Acumen Solutions Becomes First Company to Sponsor Triathlete Margie Shapiro in Her Quest for Olympic Gold
Reston-Area Native Races Around The World With Community Of Supporters At Her Back
Vienna, VA, June 26, 2007 - Acumen Solutions, a leading business and technology consulting firm, announced today that it has become the first corporate gold sponsor to support Reston, Va.-based elite triathlete, Margie Shapiro, through the TEAMSPIRIT organization. Shapiro represents the United States in the International Olympic Distance Triathlon competition and is pursuing a place at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She will travel the globe, from Australia to Beijing, competing in over 20 races to achieve a World Cup ranking for Olympics eligibility. Shapiro is responsible for all of her travel costs and housing and TEAMSPIRIT was created by her supporters to collect tax-deductible contributions to help her focus on competition. Additional sponsors are being actively sought.
David Joubran, president and chief executive officer of Acumen Solutions, said, “Margie’s spirit drives and inspires us. She is an outstanding and competitive tri-athlete but she is also a caring and contributing member of our community. I’m pleased that Acumen Solutions is able to help fund her quest for Olympic gold and to share in her Olympic dreams.”
Joubran and other members of Acumen Solutions have trained with Shapiro. A member of the board of directors of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, which is committed to attracting athletic events to the region and enhancing the region's quality of life through sports, Joubran co-founded Acumen Solutions in 1999 and his vision has helped to create a company with a global reach and a commitment to civic responsibility.
Shapiro began competing in 1999 while teaching Spanish and coaching high school track. She trained informally for her first triathlon in Columbia, Md., won her division and fell in love with the sport. She turned professional in the fall of 2005. In addition to training and competing in running, biking and swimming, the 30-year-old Georgetown University alumna has two children and is co-owner with her husband Brendan and family of Potomac River Running stores. Shapiro has inspired a grassroots following in the Virginia and D.C. area, with her extensive community involvement, tutoring and mentoring students and coaching a wide range of athletes.
“I am sincerely grateful to Acumen Solutions for its commitment to my Olympic quest,” said Margie Shapiro. “Along my journey, I have been lucky to meet some amazing and generous people like those at Acumen Solutions. They understand that individual athletic success is built on a community of family, friends and others who recognize that sports achievement brings people together. I’m so happy that others have followed Acumen Solutions example and joined in on supporting my Olympic quest.”
Margie must maintain her ranking among the top-six U.S. tri-athletes by continually competing for points and rankings. She spent the early part of 2007 striving for the highest U.S. ranking possible with a priority of finishing among the top twenty in as many World Cup triathlons as possible. Most recently, she won the Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico in early June. Prior to that, she placed 17th overall in a World Cup in Madrid, an outstanding result among all the Olympics-contending athletes. She is now in the intensive second part of the season to qualify for the critical World Championship in Hamburg, Germany, on August 30, the Beijing World Cup on September 16, and other milestone races into early 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Des Moines, Iowa.
About Acumen Solutions
Acumen Solutions, Inc., established in 1999, is a proven business and technology consulting firm with offices across the U.S. and in Europe. Our unwavering commitment to unmatched quality and service is supported by our track record with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and other emergent industry leaders in: Communications and Media; Financial Services; Public Sector and Consumer and Commercial Products. Our experience and approach allows us to deliver truly superior solutions in these key areas: Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Data Management, Data Center Solutions, Software Development and Integration, Supplier Relationship Management and Risk Management. Learn more about us by visiting us at:www.acumensolutions.com.
About TEAMSPIRIT
TEAMSPIRIT is a community of support for Margie Shapiro as she represents the United States in International Olympic Distance Triathlon racing and in her quest to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games. Others corporate gold sponsors include List Innovation Solutions of Herndon, Va.; Joe and David Zadareky, a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage based in Springfield, Va.; the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, which is committed to attracting athletic events to the region and enhancing the region's quality of life through sports; and Potomac River Running with Virginia locations in Reston, Ashburn and Burke. Margie Shapiro’s campaign to fund and achieve her Olympic quest is ongoing. Interested corporations and individuals are encouraged to visit her Web site at www.margieshapiro.com/teamspirit for more information or to learn about making a 100 percent tax-deductible contribution.
Contact:
Donita Prakash
703-600-4054