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Principal® Charity Classic Sets Charitable Giving Record in 2022

a group of people standing in front of a bus

Principal® Charity Classic sets charitable giving record in 2022

Annual PGA TOUR Champions event raised more than $8.2 million

for Iowa children’s charities, announces new sustainability initiative

 

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Principal Charity Classic today announced its 2022 tournament raised more than $8.2 million in support of Iowa children’s charities, surpassing the event’s previous record of $7.3 million set in 2021. The annual PGA TOUR Champions event in Des Moines has now raised more than $45.6 million for Iowa children’s charities since Principal Financial Group® became the title sponsor in 2007. Watch the 2022 recap video here.

“We continue to see overwhelming generosity from our sponsors, volunteers, and spectators,” said Dan Houston, chairman, president, and chief executive officer at Principal®. “The impact of this year’s tournament will have a lasting effect on young people in Iowa. In addition to world class golf, my favorite part of the tournament every year is meeting some of the children who benefit from this wonderful community event. I am so proud we have this opportunity to support the efforts of our charity partners.”

The Principal Charity Classic impacts the lives of more than 130,000 Iowa children in the areas of education, health, and arts and culture. Tournament proceeds provide support to four Tournament Charity Partners in the Des Moines area: Blank Children’s Hospital, MercyOne Children’s Hospital, the United Way of Central Iowa, and Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa. Additionally, the event’s Birdies For Charity program supports nearly 90 non-profits throughout the state of Iowa.

“This record-breaking donation is a true testament to the Des Moines community and our local and regional corporate communities and golf fans,” said Ken McCullum, board chair for the Principal Charity Classic. “This year we were thrilled to welcome fans back to the Wakonda Club where over 58,000 fans filled galleries and enjoyed state-of-the-art hospitality venues, and an exciting week-long schedule of events that helped drive the charitable efforts.”

This year’s tournament provided another dramatic finish, with Jerry Kelly defeating Kirk Triplett in a sudden-death playoff on the 18thhole. The win was Kelly’s second victory of the 2022 PGA Tour Champions season.

New tournament sustainability initiative announced

Just in time for Sustainable Golf Week, which kicks off on October 3rd, the Principal Charity Classic is also announcing its effort to work toward obtaining Golf Environment Organization (GEO) tournament certification. “GEO Certified” is a comprehensive modern certification, developed to the highest credibility standard, to help golf facilities, developments, and tournaments demonstrate and be recognized for their environmental and social responsibility.

“Principal Charity Classic organizers engaged a sustainability consultant to provide year-round support to create zero-waste practices, promote civic and corporate stakeholder engagement, and perform a comprehensive tournament sustainability audit,” said McCullum. “The next step is to develop an action plan to capture sustainability metrics going forward to advance these efforts.”

The 2023 Principal Charity Classic tournament will take place June 1–4, 2023, at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. Visit principalcharityclassic.com to learn more about the Principal Charity Classic or to make a donation in support of the tournament’s year-round charitable giving efforts.

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About the Principal Charity Classic

The Principal Charity Classic is an annual and award-winning PGA TOUR Champions event dedicated to investing in the future of Iowa kids. In 2022, the Principal Charity Classic raised a record $8.2 million for charity, bringing the tournament’s giving total to more than $45.6 million since 2007. Tournament funds benefit organizations that provide a broad level of support to Iowa kids in the areas of education and culture, financial security and stability, and health and wellness.

For more information, visit principalcharityclassic.com, or connect with the tournament on social media:  Facebook facebook.com/principalcharityclassic, Twitter @PCCTourney, and Instagram @principalcharityclassic.

About PGA TOUR Champions

PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, or on social media: Facebook facebook.com/PGATOURChampions,Twitter @ChampionsTour, and Instagram @pgatourchampions.

 

About Principal Financial Group®

Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG) is a global financial company with 18,500 employees1 passionate about improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. In business for more than 140 years, we’re helping more than 54 million customers1 plan, protect, invest, and retire, while working to support the communities where we do business, and build a diverse, inclusive workforce. Principal® is proud to be recognized as one of America’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies2, a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and a Top 10 “Best Places to Work in Money Management3.” Learn more about Principal and our commitment to building a better future at principal.com.

