Levitetz named Co-Chairperson of “Wrestling for the Next Millennium,” the joint capital campaign to

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/29/2001


Jeff Levitetz of Boca Raton, Fla. has been named Co-Chairperson of "Wrestling for the Next Millennium," the joint capital campaign for the sport of wrestling, pending confirmation by the Executive Committee of the campaign.    He will serve as a major leader for the  joint capital campaign, which will benefit USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. These three organizations have formed the historic Amateur Wrestling Alliance, working together for the benefit of the sport.    The campaign's goal is to raise $10 million for the sport. Proceeds will help endow USA Wrestling's National Teams; support the expansion and renovation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum; support the National Wrestling Coaches Association and its coaches education and program protection efforts, and help fund USA Wrestling's new "Beat the Streets" program.    Levitetz will work alongside Scott Beck of Boulder, Colo., the campaign's other Co-Chairperson, who has led the effort since the campaign was created in 1998.    "Jeff Levitetz has great talent and loves the sport of wrestling," said Beck. "He has great vision and is a leader who gets things done."    "I am a major capital campaign contributor, and I believe in it," said Levitetz. "After talking to Scott Beck in detail about the direction and goals of the campaign, I have gotten excited about adding a fresh perspective and new energy."    "What is exciting is being involved in providing financial security for the sport and the Amateur Wrestling Alliance partners for the long term," he said. "To fulfill the goals of raising $10 million will forever change the sport. We are confident that we can complete our goals."    Levitetz is the Chairman of the Board of Purity Wholesale Grocers, Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla.  Purity Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is the official sponsor of USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman National Team and will support the team through the 2004 year in Athens, Greece.    He is a member of USA Wrestling's Board of Directors, and has been active in wrestling on many levels. He served as Team Leader for the 1999 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team, which competed in Athens, Greece. USA Wrestling has selected Levitetz as its nominee to serve as Team Leader for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team.    He was the founder of the Boca Raton Wrestling Club in Florida, a youth wrestling organization in his community. The club has used the slogan of "Wrestling: Training for the Rest of Your Life" and based the organization on teaching kids how to shake hands. Levitetz has established a website (www.handshakeuniversity.com), to teach other parents and youth leaders how to shake hands and make a personal difference.    Levitetz is the founder of the JRC Children's Charity in Boca Raton, Fla., which provides funds for underprivileged kids in South Florida to attend summer camps.    Levitetz has a passion for wrestling, which was fueled as a wrestler for Deerfield High School in Illinois. His coach was Steve Combs, who later served as Executive Director of USA Wrestling. Levitetz credits Combs for helping build the character and discipline through wrestling that has been a foundation for his professional career.    "I didn't fill a trophy room full of medals," said Levitetz. "Wrestling gave me a tremendous amount of self-confidence and allowed me to start my own company. Your wrestling career, no matter how good you are, is only a small percentage of your life. You can't put a price on the life skills and discipline it teaches you. I have a strong belief that the definition of confidence is repetition. I'm in the repetition business. We do the same thing every day, but just get better at it. I learned that from wrestling."