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Pro Players Classic partners with Thunderbird as title sponsor
Thunderbird School of Global Management will be the Title Sponsor and primary benefactor of the 13th annual Pro Players Classic Golf Tournament (PPC), one of Arizona’s most popular annual celebrity golf events.
This year’s tournament will be held Dec. 3-4 at Terravita Golf and Country Club in Scottsdale. Proceeds will be used to support the school in establishing Thunderbird scholarship opportunities for veterans of the U.S. Military.
Thunderbird was founded 64 years ago in Glendale, Ariz., on the site of Thunderbird Field, a training base for World War II pilots that was converted into the first and only school dedicated exclusively to international trade and commerce. Today, Thunderbird is the No. 1-ranked school of global business in the world.
“Thunderbird’s unique mission to ‘educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide,’ sets it apart from other business schools and provides the PPC an opportunity to extend the impact and reach of its scholarship support,” said Aram Chavez, a 2008 graduate of Thunderbird, and member of the PPC governing board.
Dave Smoot, co-founder of the PPC, says funding educational opportunities for veterans will showcase Thunderbird’s military heritage and pay homage to the school’s longstanding motto: “Borders Frequented by Trade Seldom Need Soldiers.”
Adam Larson, an Air Force veteran and Thunderbird Student Government President, said he was happy to learn that the tournament proceeds would be used to establish scholarship funding for veterans to attend Thunderbird.
“Thunderbird is a great fit for veterans because it will round out their skill sets as future business leaders in a rapidly changing international business landscape,” Larson said. “I chose Thunderbird knowing that the international focus would allow me to better lead businesses with a multitude of different cultures, business climates, and all of the other complexities we face in a globalized economy.”
Participants in the celebrity golf tournament will have an opportunity to meet and golf with celebrities and legendary professional athletes from the NFL, NHL, PGA, NBA and MLB. More than 130 golfers and 30-plus former professional athletes and celebrities will participate in this charitable fundraising event.
For more information about participating as a sponsor or donations to the PPC 501(c)(3) or any other questions, please visit the Pro Players Classic Web site at: www.proplayersclassic.com or contact Tournament Director, Kelle Rene`Steinecke: kellerene13@yahoo.com or Melissa Patafio at 480-595-5506 or mpatafio@natawa.com or aramchavez@global.t-bird.edu or vishalbaijal@global.t-bird.edu.