COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon and Elk Grove Village, an Illinois municipality and the organization’s Exclusive Entrepreneur Community, today announced that 4 Star Endurance, LLC, has been named as the first-ever recipient of the Elk Grove Village-USA Triathlon Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year Award.

The inaugural award is one component of USA Triathlon and Elk Grove Village’s unique partnership, which was launched in 2020 as the first of its kind between a municipality and a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Body (Elk Grove Village also partnered with USA Track & Field and USA Wrestling at the same time). The partnership is designed to showcase Elk Grove Village’s “Makers Wanted” brand and leverage the popularity of triathlon to both increase the visibility of the municipality on a national scale and attract world-class manufacturers and businesses.

Elk Grove Village is a business-friendly community, laying claim to the nation’s largest contiguous industrial park — a six-square mile expanse housing more than 5,600 businesses that employ 56,000 men and women, and over 400 manufacturers specializing in plastic, metal, food, tech and more. Its “Makers Wanted” tagline is the call-to-action for the thriving community and the thousands of businesses based there.

To be considered for the Elk Grove Village-USA Triathlon Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year Award, USA Triathlon Annual Members and existing business leaders in Elk Grove Village were invited to submit an innovative idea for a new or existing business. After an initial review process, five finalists were selected to pitch their ideas on a live Zoom call to a panel of multisport industry executives, including: Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO; Wally Hayward, CEO of W Partners and member of USA Triathlon’s Marketing Committee; Josh Grodzin, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Elk Grove Village; Ben Kanute, 2016 U.S. Olympian and professional triathlete; Keri Serota, Co-Founder and Head Coach of Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club and member of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors; and Dan Migala, Co-Founder of 4FRONT. Doron Tamari, Senior Manager at 4FRONT, emceed the event.

The winning submission was 4 Star Endurance, a Chicago-based endurance coaching business that also manages club and charity teams. In a pitch led by USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach Chris Navin, 4 Star Endurance presented an idea to create an urban racing experience enhanced by innovative technology and driven by eSports marketing. The pitch focused on increasing accessibility for urban populations and diverse communities, with the potential to revolutionize the indoor triathlon landscape and build a pipeline to lifelong multisport participation.

“We’re a community that supports the ambitions of the American Dream,” said Craig Johnson, Mayor of Elk Grove Village. “Whether that’s the world-class athletes from USA Triathlon grinding through an Olympic-distance race or the passionate entrepreneurs from the 5,600 businesses in Elk Grove Village who make their American Dream a reality in our six square mile Business Park. Elk Grove Village couldn’t be prouder to extend our support to 4 Star Endurance on their entrepreneurial journey.”

“We were really impressed with 4 Star Endurance’s proposal to transform indoor triathlons and reach new audiences in the process. Their plan has the potential for large-scale implementation across the country, and if successful, would have a measurable impact on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access in our sport,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “Were it not for our partnership with Elk Grove Village, we may never have been exposed to this innovative team — and now we have the opportunity to support them as they bring their plan to life.”

4 Star Endurance was awarded with the opportunity to attend an innovation session with 4FRONT, a Chicago-based consulting firm; a three-hour business strategy and advising session with a professional business coach from Elk Grove Village’s business accelerator program; and a 60-second company video produced by Banner, a Chicago-based digital content studio specializing in video production. The business also received a commemorative trophy, a complimentary USA Triathlon Annual Membership, a $250 2XU gift card and a Rudy Project bike helmet.

The four additional finalists who were invited to present to the live panel were: Lightning Warriors, Marchri Inc., MG Bros Construction, Inc., and Miller Industrial.

Later this summer, USA Triathlon and Elk Grove Village will collaborate to host a Virtual Triathlon CEO Challenge as part of the Power Within Virtual Tri to Tokyo, set for July 19-Sept. 12 to commemorate the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event will serve as an opportunity for CEOs and other C-level executives to compete against each other in a virtual format.

For more information about the Elk Grove Village-USA Triathlon Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year Award, and to learn more about USA Triathlon’s partnership with Elk Grove Village, visit teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/Makers-Wanted.

Click the play button for a video message from Craig Johnson, Mayor of Elk Grove Village, and Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO, presenting the award to 4 Star Endurance.

About Elk Grove Village
Elk Grove Village is home to the largest contiguous industrial park in the United States, featuring six square miles and 62 million square feet of inventory. Located adjacent to O'Hare International Airport and the City of Chicago, Elk Grove Village is served by all major Illinois interstates and freight rail. These location advantages are complimented by the Village’s ideal suburban setting, which affords a high quality of life for businesses and their employees.

The tagline Makers Wanted is the call-to-action for Elk Grove Village's thriving community and the thousands of businesses based there. Over 5,614 businesses, including 300 manufacturers specializing in metal, plastic, rubber and food manufacturing, call Elk Grove Village their home. It is also a top national destination for data centers in the U.S. with over 2.5 million square feet of inventory.

For more information on Elk Grove Village, visit www.elkgrove.org. For more information on Makers Wanted, visit www.makerswanted.org.

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,000 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

USA Triathlon, Elk Grove Village Present 4 Star Endurance With Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year Award

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