1 As of June 30, 2022
2 Barron’s, 2022
3 Pensions & Investments, 2021

Unless otherwise noted, companies and organizations mentioned are not affiliates of any member company of the Principal Financial Group®. Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Principal community relations supports the communities where affiliates of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392 operates.  Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.  ©2022 Principal Financial Services, Inc.

Alabama Sports Hall of Fame to recognize Eventive Sports’s Gene Hallman

Gene Hallman wearing a suit and tie

The Board of Directors of the Alabama Sports Hall Fame announced today, Gene Hallman will be the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished American Sportsman Award.

The Distinguished American Sportsman award is an honor given to an individual (in- or out-of-state) who has made lifetime contributions to humanity and sports. Some previous recipients of the Distinguished American Sportsman Award include Bob Hope, entertainer (1988), President George H. W. Bush (1992), SEC Commissioners Roy Kramer (2003) and Mike Slive (2015), and Ron Froehlich (2015), honorary Life Chairman of The World Games. Mr. Hallman’s business partner for more than 25 years, Ronnie Bruno, was recognized in 2009 as a Distinguished Alabama Sportsman. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on May 7, 2022. Read more about other inductees in the class of 2022: https://tinyurl.com/5vw4btp4

The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is one of the country’s most prestigious organizations with previous inductees including Paul “Bear” Bryant, Jesse Owens, Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson, Nick Saban, Joe Louis, Dabo Swinney, Bart Starr, Charles Barkley, Bobby Bowden, and Willie Mays.

Gene Hallman co-founded and is currently Chief Executive Officer of Eventive Sports which has grown into one of the country’s largest dedicated sports event management companies. Eventive Sports has more than 80 employees located in nine offices throughout the US and Bermuda.

Eventive Sports’s resume includes notable events such as US Women’s Open, US Senior Open and many other professional golf tournaments on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, and LPGA. Other significant events managed include Magic City Classic, SEC Baseball Tournament, WBC Heavyweight Championship title fights, SEC Gymnastics Championship, SEC Women’s Golf Championship, SWAC Football Championship, Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, 1996 Olympic Soccer, and 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials. Eventive Sports is assisting with the management of The World Games to be held in Birmingham during the summer of 2022. Since 2008, Eventive Sports has managed Gameday operations for the University of Alabama football, basketball, and gymnastics programs. More recently, Eventive Sports has worked with Auburn University, UAB, Alabama State University and University of Notre Dame on various aspects of their football gameday operations.

The first sporting event managed by Mr. Hallman, the Regions Tradition, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022, having raised more than $20 million for Alabama charities.

Hallman is also a member of the Birmingham Golf Hall of Fame and the Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame.

Eventive Sports Partners with University of Alabama Systems

Today, the University of Alabama System updated the COVID dashboard summarizing results of student, faculty and staff testing at UA, UAB and UAH for August 28-September 3.

“The data across the System’s three campuses shows that the UA System Health & Safety Plan is working,” said Dr. Richard Friend, Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences at the University of Alabama. UAB had only 19 student positives this week and UAH had seven student positives. Sentinel testing, which is ongoing at UAB and UAH, will begin at UA next week.

This week The University of Alabama reported 846 student positives, which represents a decline in daily averages since the last report. Yesterday, September 3, student positives had dropped to 65 for the day.

“We expected higher testing numbers at UA until the impact of the bar closures and the moratorium on campus social events could make a difference,” Dr. Friend said. “We are starting to see the results of those decisions.”

Across the UA System, isolation capacity remains strong, with UA stabilizing under 40%, UAB at 4%, and UAH at 12.9%. As outlined in the Health & Safety plans, additional space will be brought on- line if needed. Vacancy rates in isolation facilities are expected to increase as students who have completed the isolation protocol are cleared to return to their regular housing.

Among faculty and staff, numbers remain low, with only 19 faculty and staff in the System testing positive, excluding UAB’s clinical enterprise personnel. The low numbers of faculty and staff positives are reinforced by the fact that there is no evidence of COVID transmission in the classroom setting.

The UA System announced today that the Eventive Sports will provide call support for the UA COVID hotline (205-348-CV19), as well as COVID Concierge Services to those currently in the isolation and quarantine protocol. Eventive Sports, which will work under the direction of UA Vice President of Student Life Dr. Myron Pope, is a national leader in event management and has handled logistics for the Testing for Alabama initiative, which provides free COVID-19 entry and sentinel testing for higher education institutions across the state.

