Sponsor Launching the Plating Change Initiative during 2020 Tournament
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$cwh #CWH–Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) (“Camping World”), the nation’s largest network of RV and outdoor lifestyle – centric retail locations, announced today a one-year sponsorship agreement of the Maui Invitational, as the 2020 Tournament relocates to the mainland for the first time ever.
The Maui Invitational is known as the premier early season college basketball tournament, attracting top college basketball programs across the nation for over 35 years. The 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational will take place Nov. 30- Dec. 2 in Asheville, NC at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. All 12 games of the Maui Invitational will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks. This year’s 2020 Tournament field includes Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Stanford, Texas and UNLV.
The Tournament will also spotlight a new initiative called “Plating Change” with Camping World CEO, Marcus Lemonis. The campaign is aimed at providing relief to local restaurants and food to communities. Throughout each game of the Tournament, Camping World will donate $3,000 for every three-point field goal made. The funds will be allocated to restaurants in each school’s local community who will then in turn provide free meals to those in need. Funds will also be provided to the Maui Food Bank.
“The 3-point shot is an exciting element of any basketball game,” said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman of Camping World. “We decided to take the suspense of that moment and tie it to a charitable challenge to give fans a thrilling experience, coupled with giving back to communities in-need in a powerful way for the universities, students and fans.”
Over 160 Camping World and Gander RV & Outdoors retail locations nationwide will also be joining in on the philanthropy. Thru Dec. 31, customers will be given an opportunity to round up their total at the register to donate to “Plating Change” or they can select a set amount of $1, $5, $10 or $20 to donate to the program with the goal of supporting local restaurants through donations. On a national corporate level, the “Plating Change” program will work with World Central Kitchen, supporting its ‘Restaurants for the People’ program, not only helping independent restaurants by purchasing meals and driving direct revenue, but employees of the business itself and the entire food ecosystem, while also providing meals for communities in need.
The “Plating Change” program falls under the newly launched The Lemon-Aid Foundation where Marcus pledged $50M to champion his charitable mission of supporting and investing in underserved communities and small businesses. These investments will be in the form of loans and equity investments and will be designed to have measurable charitable impact on the communities and businesses being served by the foundation. The foundation also intends to make grants to other charitable organizations that share the same mission and goals. Lemonis intends to apply the same type of rigor that he applies in his own investments to the impact investing of the foundation.
About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois, is America’s leading recreational vehicle and outdoor retailer, offering an extensive assortment of recreational vehicles for sale, RV and camping gear, RV maintenance and repair, other outdoor and active sports products, and the industry’s broadest and deepest range of services, protection plans, products and resources. Since the Company’s founding in 1966, Camping World has grown to become one of the most well-known destinations for everything RV, with more than 160 locations in 37 states and a comprehensive e-commerce platform. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.
For Media Outlets:
Contact Karen Porter PR-CWGS@campingworld.com
About Marcus Lemonis
Marcus Lemonis was born in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon in 1973; and, at nine months old, was adopted by a couple living in Miami, Florida. Marcus has long served as the Chairperson at Camping World and Gander RV & Outdoors. With his efforts, it is now America’s #1 source for RVs, camping accessories, RV maintenance and repair. When he’s not running his multibillion-dollar company, Marcus is focusing on his other passion by helping struggling businesses get back on their feet. He shows this process on his hit TV show, CNBC’s The Profit, a past nominee for the 2018 Critic’s Choice Award for Best Structured Reality Series. Although he was not born in America, he is proud to be living the American Dream through hard work, determination and believing. With multiple ventures on his resume, Marcus can be seen sharing his knowledge through numerous business and entertainment television programs and speaking engagements. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Marcus launched The Business Learning Center, a free of charge, educational tool on his website aimed to help entrepreneurs succeed during challenging times. He simultaneously dedicated $50M towards the launch of The Lemon-Aid Foundation, his charitable mission of supporting and investing in underserved communities and small businesses. www.marcuslemonis.com
About the Camping World Maui Invitational
In December 1982, then No. 1 ranked Virginia, led by National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson, played little-known NAIA Chaminade University in Honolulu while on the way back from a trip to Tokyo. The Silverswords stunned Virginia 77-72 in what is recognized as the greatest upset in college basketball history. Two years later, in 1984, Chaminade University hosted the first Maui Invitational and it has proven to be the premier early-season college basketball tournament for 36 years running. Each year, the Maui Invitational attracts the top programs, best-known coaches and most outstanding players to compete in an exciting atmosphere that sets the tone for the college basketball season.
About KemperLesnik
KemperLesnik is a sports marketing, events and public relations agency. Ranked by Crain’s Chicago Business among Chicago’s top PR agencies, KemperLesnik produces integrated communications programs, owns and operates major national events, including the Camping World Maui Invitational, the McDonald’s All American Games, the POWERADE Jam Fest, and activation and public relations for KitchenAid and its PGA of America partnership. KemperLesnik has operated the Maui Invitational since 1990. For more information, visit www.kemperlesnik.com.
Contacts
Hannah Breeding, KemperLesnik hannah.breeding@kemperlesnik.com 312-837-1526
