Jeffrey Pape, Founder and President
Jeffrey Pape, CPA, MBA, has a solid record of starting and growing businesses. Prior to starting WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd, he owned Pape Financial Services, Inc. which provided CPA services to individuals, small businesses, and international businesses. Jeff worked in Switzerland for 5 weeks with an international company to set up its accounting systems and corporate accounting policies for their 400 million dollar global operation. In his work as a CPA he worked for large national accounting firm McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. While at McGladrey & Pullen, LLP he wrote SEC 10Q and 10K reports for publicly traded real estate partnerships. Before leaving McGladrey & Pullen, LLP he was promoted to Accounting Manager.
As founder of WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd, Jeffrey has seen it rise from an internet-only web site stocking no inventory to one of the nation's largest wrestling stores. Currently, WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd is an authorized dealer for all the major manufacturers of wrestling gear and wrestling shoes, including Adidas, Asics, Brute, Cliff Keen, Matman and Nike. Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois (Urbana) and is a licensed CPA. He also earned a MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management with a concentration in Marketing and Operations.
Wrestling Background
Jeffrey started wrestling in the 4th grade for the Raiders Wrestling team, failing to qualify for the State Finals his Eighth Grade season with a 4th place finish at the Sectional Tournament. After the Raiders, he wrestled for one of the winningest high school coaches in the Nation, Charlie Farina. At Leyden High School Jeffrey wrestled two years on Varsity finishing up his Senior year as a State Quarter Finalist and a 34-7 record. The University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, was the final stop in his career. He practiced with the Varsity team for three semesters, each semester earning All-Academic Big Ten Honors. During his fourth semester with the team, he decided to focus on academics and rehabilitating a back injury.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, Jeffrey decided to return to his roots and take over the Raiders Wrestling Club. With the former coaches starting a new team and the other coaches' kids graduating, the Raiders Wrestling Team that has been around since the late 1960's would have been extinct. The first priority for Jeffrey was to start recruiting wrestlers and even though it looked like no one would return to the team, that first year they had 25 wrestlers. The team consistently had 25 to 30 wrestlers, several years there were more than 40 wrestlers on the team. Each year, the Raiders qualified at least one wrestler for the state tournament. Former Raiders, during Jeffrey's tenure, have gone on to wrestle at 10 different high school teams.
The biggest reward for Jeff was to see kids who walked in the wrestling room with little self-confidence and physical fitness, walk out of the room their eighth grade year with self-confidence and more physically fit with a love of wrestling. After 9 seasons as head coach, he decided to return to school and obtain his MBA. He is currently helping promote wrestling by taking photos at major high school, college and international wrestling events. His photos have appeared in the Chicago Reader, WIN magazine, Amateur Wrestling News, IntermatWrestle.Com, RevWrestling.Com, and are featured in several high school wrestling websites.
Community Support
Since 1998 WrestlingGear.Com has given back to the wrestling community and local schools that have helped make the company a success. Jeff believes in giving back to those organizations and individuals that need some help to improve their quality of life.
Even with our advertising selections we have chosen to support local state websites, national websites, and individual club websites.
We have built websites for organizations at or below cost so those organizations can give their members a place to find more info and interact with other wrestlers throughout the world. Also, Jeff has helped several wrestling organizations help develop their email and website programs to stay in touch with their members and friends of their program.
In 2006, WrestlingGear.Com started its work with the Smile Train, an organization that helps fix cleft lips worldwide. Jeffrey's first son Jackson was born with a cleft lip, which is a facial birth defect where the lip, nose, and mouth do not form properly during pregnancy. In our first year, we helped raise enough money to help 20 children have their cleft lips repaired. Our goal is to help 100 children. In addition, to the Smile Train, Jeff is a member of Rotary Club International and his local Chamber of Commerce. In 2008, Jeff and Nancy started The Pape Foundation to raise money and awareness for Cleft Lips and Wrestling related programs. We hosted a golf outing and wrestling clinic and raised almost $10,000 this year to benefit The Smile Train and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame - Illinois Chapter.
Finally, Jeff has donated countless hours giving back in the form of running a youth wrestling club for 10 years. Currently, Jeff is coaching his two sons Jackson and Alec with the Cougar Wrestling Club, based in Hoffman Estates.
Currently, Jeff lives with his wife, Nancy, and his three children, Dylan, Jackson, and Alec in Schaumburg, IL.
