A chance meeting between two sports fanatics — Justin Kaufenberg, a 2003 economics graduate, and Carson Kipfer, a 2004 graphic design graduate — in the UW-Eau Claire residence halls set the foundation for a partnership that would extend far beyond the walls of a classroom. The self-proclaimed "stats junkies" bonded over their love of playing hockey; Kaufenberg played four years of Blugold hockey and Kipfer competed at the intramural level. Their love for the game and their specialized skills in business and design led to the idea for Puck Systems, a website tool specifically intended for hockey organizations, and ultimately the creation of their successful company, Sport Ngin (pronounced "engine"). By the time they graduated from UW-Eau Claire, Kaufenberg and Kipfer had a dozen hockey associations paying to use their product. They made the move to the Twin Cities and rewrote the Puck Systems program so it could accommodate organizations in any sport. The result was Sport Ngin, a proprietary platform that currently powers more than 4,000 leagues, tournaments and sports organizations around the world. The company works to change the way leagues, teams, players, scouts and fans interact with a range of athletic organizations. Kaufenberg and Kipfer's shared passion for design, technology and sports has recruited clients from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, Germany, England and Turkey, and include USA Hockey, the National Lacrosse League, the British Baseball Federation and the Wisconsin Sports Network — and that's pretty powerful.
hockey hearts AND business minds
You may also like:
-
Building skills, improving lives
An international research project that helps people with autism be more successful in their workplace was the perfect way for Johannah Erffmeyer to use her tech and language skills to benefit people who often struggle to find meaningful employment.
-
Trucking along
When classes, research, part-time jobs and student life left Elizabeth Laskowski frazzled, she decided to make a change. The materials science major enrolled in a truck driving school and went to work for an area farmer as she worked toward her degree.
-
Teaching across disciplines
Dr. Rose-Marie Avin, chair of the Women's, Gender and Sexuality studies program, professor of economics, and a member of the Latin American Studies Steering Committee at UW-Eau Claire, is featured in a Blugold Spotlight.