NWCA announces annual winners for Meritorious Service Award and Dan Gable America Needs Wrestling Award
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by Jason Bryant NWCA
The Meritorious Service Award is the highest award presented annually by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The NWCA is pleased to announce Robert “Bob” DeHaven as the recipient of the 2014 honor for not only a life-long record of service to wrestling, but for continued support and time towards the mission of the NWCA.
DeHaven served as the Treasurer of the NWCA from 1999-2013 and helped the NWCA’s annual revenue from $150,000 to $1.5 million.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award is given to individuals that have made outstanding contributions in supporting and promoting the sport of amateur wrestling.
DeHaven has played a major role in the development of the NWCA strategic plan and has grown membership from just 1,500 to over 10,000 and services that now directly benefit over 220,000 student-wrestlers annually.
“The NWCA wouldn’t be where it is today without the business expertise of Bob DeHaven,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “I’m personally grateful to Bob for all his time that he’s volunteered toward the organization and we wouldn’t have the great network of coaches we have today if it weren’t for Bob.”
Keith Burgess, Aaron Grossman and Christian Holiday have been named the 2014 recipients of the NWCA’s Dan Gable “America Needs Wrestling” Award, the NWCA recently announced.
This annual award is presented to individuals who have given significant time and effort to the sport of wrestling and have subsequently had a significant impact on the preservation or promotion of the sport.
Maryland native Keith Burgess was a three-time ACC place winner and an NCAA qualifier as a wrestler at the University of Maryland. Burgess was a partner with The Meltzer Group for the past 18 years. The Meltzer Group is a full-service insurance firm based in Bethesda.
Burgess was instrumental in founding the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Network, which recently merged with the Wrestlers in Business Cleveland to become a national Wrestlers in Business Network.
Burgess is the founder of Business Development Council, a high-end networking group for business executives, which is also based in Bethesda.
Along with his wife Elizabeth, Burgess has three daughters and donates time to the Board of 3 Charitable Organizations, all related to the development of underprivileged children.
Grossman is the CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, a full-service staffing and recruitment firm headquartered in Independence, Ohio.
A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, Grossman formed Alliance Solutions Group in 2001 and became the company’s president in 2006. Grossman is one of the founders of the Wrestlers in Business Network and is currently a board member of the Cleveland Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and sits on the Mid-Market Committee for the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Cleveland area’s Chamber of Commerce.
“What we’ve seen with Keith Burgess and Aaron Grossman is a business sense and tenacity that wrestling helped build,” said Moyer. “Both of them have been instrumental in building the Wrestlers in Business Network in their respective areas and have come together to foster a national network that not only helps bring business persons with wrestling backgrounds back into the sport, but has created networking opportunities for businesses nationwide.”
Christian Holiday was more than appreciative to receive the award.
“It means a lot to be recognized by the wrestling community and especially the NWCA who is such a force in building and supporting wrestling,” said Holiday. “Without the NWCA only God knows were college and high school wrestling would be right now.”
Holiday, CEO of Global Media Marketing, Inc. and the Academy of Wrestling, wrestled while enrolled in high school in Oregon, college at Cal State-Fullerton and internationally in places such as Ecuador and Japan. One of Holiday’s most noted wrestling achievements came when he was a 1996 finalist at the Olympic Trials.
Once Holiday stopped wrestling, his contributions to the sport did not. Holiday’s company, Global Media Marketing, serves as a premier television production firm that creates both short and long form programming. Over the past four years, Global Media has produced over 100 hours of signature NWCA wrestling events on the Fox College Sports Network each year.
Holiday was recently brought on as the Director of Broadcasting for USA Wrestling and worked with Universal Sports to produce two live broadcasts of the Asics Las Vegas Open. It was the first time in the event’s history it was aired live.
Holiday also owns Academy of Wrestling, a wrestling gym that offers classes for both youth and UFC and professional athletes. The gym opened in 2012 in Orange County California and has since become the most popular gym for collegiate and Olympic wrestling and training.
Holiday plans to continue contributing to the promotion of wrestling in whatever manner possible.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the selections of Aaron Grossman, Keith Burgess and Christian Holiday,” said Moyer. “They truly exemplify what the Dan Gable Award is about.”
During a presentation at the NCAA Division I Championships, the NWCA also presented service award and recognition awards for milestone victories.
Receiving recognition for achieving 500 career wins were Easton Area (Pa.) head coach Steve Powell and DeMatha Catholic (Md.) High School coach Robert Messier. Rider University coach Gary Taylor was recognized for picking up his 400th win.
Service Awards for 2014 were presented to the following coaches who have put in at least 25 years of coaching: Roy Hill, Hayfield Secondary (Va.), Steve Day, North Cobb/Lassiter (Ga.), Kenneth P. Estling, Bondurant-Farrar (Iowa), Robert Redman, North Salinas (Calif.), Terry Martin, Ayala (Calif.), Reggie Torres, Kahuku (Hawaii), Rich Romero, Canadaigua Academy (N.Y.), Keith Watson, John Carroll (Md.), Kent Olson, West Hills College (Calif.), Dave Ewing, Ankeny (Iowa), Richard Messier, DeMatha Catholic (Md.), Mike Duroe, Cornell College (Iowa).
