Tate Chalk

Tate Chalk (born November 9, 1968),is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the first Women’s Sport-Specific Footwear Company, Nfinity Athletic Corporation. He was named entrepreneur of the year in 2009 by Smart Business magazine.

Early life

Tate Chalk was born and raised in Irmo, South Carolina near the state capital of Columbia. His father Foy, the son of a Baptist minister, was a successful CPA with a local practice and his mother Joanne was a homemaker. Tate attended Irmo High School where he played Varsity Football and was a competitive Equestrian and Endurance Rider. After High School, he accepted a scholarship to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and was a Varsity Athlete for the Division 1 Paladins Football Team. A shoulder injury abruptly ended his football career and prompted his decision to return home to Columbia and attend the University of South Carolina. Not long after enrolling, Tate was asked by a USC cheerleader to be her partner at tryouts. Without intending to, Tate made the Varsity Cheerleading Team and began his career in the sport. Tate went on to distinguish himself as one of the most well known male cheerleaders in the nation. He cheered for the University of Kentucky and the University of South Carolina and later coached Georgia State University, University of South Carolina and numerous All Star teams to over 15 National Championships.

Entrepreneurship

After graduation, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a loan from his parents, Tate rented a warehouse space in Atlanta and opened American Cheerleading, a gym for competitive cheerleaders. After making his initial location a success, he purchased struggling gyms across the southeast and turned them around under the American Cheerleading name, thereby creating the first multi-gym program. In 1998, Tate left the gym business and sold the individual locations to his managers, two of who are now among the most successful in the sport. Casey Jones, who changed the name to Stingray All Stars, purchased the Atlanta location. In Irmo, South Carolina, Randy Dickey added Extreme to the name and created ACX All Stars.

After selling, Tate identified a need for cheerleaders to have better footwear choices and accepted a product development position with Power Athletic Footwear. There he spent the next few years building their cheerleading division from the ground up and creating the first “Lightweight” shoe for cheerleaders. In 2001 Tate made the difficult decision to leave a successful career, move to Hollywood, and pursue his dream of a future in film. By using his corporate acumen, and applying his theory “it's called show business, not show acting”, Tate was able to work in numerous Hollywood productions both as an actor and as a consultant. Following roles in two feature films, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and Coach Carter (2005), and various independent films, he decided to return to his first love of entrepreneurial endeavors and dedicate himself to building something special in the footwear industry. He writes for AOL small business.

Nfinity

Nfinity Athletic Corporation Nfinity Athletic Corporation is the world's first and only brand with a core focus on designing and engineering lightweight high-performance athletic footwear for female athletes. With uncompromising performance, style and comfort, Nfinity product innovations specifically address the unique biomechanical needs of the female athlete to enhance their athletic performance and possibly reduce the risk of injury. The Nfinity brand's continued goal is to strengthen its position in the sports of Women's Basketball, Cheer, and Volleyball.

In 2003, Tate Chalk founded Nfinity in a one-room office in Orlando, Florida where he developed the first cheerleading shoe made for spring floor competitors. Called the Genesis, it quickly became the number one All Star cheerleading shoe on the market. Following the success of his second footwear launch, the ultra-light Evolution, he finally outgrew the space and relocated Nfinity headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia in 2006.

With Nfinity steadily holding the number one spot for Cheerleading shoes and becoming the Official Shoe in Cheerleading, Tate expanded in 2009 to include Nfinity Women’s Basketball and Volleyball, and introduced the first non-footwear product, the revolutionary Nfinity Knee Pad featuring d30 technology. Nfinity manufactures in 4 different countries and distributes internationally to Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.

Philanthropy

Over the past 3 years Nfinity Athletic Corporation, has contributed great efforts to Sole4Souls Inc., a nonprofit organization that collects donated shoes and distributes them across the globe to those in need. Wanting to do more and to make a greater impact in women lives, in 2009 Nfinity launched their Win With Heart Foundation as a partner with the National Heart Lung and Blood Association and The Heart Truth Campaign. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and Nfinity hopes to raise awareness and prevention through this foundation.

Personal

Tate Chalk resides in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia with is wife Grace Chalk. During Tate and Grace’s courtship, the couple participated in the TLC Television Series, Say Yes to the Dress. The couple wed on December 31, 2008. Tate and Grace are members of Buckhead Church. They enjoy traveling, attending community festivals and spending time with their family and friends.

Accolades

Tate Chalk sits on the Atlanta Tip-Off Club Board of Directors as well as the AOL Small Business Board of Directors and The Knowland Group Board of Directors. Additional accolades include:

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