JumpForward, the leading provider of collegiate recruiting and compliance software, announces a partnership with Bond, Schoeneck and King PLLC (BS&K) and it’s Collegiate Sports Practice Group, the nation’s premier practice group for the represention of colleges and universities in NCAA rules compliance, eligibility, and infractions matters.

“We’re very excited to join forces with BS&K and its Collegiate Sports Practice Group” said Adam McCombs, JumpForward’s CEO.  “The combination of JumpForward’s industry leading technology solutions and BS&K’s expertise with NCAA rules compliance issues has created an unrivaled team in the college Compliance Industry .  The newly released Compliance Toolbox will serve to increase internal controls and reduce operating costs for JumpForward clients.”

The Compliance Toolbox centralizes the entire reporting and compliance function for athletics departments. In doing so, it significantly reduces costs associated with overhead, provides unparalleled internal controls, and reduces the risk of costly communication mistakes by providing proactive compliance warning messages to help proactively prevent violations.

“The BS&K team has been working for over a year with the JumpForward team to refine the Toolbox with JumpForward’s  industry leading technology to ensure it meets the highest quality standards” said Mike Glazier, chair of BS&K’s Collegiate Sports Practice Group.  “The Toolbox is the most comprehensive system on the market and the only system that provides athletics departments the level of controls and monitoring necessary in today’s highly regulated environment.  We are proud to be part of this solution and look forward to working with JumpForward and NCAA member institutions to implement the Toolbox.”

“This new partnership is an exciting addition to the growing list of customers choosing JumpForward,” stated Brad Niedermaier, JumpForward COO. “We are looking forward to long term partnerships with LSU, while continuing to grow and service our customer base in the tradition rich SEC.”

JumpForward’s Compliance Toolbox integrates the NCAA Bylaws with Louisiana State University’s specific policies and procedures to provide the most comprehensive compliance framework on the market.  Compliance Administrators can send and file over 80 NCAA web-based compliance forms, track and log prospect communications, proactively warn coaches about to make illegal phone calls, and much more.

The JumpForward solution creates significant operating efficiencies while increasing internal controls at a surprisingly affordable price.  JumpForward is the only company that provides a true end-to-end college coach recruiting and proven compliance technology.

About JumpForward

Headquartered in Chicago, IL, JumpForward is a growing leader in the Sports Relationship Management field.  In fall 2010, the Chicago Innovation Awards nominated JumpForward for a People’s Choice Award. The JumpForward team consists of former Athletic Department Staff, Fortune 500 Executives and Technology Experts with over 50 years of college athletic department and compliance experience. The company’s goal is to create long term, innovative solutions for coaches and compliance departments. For more information, please visit www.jumpforward.com.

The patent-pending JumpForward Traveler allows college coaches to manage their prospects from their mobile phone without having to log into a web browser.  Coaches can add/edit prospects, view recent prospect communications, read notes, manage expenses, and much more.  Jump Forward automatically updates any saved changes to the entire coaching and administrative staff in real-time. It’s an easy and efficient way for busy coaches who are always on the go to keep all information up to date and organized from anywhere.

Support JumpForward as we strive to be the People’s choice for innovation in Chicago! Click on the link below to vote today!

Chicago, IL, August 31, 2010

JumpForward (http://www.jumpforward.com), the leading provider of web and mobile solutions to college athletic departments, has released the second version of its patent-pending iPhone mobile application for college athletic departments. With clients in the Big Ten, Big East, ACC, MAC, and SEC, JumpForward provides a customized, end-to-end recruiting and compliance platform that strengthens a college athletic department’s internal controls, policies, and procedures.

For many NCAA athletic departments, the inability to monitor phone calls, text messages, and e-mails can lead to damaging recruiting violations. The cost of a violation can lead to lost scholarships, recruiting bans, and a damaged brand.

For years, college athletic departments have been manually logging prospect communications and then sending those logs to the compliance department where they search for violations. This process is time consuming and only discovers violations after they have occurred. In the last two years, 18 college athletic departments were cited with major infractions for telephone, text message, and email violations. The JumpForward iPhone application monitors prospect communications in real time and is the only product available that proactively prevents these types of violations before they occur.

“It’s truly amazing to see the excitement among college compliance officers and coaches,” said Adam McCombs, CEO of JumpForward. “The JumpForward native mobile iPhone application is the glue that combines JumpForward’s best-in-class recruiting solution to our ground-breaking compliance products. Our goal is to use technology to improve the way college athletic departments communicate so they can avoid costly NCAA infractions and protect their valuable brands.”

In addition to the compliance capabilities of the JumpForward iPhone application, college coaches are now able to collaborate more effectively in real-time. With JumpForward’s iPhone application, college coaches who are always traveling are able to update and add prospects, find directions, send branded e-mails, and see real-time communication events with their prospects. Instead of wondering if an assistant e-mailed or called a prospect, the head coach can more effectively collaborate with his or her staff members and increase the team’s overall recruiting productivity.