About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.
DeHaven served as the Treasurer of the NWCA from 1999-2013 and helped the NWCA’s annual revenue from $150,000 to $1.5 million.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award is given to individuals that have made outstanding contributions in supporting and promoting the sport of amateur wrestling.
DeHaven has played a major role in the development of the NWCA strategic plan and has grown membership from just 1,500 to over 10,000 and services that now directly benefit over 220,000 student-wrestlers annually.
“The NWCA wouldn’t be where it is today without the business expertise of Bob DeHaven,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “I’m personally grateful to Bob for all his time that he’s volunteered toward the organization and we wouldn’t have the great network of coaches we have today if it weren’t for Bob.”
Keith Burgess, Aaron Grossman and Christian Holiday have been named the 2014 recipients of the NWCA’s Dan Gable “America Needs Wrestling” Award, the NWCA recently announced.
This annual award is presented to individuals who have given significant time and effort to the sport of wrestling and have subsequently had a significant impact on the preservation or promotion of the sport.
Maryland native Keith Burgess was a three-time ACC place winner and an NCAA qualifier as a wrestler at the University of Maryland. Burgess was a partner with The Meltzer Group for the past 18 years. The Meltzer Group is a full-service insurance firm based in Bethesda.
Burgess was instrumental in founding the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Network, which recently merged with the Wrestlers in Business Cleveland to become a national Wrestlers in Business Network.
Burgess is the founder of Business Development Council, a high-end networking group for business executives, which is also based in Bethesda.
Along with his wife Elizabeth, Burgess has three daughters and donates time to the Board of 3 Charitable Organizations, all related to the development of underprivileged children.
Grossman is the CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, a full-service staffing and recruitment firm headquartered in Independence, Ohio.
A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, Grossman formed Alliance Solutions Group in 2001 and became the company’s president in 2006. Grossman is one of the founders of the Wrestlers in Business Network and is currently a board member of the Cleveland Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and sits on the Mid-Market Committee for the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Cleveland area’s Chamber of Commerce.
“What we’ve seen with Keith Burgess and Aaron Grossman is a business sense and tenacity that wrestling helped build,” said Moyer. “Both of them have been instrumental in building the Wrestlers in Business Network in their respective areas and have come together to foster a national network that not only helps bring business persons with wrestling backgrounds back into the sport, but has created networking opportunities for businesses nationwide.”
Christian Holiday was more than appreciative to receive the award.
“It means a lot to be recognized by the wrestling community and especially the NWCA who is such a force in building and supporting wrestling,” said Holiday. “Without the NWCA only God knows were college and high school wrestling would be right now.”
Holiday, CEO of Global Media Marketing, Inc. and the Academy of Wrestling, wrestled while enrolled in high school in Oregon, college at Cal State-Fullerton and internationally in places such as Ecuador and Japan. One of Holiday’s most noted wrestling achievements came when he was a 1996 finalist at the Olympic Trials.
Once Holiday stopped wrestling, his contributions to the sport did not. Holiday’s company, Global Media Marketing, serves as a premier television production firm that creates both short and long form programming. Over the past four years, Global Media has produced over 100 hours of signature NWCA wrestling events on the Fox College Sports Network each year.
Holiday was recently brought on as the Director of Broadcasting for USA Wrestling and worked with Universal Sports to produce two live broadcasts of the Asics Las Vegas Open. It was the first time in the event’s history it was aired live.
Holiday also owns Academy of Wrestling, a wrestling gym that offers classes for both youth and UFC and professional athletes. The gym opened in 2012 in Orange County California and has since become the most popular gym for collegiate and Olympic wrestling and training.
Holiday plans to continue contributing to the promotion of wrestling in whatever manner possible.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the selections of Aaron Grossman, Keith Burgess and Christian Holiday,” said Moyer. “They truly exemplify what the Dan Gable Award is about.”
During a presentation at the NCAA Division I Championships, the NWCA also presented service award and recognition awards for milestone victories.
Receiving recognition for achieving 500 career wins were Easton Area (Pa.) head coach Steve Powell and DeMatha Catholic (Md.) High School coach Robert Messier. Rider University coach Gary Taylor was recognized for picking up his 400th win.
Service Awards for 2014 were presented to the following coaches who have put in at least 25 years of coaching: Roy Hill, Hayfield Secondary (Va.), Steve Day, North Cobb/Lassiter (Ga.), Kenneth P. Estling, Bondurant-Farrar (Iowa), Robert Redman, North Salinas (Calif.), Terry Martin, Ayala (Calif.), Reggie Torres, Kahuku (Hawaii), Rich Romero, Canadaigua Academy (N.Y.), Keith Watson, John Carroll (Md.), Kent Olson, West Hills College (Calif.), Dave Ewing, Ankeny (Iowa), Richard Messier, DeMatha Catholic (Md.), Mike Duroe, Cornell College (Iowa).
About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.
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