In statements released this week, leading medical experts in the UA System cautioned against closing campuses and sending students home en masse. Drs. Selwyn Vickers and Michael Saag emphasized the safety provided by on-campus resources and the risk of COVID-spread caused by emptying our campuses.

Dr. Vickers is UAB Senior Vice President for Medicine and Dean of the School of Medicine. Dr. Saag is associate dean of Global Health in the UAB School of Medicine and a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Link to their statements:

Hoover sets sights on new projects in 2020

Gene Hallman looking at the camera

 

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — Looking ahead to 2020, Hoover looks to capitalize on big plans.

Mayor Frank Brocato said he has a lot of projects, both big and small, he is excited to work on next year, but perhaps the biggest takeaway from a conversation with CBS 42’s Alissa Rothermich was that plans are in the works for the former Sears at the Riverchase Galleria and just a year from now, things could look very different. The Galleria is one of the state’s most popular shopping destinations, but in October, Sears closed.

Brocato said the closure of the anchor store has opened the door for re-development. City officials are now doing a study and talking about turning the site into a performing arts center.

“That’s kind of a missing link that we don’t have in the city and that’s a wonderful opportunity to have somewhere for our great performances,” Brocato said.

There is a lot of energy surrounding that idea and a desire to make it quickly happen.

“I think you’re looking at something in the next 12-15 months,” he said. “It’s coming. We have an idea. We have the Galleria ownership excited about it.”

The city will also begin talks with the SEC in 2020, working to keep the annual baseball tournament in Hoover after the current contract expires in 2021. The tournament brings in anywhere from $15 million to $18 million per year with last year setting records for attendance.

“The last bid process was very competitive,” said Gene Hallman. “Nashville and Memphis, Jacksonville and New Orleans all submitted very aggressive bids so we’re not taking anything for granted.”

One way local leaders are working to solidify Hoover’s stamp on the tournament is to expand the youth baseball tournament that runs in conjunction with the SEC baseball championship. This year, 40-50 teams from the SEC footprint are expected to compete. The primary intent of this is to drive tourism and awareness for the SEC baseball tournament.

Traffic throughout the city is a hot-button issue for commuters. While the mayor admits easing the gridlock on Hwy. 280 is “a tough nut to crack,” Hoover does have a plan for the Highway 150 and I-459 corridor with a new interchange is now slated for South Shades Crest Road.

“We believe that will relieve traffic on South Shades Crest Road and Hwy. 150 as well as the Ross Bridge community that will help the entire western part of Hoover,” Brocato said.

The city has already purchased land and is now looking to purchase over 20 additional acres to make the interchange a reality

 

Will Weather Ruin the Magic City Classic?

a close up of a sign

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Many are looking forward to the 78th Magic City Classic this weekend, but will rain ruin the fun?

It’s the largest HBCU football classic in the nation, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands. And even with a 60% chance of rain looming over the festivities, organizers say they’re keeping a close eye on everything.

“I sense this could be the most excitement we’ve had for Magic City Classic in a long time,” says Gene Hallman with Eventive Sports.

And there’s a lot to be excited about. The bands, the game, not to mention the tailgating. And this year, the celebrities!

“But this year with Shaquille O’Neal being the ambassador and then 2 Chainz performing right after the game, that entertainment value is taking this classic to a whole new level,” says Hallman.

Hallman says he hopes the rain won’t play a starring role. “We’re talking to the weather meteorologists on a frequent basis, but the rain could be intermittent.”

He says the only thing that could seriously postpone things would be lightning. “And we’ll be monitoring that closely and if lightning gets close to either these events, the parade or the game, then we’ll have delays accordingly. But right now everything’s on go!” said Hallman.

The good news is we’re not expecting much lightning this weekend, but you never know how the rain will affect the crowds. They are expecting between 60-65,000 people, with tickets sold in over 30 states.

“Alums from all over the country are reuniting here in Birmingham and filling up our hotels and our restaurants. Creates an economic impact of more than $20 million for the metro area,” said Hallman.

Expecting a large turnout for something that has grown to be more than just a football game.

Umbrellas are not allowed in Legion Field, but folks can bring ponchos. Be sure to download the WBRC Weather app to keep up with the forecast. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

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