About JumpForward:

The JumpForward solution creates significant operating efficiencies while increasing internal controls at a surprisingly affordable price. JumpForward has brought together Fortune 500 executives, the best technology experts, and over 100 years of combined college athletic department and compliance experience to create long term, innovative solutions for coaches and compliance departments. JumpForward is the only company that provides a true end-to-end college coach recruiting and proven compliance platform that strengthens internal controls, policies, and procedures for college athletic departments.

Chicago, IL August 31, 2010

JumpForward (http://www.jumpforward.com), the leading provider of web and mobile solutions to college athletic departments, will soon be releasing its first version of its patent-pending Android mobile application for college athletic departments. With clients in the Big Ten, Big East, ACC, MAC, and SEC, JumpForward provides a customized, end-to-end recruiting and compliance platform that strengthens a college athletic department’s internal controls, policies, and procedures.

For many NCAA athletic departments, the inability to monitor phone calls, text messages, and e-mails can lead to damaging recruiting violations. The cost of a violation can lead to lost scholarships, recruiting bans, and a damaged brand.

For years, college athletic departments have been manually logging prospect communications and then sending those logs to the compliance department where they search for violations. This process is time consuming and only discovers violations after they have occurred. In the last two years, 18 college athletic departments were cited with major infractions for telephone, text message, and email violations. The JumpForward Android application monitors prospect communications in real time and is the only product available that proactively prevents these types of violations before they occur.

“It’s truly amazing to see the excitement among college compliance officers and coaches,” said Adam McCombs, CEO of JumpForward. “The JumpForward native mobile Android application is the glue that combines JumpForward’s best-in-class recruiting solution to our ground-breaking compliance products. Our goal is to use technology to improve the way college athletic departments communicate so they can avoid costly NCAA infractions and protect their valuable brands.”

In addition to the compliance capabilities of the JumpForward Android application, college coaches are now able to collaborate more effectively in real-time. With JumpForward’s Android application, college coaches who are always traveling are able to update and add prospects, find directions, send branded e-mails, and see real-time communication events with their prospects. Instead of wondering if an assistant e-mailed or called a prospect, the head coach can more effectively collaborate with his or her staff members and increase the team’s overall recruiting productivity.

About JumpForward:

The JumpForward solution creates significant operating efficiencies while increasing internal controls at a surprisingly affordable price. JumpForward has brought together Fortune 500 executives, the best technology experts, and over 100 years of combined college athletic department and compliance experience to create long term, innovative solutions for coaches and compliance departments. JumpForward is the only company that provides a true end-to-end college coach recruiting and proven compliance platform that strengthens internal controls, policies, and procedures for college athletic departments.

“After an extensive search of the products available, we chose JumpForward because of their best-in-class technology solutions and expertise in NCAA compliance issues.” said Judy Van Horn, the Associate Athletic Director/SWA at the University of Michigan. “JumpForward’s mobile application is the only product on the market that can proactively prevent recruiting violations and provide real-time updates for the entire athletic department. JumpForward also provides coaches with powerful branded marketing email tools and recruiting management software that allows them to update prospects at their desk or from their mobile phone without having to log into a web browser.”

The web and mobile platform empower college coaches to remain connected and be compliant at all times. At the same time, JumpForward gives compliance administrators the full monitoring capabilities that are required in today’s collegiate environment.

The JumpForward Compliance Toolbox integrates NCAA Bylaws with the University of Michigan’s specific policies and procedures to provide the most comprehensive and proven compliance software framework on the market.  Compliance Administrators using The JumpForward Compliance Toolbox can instantly streamline their processes by sending and filing required coach and student-athlete forms electronically, monitoring complimentary ticket disbursement, preventing NCAA Bylaw 13 violations, providing financial-aid integration, and much more.

“The JumpForward staff really listened to the needs of our program and they were able to quickly use their team of developers to customize a solution that worked for the University of Michigan” said Van Horn.  “Our coaches love how easy it is to learn and use!” The JumpForward solution creates significant operating efficiencies while increasing internal controls at a surprisingly affordable price.

“I’m very excited to be joining the JumpForward team.  The products they have created, including The Compliance Toolbox and the mobile application, will help provide a solid foundation for institutions that are looking for an end-to-end solution for their compliance needs.  I look forward to speaking with compliance colleagues about a solution that can improve efficiency in their offices, streamline the monitoring that is expected, and provide the ability to proactively prevent violations.”

Duggan, along with co-founder Adam McCombs, headlined the highly-rated season finale of ‘Shark Tank’, showcasing their negotiation skills and the revolutionary JumpForward platform for an estimated 6.2 million viewers.

