Monday, October 17, 2016

Navy SEAL turned fitness entrepreneur Randy Hetrick will open Distinguished Veterans Week at UNCW with a presentation at 6 p.m. Nov. 1, 2016, in Trask Coliseum. His topic will be “Leadership, Opportunity & Life: The Military Advantage.”

“Commander Hetrick embodies the true spirit of life in the military, applying the principles of perseverance, teamwork and leadership to achieve any goal one sets in life,” said UNCW Director of Military Affairs Bill Kawczynski.

Hetrick founded TRX, which sells equipment and training to build strength, balance, flexibility and cardiovascular health. The concept for TRX was born in the late 1990s while Hetrick, a Navy SEAL squadron commander, needed to help his unit maintain top fitness and agility while on deployment. According to the company’s website, he used “a jujitsu belt, parachute webbing and sheer ingenuity” to develop the first version of the TRX Suspension Trainer.

In 2001, Hetrick earned a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and worked to perfect and market his invention. TRX equipment is now found in gyms nationwide and in 60 countries around the world.

In addition to his public speech, Hetrick will visit with UNCW students, faculty and staff Nov. 1-2 at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Cameron School of Business, the Student Recreation Center and the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences’ exercise lab.

Admission to the speech at Trask is free, but a ticket is required. Tickets will be distributed through the main campus and the Onslow Extension, and the university invites Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, local JROTC programs and veterans organizations. Anyone interested in attending the event should contact Siobhan Norris at 910.962.2933 or norrissr@uncw.edu to secure a ticket.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Military Affairs, Academic Affairs, the Cameron School of Business, Student Affairs, the Graduate School and UNCW Athletics.

-- Tricia Vance

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