Kevin Plank
Kevin Plank Sport Entrepreneur
Alton K Smith Jr
American Military University
Kevin Plank is just about as normal of a person you can get. Kevin Plank was born on August 13, 1972, Kensington, Maryland. He was the youngest of five boys and like his older brothers both loved and excelled in sports. He wasn’t born rich but had a dream and worked at it until it became reality. Becoming an entrepreneur was not a given for Plank. He acknowledged being a mediocre student during high school in Maryland, and went to a prep school for a fifth year of high school instruction before enrolling at the University of Maryland and making the football team as a walk-on.
Kevin A. Plank launched Under Armour in 1995 while playing college football as a special team’s captain for the University of Maryland. Kevin Plank was tired of repeatedly changing his shirts under his shoulder pads because of the wetness and water weight it accumulated over a course of practice or game. “Kevin Plank set out to develop a next generation shirt that would remain drier and lighter and consistently perform under the most extreme conditions” (Kevin Plank, 2007). Customer uncertainty resulted in a few back lashes from teammates. Some laughed at him because he was basically trying to get them to wear something that fit like women’s lingerie.
Kevin Plank spent the next months going back and forth between his classes as an undergraduate and a nearby tailor shop. Plank, was determined and tested fabrics for their sturdiness, water repellent qualities, and comfort. After a year of fabric sourcing and product testing resulted in the first Under Armour shirt and a new category of sporting apparel called performance apparel. Performance apparel is “a synthetic shirt worn beneath an athlete’s uniform or equipment that provided a snug, second-skin fit that wouldn’t retain moisture or its weight”(Kevin Plank, 2007). Kevin Plank understood his marketing plan and where he wanted to go with his
Alton K Smith Jr
American Military University
Kevin Plank is just about as normal of a person you can get. Kevin Plank was born on August 13, 1972, Kensington, Maryland. He was the youngest of five boys and like his older brothers both loved and excelled in sports. He wasn’t born rich but had a dream and worked at it until it became reality. Becoming an entrepreneur was not a given for Plank. He acknowledged being a mediocre student during high school in Maryland, and went to a prep school for a fifth year of high school instruction before enrolling at the University of Maryland and making the football team as a walk-on.
Kevin A. Plank launched Under Armour in 1995 while playing college football as a special team’s captain for the University of Maryland. Kevin Plank was tired of repeatedly changing his shirts under his shoulder pads because of the wetness and water weight it accumulated over a course of practice or game. “Kevin Plank set out to develop a next generation shirt that would remain drier and lighter and consistently perform under the most extreme conditions” (Kevin Plank, 2007). Customer uncertainty resulted in a few back lashes from teammates. Some laughed at him because he was basically trying to get them to wear something that fit like women’s lingerie.
Kevin Plank spent the next months going back and forth between his classes as an undergraduate and a nearby tailor shop. Plank, was determined and tested fabrics for their sturdiness, water repellent qualities, and comfort. After a year of fabric sourcing and product testing resulted in the first Under Armour shirt and a new category of sporting apparel called performance apparel. Performance apparel is “a synthetic shirt worn beneath an athlete’s uniform or equipment that provided a snug, second-skin fit that wouldn’t retain moisture or its weight”(Kevin Plank, 2007). Kevin Plank understood his marketing plan and where he wanted to go with his
Cited: Forbes Business. (2012, April 26). Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Forbes: http://people.forbes.com/profile/kevin-a-plank/82120 Hyman, M. (2003). How I Did it: Kevin Plank. Inc., 1. Kevin Plank. (2007, Sept 11). Retrieved April 26, 2012, from iam.cnbc.com: http://www.cnbc.com/id/25191720/ Patent Application Publication. (2005, May 26). Retrieved April 27, 2012, from Peformance Sports Garment : http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en&lr=&vid=USPATAPP10962861&id=m5-VAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=kevin+plank&printsec=abstract# Roberts, D. (2011, October 26). CNN Money. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Under Armour gets serious: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/10/26/under-armour-kevin-plank/ Sharrow, R. (2010, November 19). Baltimore Business Jouirnal. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Under Armour 's Plank to sell up to 1.3 million shares : http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2010/11/19/under-armours-plank-to-sell-up-to-a.html Woodley, K. (2012, March 23). Investor Place. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Under Armour’s Game Plan Is Playing Out Well: http://www.investorplace.com/2012/03/under-armours-game-plan-is-playing-out-well/