A recap of the event can be found here at the Kellogg website.  Excerpts are included below:

Launching your own business is hard. And taking that business before a panel of investors on national TV is even harder.

But Brian Duggan ’05 and Jonathan Miller ’08 accomplished both those feats — and became wiser, savvier business owners in the process. Duggan, a graduate of the Part-Time Program, is the co-founder of JumpForward, a company that offers Web and mobile devices to connect athletes with coaches; Miller, a Full-Time Program graduate, is the founder of Element Bars, a company that produces customized energy bars. Both appeared as contestants on the ABC-TV reality show “Shark Tank” and walked away with offers from investors worth six figures.

Duggan and Miller visited Wieboldt Hall, home of the Kellogg School’s Part-Time Program, in downtown Chicago on Feb. 1 to share the lessons they learned from these experiences with Kellogg students, alumni, staff and friends.

Be the best at what you do
Invest enough in your product to make it superior to what your competitors are offering, said Duggan, adding that he’s already invested $1 million in JumpForward. “If you play in technology, make sure you’re the best on the market,” he said. “Take your technology budget, and then double or triple it.” Rather than get discouraged by competition from You Bar, a Los Angeles-based company with a concept similar to Element Bar, Miller focused on being better in every area of the business. “You’re never the first one with an idea,” Miller said. “It’s all about execution.”

National signing day is to NCAA football as the NFL Draft is to the NFL.  Seasons for several years to come are shaped for football programs around the country on this otherwise unimportant day in February. Not all prospects will sign today, many wait to further evaluate the programs recruiting them, as this decision is life-changing.  Though, as JumpForward preaches on many occasions, the NLI season is like musical chairs – once National Signing Day opens the floodgates, roster spots at your #1 school can fill quickly.

To follow the news, including breakdowns of each player at each position, school, conference, etc., ESPN offers an interactive web experience and live coverage on their cable network.

Originally in 2001, the organized-competition rule dictated that individual institutions needed to certify their own prospects’ amateurism status.  Then in 2006, that certification responsibility shifted to the Eligibility Center.  As a result, waiver requests skyrocketed and led to slight confusion on how to apply it.

The original rule outlined that compensation to any team member as cause for determining organized competition.  As a result, players, teams, coaches, and colleges were being penalized by the few players who were paid in organized-competition.

“The new rule undoubtedly casts a wider net, but it is simpler and provides a consistent means of applying the rule,” said West Texas A&M President Pat O’Brien, who as a member of the Division II Presidents Council was an advocate of changing the rule as far back as two years ago. “It is also easier to explain and educate coaches, institutions, and most importantly, prospective student-athletes.”

The proposal came with Student-Athlete Advisory Committee support, too. SAAC member Alex Molotsky from Adelphi said, “Current rules are tough for prospects to understand. The grace period benefits both domestic and international athletes and provides time for people to make college decisions.”

This rule change becomes effective August 1, 2010, for individuals who are issued a final amateurism certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center on or after April 1, 2010.

–Brian Linklater

Full-page spreads in the alumni magazines of both the Wisconsin Business Alumni Update and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern feature question and answer sessions with the accomplished JumpForward captain.  The Wisconsin alumni earned his BBA in ’99 and his MBA from the prestigious Kellogg School in ’05.

Below are a few excerpts from the articles:

Wisconsin Update
Q: JumpForward has been pegged as the social networking tool for athletes.  What makes it stand out?

A: “There are a number of websites that enable high schoool athletes to create a profile.  However, JumpForward guides them through the entire recruiting process with video tutorials, a database with over 55,000 college coaches’ contact information, and tools to monitor and track all correspondence with each coach.  At the same time, we are the only solution that also caters to college coaches, so both the athlete and coach are using the same platform.”

Q: How have you coped with national attention generated by the show?

A: “We have received an incredible response from the show.  In the first three weeks since it aired the website has received millions of hits.  While all this attention can create some great opportunities, it’s important we keep focused on our mission and not get too distracted by everything that publicity brings.”

Kellogg School of Management Alumni Magazine

On the chance to be a part of the show:  “The experience was exciting and very intense… It’s a major benefit to the company; we’re now getting calls from some of the largest sports programs in the country.”

If you haven’t seen Duggan and McCombs in action on ‘Shark Tank’ yet, check out the video on the JumpForward.com homepage.

At Belle Chasse High School, Henry was a multi-sport talent in football, basketball, and track.  He was recognized during his senior year football season as the New Orleans small school offensive player of the year as a part of the team’s AAA state championship run.

Henry attended West Virginia University on a football scholarship, earning the Big East Conference Freshman of the Year and All-Big East Second-Team honors after amassing 41 catches, over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Henry remains one of the best receivers in WVU history.  He was the third player in school history to average over 20 yards-per-catch during his career, and he stands with the eighth-most receiving yards in school history at 1,878.

