ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Team Type 1, a global sports organization dedicated to radically changing the lives of people around the world with diabetes, is adding two veteran sports marketing and philanthropy executives to the corporate team, ushering in a new phase of growth for the company. Today, CEO and Founder Phil Southerland announced the appointment of Alex Kaminsky to the position of Chief Marketing Officer and John Hipp to Chief Development Officer, effective immediately.
“Alex and John are both extraordinary individuals and we are thrilled to welcome them to Team Type 1,” said Southerland. “Alex brings over 20 years of experience in brand building to our company and is the right person to develop marketing strategies for our next phase of growth. As outgoing president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Georgia, John brings extensive experience in non-profit management, knowledge of the issues faced by people with diabetes, plus amazing fundraising skills to our organization. Both are respected leaders in their fields and equally important, share our passion for saving lives and preventing death from diabetes.”
Mr. Kaminsky, a nationally acclaimed marketing specialist and brand innovator for companies including TBS, ESPN, Mindspring, The Weather Channel and The Coca-Cola Company, among others, will set and define the strategic vision for Team Type 1. In this role, he seeks to maximize global and national partnerships, explore content development for broadcast and social media, and further grow the organization’s fan base.
“Team Type 1 is rewriting how sports marketing, philanthropy and cause marketing come together,” said Mr. Kaminsky. “This is a brand new equation – there are successful sports properties without a cause and there are a lot of humanitarian organizations that don’t tie back to sports and media. We have the opportunity to leverage sports and media while saving lives. It’s an original idea and a new model in sports philanthropy.”
As a senior marketing executive for the past 20 years, Mr. Kaminsky is a leading consultant to Fortune 100 companies and start up ventures. A visionary lauded for his work in the entertainment, sports, media and creative industries, he has developed innovative positioning, advertising, integrated sales and marketing campaigns, and content for the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, the PGA Tour, NASCAR and the Goodwill Games. He has also established groundbreaking partnerships with top entertainment and media companies including MGM/UA, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers Studio.
His campaigns have garnered recognition from PromaxBDA, the International Association for Entertainment Marketing Professionals, including Consumer Campaign of the Year, Consumer Promotion of the Year and Integrated Campaign of the Year. The Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) also awarded his work with Most Innovative Brand Extension and Best Corporate License of the Year.
Most recently, Mr. Kaminsky launched CHANGE, an agency/consultancy to help media-based clients rethink their marketing strategies. CHANGE became IdeasDefined (i.d.) in 2010, adding branded entertainment, start-up phasing and social media services. The agency was nationally applauded with an award for Viral Campaign of the Year.
Mr. Kaminsky received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He is on the board of the Chastain Park Conservancy.
JOHN HIPP, Chief Development Officer
John Hipp joins Team Type 1 from a position as Director, Consulting Services & Business Development for Corporate Community Outsourcing, LLC. He is the outgoing President of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in Georgia, and has served that organization in various roles since 1995. At Team Type 1, Mr. Hipp will handle all fundraising activities for the sports and diabetes research entity.
Mr. Hipp’s extensive fundraising experience includes a 5-year stint as Executive Director at JDRF from 1995-2000, where he helped raise over $9.1 million for the nonprofit. In 2000, as National Director of Special Events Programming, he directed the development of the Special Events Department, providing national focus and coordination of training, best practices, research development and technology for the company’s 90+ black-tie galas, 60+ golf events, and 6-site century bike ride program for the 80 JDRF chapters in the United States. During his tenure, revenue grew from $32.6 million to $75.7 million by 2007. Prior to JDRF, Mr. Hipp worked as Director of Development for the Inner Harbour Hospitals and the Atlanta Outward Bound Center. He has served on the boards of the Link Counseling Center, North Carolina Outward Bound Center, Georgia Center for NonProfits and SummerBridge Atlanta. He continues to serve on the Board of the JDRF Georgia Chapter and chairs their major gifts committee and nominating committee.
Both Mr. Hipp and Mr. Kaminsky work and reside in Atlanta, GA with their families.
About Team Type 1
Based in Atlanta, GA, Team Type 1 began as a grassroots initiative to motivate people to take control of their diabetes using cycling as a platform. It grew to become a world-class athletic program for all athletes with diabetes, including a professional men's cycling team, poised to compete at the 2012 Tour de France. Today, it is a global sports organization changing the lives of people with diabetes around the world through racing, groundbreaking research, international outreach and philanthropic initiatives in developing countries.