Chad Campbell, president of Pinnacle Sports Ventures, sits at his office in Rogers. | Photo credit: Chance Kolman.
Imagine going from being a car dealership salesman to being the CEO of a sports agency in Northwest Arkansas. That’s exactly what Chad Campbell, a native of Rogers, Arkansas, and a proud Arkansan, did. He had a plan that he would start the first sports marketing and management company in Northwest Arkansas. The name of his company is called Pinnacle Sports Ventures. It’s a company planning to sign athletes for their future both on and off the court. Campbell said he wants to help Razorback athletes make sure they have a career plan for their future.
Campbell graduated from the University of Arkansas with a marketing degree. He started his career by working at Arvest Bank as a banking manager then became a car salesman at Fayetteville Autopark in Fayetteville. He also was as a professional drag racing manager. His wife, Amy, is a public school teacher in Bentonville, and together they have two girls who both graduated from the University of Arkansas.
Campbell envisions his company as one that will assist athletes in becoming successful in the NIL area. He also see himself as a father figure as he helps his clients grow into adultood.
Campbell said he plans to build Pinnacle Sports Ventures on values and faith. Campbell says those are two keys to make sure the athletes have the support they need.
“I need to make sure that I look out for the athlete’s best interest and provide the services that go along with that but ultimately this is to make sure that the athletes that are under Pinnacle Sports Ventures umbrella are prepared for life and prepared for life after athletics,” he said.
Campbell will be in charge of making sure his athletes are more focused on their sport than managing their NIL paperwork. Campbell will be in charge of handling any NIL deals that will appear for athletes. Campbell will also be contacting NIL representatives at the University of Arkansas to help foster connections with his students.
The reason we need more people like Campbell is because he can help these athletes grow as a person and business entity.
“They don’t know how to create an LLC, they don’t know how to tag their cars, all these things we take for granted,” he said.
So far in the process, Campbell said he has already signed two athletes that bleed Razorback royalty. Romani Thurman, volleyball player for Razorback volleyball, is the daughter of Razorback legend Scottie Thurman. He has also signed Wyvette Mayberry, basketball player for the Razorback women’s basketball team. She is the daughter of Razorback legend Lee Mayberry. Thurman was the first athlete signed by Pinnacle Sports Ventures. Campbell says Thurman “sees the vision on what we are wanting to build here at Pinnacle Sports Ventures.”
With the signing of Thurman, Campbell says her father, Scottie Thurman, will be working alongside him to help build Pinnacle Sports Ventures. Campbell said he and Scottie were the “perfect match”.
Jordan Anthony, an All- American Track and Field runner for the University of Arkansas, said he trusts what Pinnacle Sports Ventures has planned for him and what Campbell has in store for him. Anthony said that Campbell feels like “family” to him and is excited for what the future holds for him and Campbell.
With the athletes that sign to Pinnacle Sports Ventures, Campbell says they will have to complete a certain amount of charity work every year. To help accommodate this, Pinnacle Sports Ventures has partnered with Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Rogers. Campbell said he’s excited to partner with Kent Eikenberry, the president of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, and is ready to help student athletes get more involved with volunteering. Pinnacle Sports Ventures is also creating sponsorships with local companies in Northwest Arkansas. The first sponsorship they landed was United Federal Credit Union.
With the athletes that Campbell has signed, Campbell said he expects to sign more in the future and is excited to see what the future holds for Pinnacle Sports Ventures. Campbell said Pinnacle Sports Ventures is going to be a big part of the community and will look to help all athletes in the foreseeable future.
“This is just the start for us. God has a plan for us to help athletes out with NIL and to set them up for when they are done with sports”.