About Jeff Copper
Discipline, Dedication
and Desire
From his high school days as a top-ranked competitive
swimmer to his rise to top sales and marketing professional, to doing his part
in a startup business going public, becoming an attentive husband and father,
and coaching Masters swim teams, Jeff Copper has been driven by dedication, discipline,
and desire. His accomplishments rival those of the most successful individuals
in America.
Jeff was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1963. At the age of
12, he discovered what would become a lifelong passion for the sport of swimming.
Even at that young age, he understood that discipline and determination were the
keys to success. He spent nearly four hours training and practicing every day,
plus another four hours traveling to and from the practice site. During this time
he also attended school full-time and held down a part-time job at a restaurant
during his junior year.
His dedication paid off with a scholarship to
Indiana University, considered one of the top swimming colleges at that time.
During his university career, Jeff attained the status of All American swimmer,
ranked internationally, and competed in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic trials. He graduated
in 1985 with a B.S. in Public Affairs and a double major concentration in Business
Administration and Management. Jeff later went on to earn his MBA from the University
of Tampa, where he graduated at the top of his class.
Jeff has worked
for Aetna Life Insurance Company in New York, Northwestern National Life Insurance
Company in Tampa, and was a sales leader at Allmerica Financial in Tampa.
Transitioning from insurance, Jeff worked for a telecommunications business
that was undergoing exponential growth, and he experienced every stage of its
growing pains, from startup organization to publicly traded company. As Vice President
of Partner Programs for Z-Tel Communications, Jeff worked day in and day out in
the fast-paced, constantly evolving, high-tech environment. In just over a year,
the company grew from 130 to 2,000 employees and from $2.8 million in revenue
to $216 million.
He was then hired by a health care data center and a
systems integration company as an in-house consultant. Jeff's job was to develop
an outsource network operation center with responsibilities that included defining
products, pricing, distribution and promotional strategies. With Jeff's guidance,
DSM's data center became a source of revenue for the company.
Over the
years, Jeff has continued to swim competitively, as well as becoming a swimming
coach. He has been an active leader in the community, holding high-ranking positions
with nonprofit organizations.
Today, Jeff is founder of DIG Coaching,
where he is a business and life coach who brings a breadth of diverse experience
and wisdom to his clients. In this role, Jeff encourages others to realize their
own potential. Jeff lives in Tampa with his wife, Brenda, and their two sons. Top
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Education
Formal Education:
· | Indiana
University, Bachelor of Science, Public Affairs | · | University
of Tampa, Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance |
Formal training:
· | Graduate
of The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Leadership Tampa, 1997 program | · | Completed
The Coaches Training Institute core curriculum, March 2007 | · | Completed
ADD Coaching Academy Entrepreneur Class May 2007 |
Continuing
Education & Training:
· | Currently
participating in The Coaches Training (CTI) Certification program | · | Currently
participation in the ADD Coaching Academy Certification program |
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Work Experience
Professional
Work:
· | Aetna
Life Insurance Company | · | Northwestern
National Life Insurance Company | · | Allmerica
Financial | · | Z-Tel
Communications | · | MedCom
* | · | DSM
* | · | Mutual
of Omaha | · | DIG
Coaching | | | *
Worked in a Consulting Capacity |
Recreational
Work:
· | Masters
Swim coach Forest Hills Aquatic Swim Team | · | Masters
Swim coach Harbour Island Athletic Club |
Personal
& Professional Achievements
Professional:
· | Conceived,
developed and sold Core Buy up dental product in the field office of Allmerica
Benefits | · | Led
the company in group term life insurance minimum premium policies sold at Allmerica
Financial between 1993 and 1998 | · | Member
of Allmerica Benefits "1844 Society" a sales club for top ranking performers
in 1997 & 1998 | · | Chairman
of the Board Hillsborough County Crisis Center 1997 to 2000 | · | Motivated,
coached and trained 17 swimmers to compete in a 12.5 mile swim race around the
island of Key West (1997 & 1998) |
Personal:
· | Happily
married (only once) since 1990 | · | Raising
two sons |
Academic:
· | Completed
MBA and was invited to join Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society in Business,
Management and Administration (top 20% of class) | · | Completed
MBA with a 3.892 GPA |
Athletics
· | Nationally
ranked swimmer in High School | | · | Competed
in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic swimming trials | | · | Internationally
ranked swimmer in college | | · | College
All American | | · | Completed
Jacksonville Marathon in 1991 under 3 hours and 15 minutes | | · | First
place in the 1992 Florida Bud Light Triathlon Sprint series for the 25-29 age
group | | · | 2nd
place in the 2000 & 2002 Hops Marathon two-man open relay |
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Community
Service, Leadership & Volunteer Work
· | Hillsborough
County Crisis Center Board Member 1994 to 2000 | · | Cub
Scout Pack 310 Leader | · | Boy
Scout Assistant Scout Master | · | YMCA
Kiddie Kicker and Micro Soccer Coach | · | Greater
Tampa Chamber of Commerce | · | Support
CEO efforts to raise $15,000 for the Florida Aquarium by swimming around Key West
in 1997 |
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Licenses
· | Life
and Health Insurance licenses |
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Memberships
· | Krewe
of the Knights of Sant Yago Leadership | · | Greater
Chamber of Commerce Leadership Tampa Alumni | · | Sigma
Beta Delta International Honor society | · | Attention
Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) | · | Children
and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) |
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Hobbies
| · | Swimming | · | Triathlons | | · | Running | · | Ultimate
Frisbee | | · | Camping | · | Hiking | | · | Grilling/cooking | · | Traveling |
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