This week on Huddle Up with Gus is the President of Joe Gibbs Racing, Dave Alpern. Dave grew up in Northern Virginia and went to Oakton HS. When Joe Gibbs came to Washington to coach, Dave became friends with Joe's son JD. Dave attended George Mason University and would go to many Redskin games and become very close to the Gibbs family. Dave started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Since then, he has held nearly every position in the front office, including overseeing consumer products, communications, and sponsorships before being named team president.
As one of the longest-tenured executives in the sport, Alpern has seen the team grow from 18 employees to nearly 600 and has worked with C-level executives for many of the world's top brands, such as Toyota, FedEx, Mars, Stanley, the Coca-Cola Company, and Comcast. In addition, Dave had been invited to the White House on multiple occasions after winning NASCAR championships in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2015, and 2019.
Dave is a regular university guest lecturer, particularly at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School for both their undergraduate and graduate business programs. He teaches marketing, sponsorship, and social media and also enjoys corporate speaking.
Dave is married to his college sweetheart, Stacey. They have three sons: twins who recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an audio engineering student at Belmont University in Nashville. His interests include snow skiing, snowboarding, surfing. He is also an avid fan of the Washington Redskins, the Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Tar Heels.

Check out Dave's new book: Taking the Lead.
In Taking the Lead, Dave shares the wisdom he's learned along the way: fundamental principles that will equip you with what you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose—whatever team you're on.