 Hooters Calendar, Hooters hosted calendar signings at some Metro Atlanta locations featuring:

Cover Girl: Emily Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Miss March: Sophia Zullo (Mason, Ohio)
Miss July: Cassidy Marginean (Grand Prairie, Texas)
Miss September: Sara Vratanina (Daytona, Fla.)
Miss November 2023: Ashleigh Meade (Chantilly, Va.)
Back Cover: Paloma Henderson (Charlotte, N.C.),
Calendar Girls from Hooters of Kennesaw: Gwyn Johnson (Kennesaw, Ga.), Caitlin Tabor (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Calendar Girls from Hooters Mall of Georgia: Abbey Upshaw (Buford, Ga.), Jasmin Duncan (Buford, Ga.), Cassidy Keene (Buford, Ga.)

For every calendar sold, Hooters will donate $1 toward its Give A Hoot fundraising effort benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research — one of the nation’s leading cancer research funding organizations — and other local beneficiaries through the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund. To date, Hooters has raised over $8.7 million for this organization.

To find your nearest Hooters location, visit Hooters.com. For more information about the Hooters Calendar, please visit hooterscalendar.com.Johnson, the 2022 Hooters Girl of the Year and four-time Hooters Calendar Girl, has worked at Hooters for six years and has used that time to build her professional portfolio. This includes pursuing her academic dream of a doctoral degree in occupational therapy. The goal to pursue this career started when therapists helped her brother recover from brain surgery when she was growing up.