Kevin A. Plank (born August 10, 1971, in Kensington, Maryland) is an American entrepreneur and businessperson.
In 1996 he founded Under Armour, a sports apparel brand. A football player with the University of Maryland who eventually became special teams captain for the Terrapins, Plank thought up the idea because he "got tired of having to change out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts he wore under his jersey, so he developed a type of moisture-wicking fabric for athletic performance"[1]
Following his dismissal from Georgetown Preparatory School, Plank attended St. John's College High School. After finishing High School, Kevin attended Fork Union Military Academy Post Graduate program before arriving at Maryland.
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Under Armour is best known for its compression and performance apparel, but it continues to expand aggressively in the footwear space. Having launched its first training shoe in 2008, the company entered the $5 billion running shoe market in January, 2009, demonstrating a willingness to take on the biggest players in the industry. While Under Armour actively supports athletes at all levels – including sponsorships of youth sports organizations and Under Armour High School All-America games – the company also has exclusive outfitter agreements with major NCAA programs, such as the University of Maryland, College Park, Boston College, Auburn University,University of Utah, University of South Carolina and Texas Tech University.
The youngest of 5 boys, Plank’s path to success took root in his childhood home in Kensington, MD. His father worked as a land developer. His mother held the office of mayor in Kensington, Md., for 13 years, before moving to the State Department, where she worked under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Both parents instilled a work ethic in Kevin and his brothers, as well as a deep appreciation for the value of a dollar. As one Under Armour employee notes, Kevin still walks around the office turning out the lights.
Plank took that spirit to Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, where he was a captain of the freshman football team. Kevin’s high school teammate – and current Under Armour executive – Andy Kish noted that “it did not matter what we were doing...Kevin was always the most competitive one in the group.” Kish added that Kevin would “call me up at 7 a.m. and say, ‘Let’s go make some money,’ and we would shovel snow all day. He would rope in a number of guys. He did this all through high school.”also his nickname all throughout college was a silly thug because all the football players thought he was silly for what he was doing.
While Kevin wrestled and played lacrosse in high school, he excelled on the football field, receiving honorable mention recognition on USA Today’s All-USA high school football team. Upon graduating from St. John’s College High School in Washington, DC, Plank enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, VA. Hoping to improve his prospects of playing major college football, Kevin joined a Fork Union team that featured 13 future NFL draft picks, including Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George.
While Plank did receive college scholarship offers, he chose to enroll at Maryland and to join the football team as a walk-on. A special teams captain who played fullback and linebacker, Plank never missed a practice in five years. He also leveraged his football experience to bring his entrepreneurial vision to life.
At Maryland, Plank avoided rules that restricted student athletes from taking jobs by launching businesses of his own, such as selling t-shirts. Plank also developed Cupid’s Valentine, an annual business that sold roses for Valentine’s Day. Kevin put away $17,000 from the rose business, which eventually became seed money for Under Armour.
The original concept for Under Armour was born out of necessity, as Plank was the self-proclaimed “sweatiest guy on the football field.” Frustrated by his sweat-soaked cotton t-shirt’s inability to keep him dry and comfortable, Plank changed shirts as often as he could during practice. Feeling lethargic in his drenched cottons, Plank spent many sleepless nights trying to come up with a more practical fabric. If successful, he would transform the sporting goods industry.
From local tailor shops in College Park, MD to the garment district of New York City, Plank, upon graduating from Maryland in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, searched for synthetic materials to test his hypothesis. Plank ran through seven prototypes before deciding on the one he wanted to use. He then asked his former teammates to try on the shirts, explaining that his alternative to a basic cotton T-shirt would enhance their performance on the field. While initially skeptical, they needed little convincing once they experienced the new material. As Plank's friends moved on to play professionally, he would send them T-shirts, requesting that they pass them out to other players in their locker rooms. He was later said to be the most influential person person for making under armour.
Before moving to its current home in Baltimore, Under Armour was first headquartered in the basement of Plank’s grandmother’s town house in Washington’s Georgetown area. According to Plank, Under Armour had generated $17,000 revenue by 1996, purely by word of mouth. In 1997, Kevin had $100,000 in orders to fill and found a factory in Ohio to make the shirts. Running up $40,000 in credit cards, Plank was advised not to move forward. Undeterred, Plank also found motivation when companies like Nike ignored his products at trade shows.
Under Armour received early attention when a front page photo of USA Today featured Oakland Raiders quarterback Jeff George wearing an Under Armour turtleneck. Plank’s first major sale came when an equipment manager from Georgia Tech asked him for 350 shirts – but Plank only had enough product to send him 60 at a time. The deal with Georgia Tech opened the door to a contract with N.C. State. With positive reviews from players, word began to spread. After a Florida State game, an equipment manager for the Atlanta Falcons, a Florida State alumnus, visited the equipment room, where he saw players wearing the Under Armour shirts.
Under Armour first made a profit in 1998, but received its first big break in the 1999 Oliver Stone movie “Any Given Sunday,” in which actor Jamie Foxx was shown wearing an Under Armour jockstrap. After hearing about the movie through a former teammate, Plank sent samples of his products to the costume designer and convinced Stone’s assistant to pay for the Under Armour goods.
Leveraging the release of “Any Given Sunday’s,” Plank decided to tell the brand’s story to a wide audience. With only $25,000 left to spend, Plank used it all to purchase an ad in ESPN the Magazine. This bold move catapulted Under Armour to a new level. The ad generated close to $750,000 in sales, and three years after starting the company in his grandmother’s basement, Plank put himself on the payroll.
Under Armour’s current Baltimore headquarters serve as homage to the city’s blue collar sentimentality. The compound's industrial brick exterior still retains the gritty appeal of a turn-of-the-century manufacturing district. Citing the heritage of toughness and hard work of the region, Plank calls Baltimore the perfect home for Under Armour, a company that is rooted in rewarding athletes for their hard work on the field.
Plank still draws upon his basic athletic values at the office. In lieu of meetings, Under Armour has “huddles,” and posted on the wall in most conference rooms are the “Under Armour Huddle” rules, which encourage workers to “be prepared to huddle,” “manage the clock,” “know your position,” “run the huddle,” “execute the play” and “respect your teammates.” These dictums are at the heart of what has made Under Armour so successful. Under Armour “teammates” maintain that Plank is the same person today as the one they knew in childhood. He is regularly in touch with many childhood and college friends and invites many, along with his family, to his annual Preakness party.
As Plank’s success continues to grow so does his involvement in the community. Plank has been a long time supporter of the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. In addition to sitting on the University’s Board of Trustees, Plank played an integral role in the development of an endowment fund that the Dingman Center uses to invest in viable startup businesses. Plank is also responsible for the development of the annual Cupid’s Cup business competition. The competition got its name from Plank’s “Cupid’s Valentine” rose business he began while attending the University.
In addition to his involvement with his alma mater, Plank also stays active within the Baltimore and Washington DC communities sitting on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore City Fire Foundation, the Greater Baltimore Committee and Greater Washington Sports Alliance. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Living Classrooms, a Baltimore-Washington based non-profit organization dedicated to the hands-on education of young people using urban, natural and maritime environments as “living classrooms.”
On a national level, Plank is also a member the Board of Trustees for the National Football Foundation and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. His involvement in philanthropy has also translated to his business. Under Armour supports the V Foundation for cancer research and has its own Power in Pink campaign, raising funds for breast cancer research and education. In addition, Under Armour supports The Boomer Esiason Foundation, The Rock Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and Conservation Fund. The Company also has a “Give Back” program, encouraging employees to become involved with local charities.
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