News

Cleveland, OH, December 18th, 2017 – The founder of the 40,000+ member group “Hockey Players doing business together,” Shannon Lewandoski based in St. Louis, Missouri, has announced he will be merging with non-profit hockey organization Hockey Players in Business (HPIB), founded by Rob MacKinlay and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio with chapters throughout the U.S and Canada. In addition to being added to the HPIB board as Co-president, Shannon will also serve as the HPIB St. Louis Chapter President.

“We believe bringing together the two largest hockey networking organizations in North America will add a tremendous amount of value to our members, as well as the hockey community at large. Now our members will have access to a website with a fully searchable database of member profiles based on their industry and geography, as well as the opportunity to network in HPIB chapter cities and meet face-to-face at events across the U.S. and Canada,” says Lewandoski.

“With the addition of Shannon and his network, we can expand our reach to connect current and former hockey players who are now in the business world, and help them further expand and develop their networks,” says Rob MacKinlay, founder of Hockey Players in Business and president of its Cleveland chapter. Chapters hold member events throughout the year, such as CEO forums, former professional player panels, business thought leadership discussions, networking happy hours and a host of other events. Furthermore, HPIB will be hosting regional, national and international events and meetings in the near term. “In addition to helping others be successful, we also have a goal of giving back $1 million to the game of hockey through charitable giving,” explains MacKinlay. HPIB is particularly excited about the charity hockey tournament it is planning for 2018.

In order to join HPIB, members must have played organized hockey for at least one year, at any level, and be currently employed or seeking employment in a business, whether for-profit or not-for-profit. Those who are currently members of the 40,000+ Hockey Players Doing Business Together LinkedIn group will have the opportunity to join HPIB at a discounted rate of $35 until January 31st, 2018.

Hockey Players in Business (HPIB) is a networking association organized as a 501c3 Non-Profit founded by Rob MacKinlay, President of Cohen & Company. The mission of the group is threefold: to provide an opportunity for hockey players in business to expand their networks; to continue hockey players’ professional development and education through thought-leadership events, panel discussion, and networking happy-hours; and to give back to the sport of hockey through charitable giving. HPIB is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and currently has seven chapter locations in Boston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Toledo, with many more to follow including chapters throughout Canada. To learn more about joining HPIB or starting a chapter in your city, please visit hockeyplayersinbusiness.org/

Download the press release.