Two years ago, Onward Upward Sports & Events was an idea and a decision. I left fourteen years of corporate work to build it.
This fall, the work went on the record.
Silver, 2026 International MUSE Creative Awards, Outstanding New Agency
A VISTA Today feature on the company as a rising name in Greater Philadelphia event planning
A press release on corporate outings and team building, carried by more than 470 outlets
A second release on the November and December calendar, picked up nationally
The first billboards went up
Not overnight. Two years of reps.
The biggest shift was mindset. Playing small looks safe, and it costs the most. I price the work for what it delivers, I back it, and I build for the size I intend it to be.
The calendar grew with it. A pickleball tournament, a hosted bar crawl, a surf contest, and a bigger 2027 slate behind them.
The month itself moved fast. A lot changed at once, at work and off the clock. A few plans fell through late. Better ones took their place the same day.
The bigger lesson was people. Some people play games. I stopped playing along. The ones who show up do not make noise about it. They answer, they follow through, and they are still there the next week. I moved toward them, and I am happier for it.
I noticed. I am grateful. I plan to return it.
The business exists so the life can be lived well. Sports, the Shore, live music, travel, and the people close to me. The company funds that, never the reverse.
Everything business lives at onwardupwardsports.com.
Onward. Upward. Always.
