Aaron Flaker, co-owner and chief business development officer at Athletx Sports Group, and Jim Haddaway, co-founder and CEO of Athletx Sports Group, have been recognized as industry leaders in Connect Sports magazine’s “Game Changers” feature in the fall 2018 issue. Connect Sports is a national, B2B magazine that provides resources and ideas to professionals and planners in the sports tourism industry.

Peers in the sports events world nominated Flaker and Haddaway. Nominations were received from across the country, then reviewed and evaluated by the Connect Sports staff based on references, industry involvement and other resources. An annual feature in Connect Sports magazine, “Game Changers” honors innovative leaders who have earned respect from industry professionals and media.

These leaders will be recognized in front of their peers at Connect Sports in Salt Lake City, Aug. 23-25, 2018.

The story detailing Flaker’s accomplishments can be found here.

The story detailing Haddaway’s accomplishments can be found here.

ABOUT CONNECT
Connect is a leader in the meetings, events, travel and tourism industry. Specializing in destination marketing, the company produces digital programs, online and mobile solutions, meetings business and travel magazines, trade shows and consumer events, travel guides for newspapers and leisure magazines, and destination information which is distributed through broadcast and custom programs. Connect, formerly known as Collinson Media & Events, introduced the popular Marketplace format to the meetings industry and now produces national shows for meeting planners in the Corporate, Expo, Sports, Diversity, Association and Faith sectors as well as other state- and region-specific meetings- and hospitality-focused events. More information about the company's brands and services is available at connectmeetings.com.

With roughly 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S., inclusion in the Inc. 5000 is a distinguished honor, according to Inc. Magazine Editor in Chief James Ledbetter. “This achievement puts you in rarefied company,” he said. “The elite group you've now joined has, over the years, included companies such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com.”

“We are extremely humbled to be included among such lofty company,” said ASG Co-founder and CEO Jim Haddaway. “With the latest additions to our growing family of brands in 2018, and as we continue to look for new opportunities to grow, we expect to climb this list significantly every year!”

About Athletx Sports Group
Athletx Sports Group is a youth sports event management and media company specializing in baseball and fastpitch softball. Athletx hosts a variety of invitationals, championships and other events throughout the country for teams and individuals of all skill levels. ASG also boasts a strong media presence with over 525,000 social media followers collectively, making it the largest youth diamond sports network in the world, and publishes a quarterly baseball magazine, Baseball Youth – Live The Baseball Life.