Henry entered the 2005 NFL Draft and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals.  His accomplishments as an elite athletic talent are an example of where hard work and a commitment to excellence can lead you.

You will be hard-pressed to find two teams that combine for more NCAA Div. I basketball talent than Findlay Prep (NV) and Columbus Northland (OH).  Over 15 D-I recruits made up the sidelines that also included celebrities like Kirk Herbstreit, Clark Kellogg, Ohio State Head Basketball Coach Thad Matta, and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.

The standing-room-only crowd of 3,500 watched the #2 player in the nation Jared Sullinger drop a double-double of 32 points and 17 boards to lead Northland to the victory.  The Findlay loss broke the country’s longest boys basketball winning streak at 45 games.  The drama also included four lead changes in the final minute, capped by two free throws from Sullinger in the final seconds to seal the 53-52 win.

JumpForward is proud of the opportunity to sponsor high school athletics as part of our mission to offer athletes of all levels the resources and tools to gain exposure in the highly competitive recruiting landscape.  Look for us around the country at more events as we continue to get the word out about America’s fastest-growing leader in Sports Relationship Management!

PREPSKILLS, Canada’s Industry Leader in Admission Test Preparation and Skills Courses, and JumpForward (www.jumpforward.com), the leading sports-relationship-management (SRM) solutions provider, jointly announce a partnership today. JumpForward will provide PREPSKILLS members with educational materials and online features to successfully navigate the recruiting process and market their athletic talent like no other resource can.

PREPSKILLS and JumpForward share much of the same mission – both are in the business of inspiring students to reach their full potential and assisting their parents to guide them along the process. JumpForward allows PREPSKILLS to extend and specialize their mission of collegiate preparation to the student-athletes that JumpForward specializes in guiding along the recruiting process.

JumpForward provides an online educational and communications tool that empowers athletes and parents to navigate the athletic recruiting process, comply with academic and amateurism eligibility rules, and track, manage, and organize all communication with college coaches for FREE.

PREPSKILLS is the Canadian leader in the provision of admission preparation services for students in grades K to 12 seeking entrance to private and independent schools and American Universities.

JumpForward’s Online Athletic Career Center brings both an academic and athletic perspective to the recruiting process and provides the following FREE tools for PREPSKILLS student-athletes and parents:

• JumpForward’s Sport Profile:

Provides athletes and parents an online athletic resumé to feature and market their accomplishments with cutting-edge technology.  The Sport Profile allows athletes to showcase academic and athletic information, upload video highlights, action shots, news links relating to them, and even a personal blog.

• JumpForward’s NCAA Core Course Grade Tracking Worksheet:

Provides athletes and parents a tool to track, manage, and organize the necessary NCAA core courses. Moreover, the tool automatically performs the NCAA core course grade calculation, and based on that calculation, informs the athletes and parents of the appropriate ACT or SAT score needed.

• JumpForward’s Search Engine:

Enables athletes and parents to search and save information on over 2,500 colleges & 50,000 college coaches’ contact information. In addition, the search engine provides all majors associated with the various colleges, tuition costs, average incoming freshmen GPA, ACT, and SAT scores, and much more.

• JumpForward’s Knowledge Center:

Provides athletes and parents with a roadmap to navigate the eligibility rules, the differences among the athletic affiliations, athletic scholarship information, and much more.

• JumpForward’s Communications Center:

Empowers athletes to manage, track, and organize e-mail and phone communication with college coaches. JumpForward guides athletes through phone conversations with college coaches with a question bank of more than 60 questions a high school athlete may want to ask the college coach and save all responses.

• JumpForward’s Recruiting Communications Calendar:

Highlights important communication periods between athletes and college coaches, which helps prevent rules violations and assists athletes in managing their college search.

“We are proud to be partnering with PREPSKILLS.  Together we have a greater opportunity to empower student-athletes and parents to take control of the athletic recruiting and communications process,” said JumpForward’s Brian Duggan.

“Even the most outstanding Canadian student-athletes need a knowledgeable guide to walk them through the recruiting and admissions process. PREPSKILLS is proud to work with JumpForward to help prospective applicants match their academic and athletic credentials and experiences, to find the best possible college fit,” said PREPSKILLS Founder & President Joanna Severino.

The “local technology movers and shakers” will have a chance to see up close what ABC’s Shark Tank went on a frenzy over.  The event will take place Thursday night from 6:30 to 9:00 CST at John Barleycorn just south of Wrigley Field on Clark St. 

“The TECH Cocktail is a great opportunity to meet other up-and-coming technology leaders in the Chicago area.  We’re looking forward to showcasing our hard work and building relationships,” said JumpForward CEO Adam McCombs.