LA QUINTA, Calif. – Golf industry veteran Nick Raffaele has been named the Executive Director of the CareerBuilder Challenge and the CEO of Desert Classic Charities, the organizations announced today.
Raffaele’s appointment begins immediately. He will be responsible for all aspects of the non-profit entity and the PGA TOUR tournament that it runs.
“We’re excited to bring Nick into this role, and we expect that under his leadership the CareerBuilder Challenge and Desert Classic Charities will continue to grow and thrive as integral parts of the Coachella Valley community,” said John Foster, the President of the Board of Directors of Desert Classic Charities. “I commend Bill Tait for the work he did to help us during this transition and look forward to his continued contributions as a member of our board.”
Raffaele comes to Desert Classic Charities and the CareerBuilder Challenge from golf equipment manufacturing giant Callaway Golf, where he was Vice President of Global Sports Marketing. He managed relationships with professional players on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and LPGA for the Carlsbad-based company, and helped grow Callaway’s brand through event management and charitable endeavors.
Prior to his time with Callaway, Raffaele managed PGA TOUR development for Spalding Sports.
“I appreciate the trust that John Foster and the rest of the DCC board have placed in me to carry the CareerBuilder Challenge and Desert Classic Charities into the future,” Raffaele said. “Desert Classic Charities is a tremendous organization with a long history of positively impacting this area. The CareerBuilder Challenge is a wonderful tournament with a rich history on the PGA TOUR, and is in a community that is passionate about golf. I look forward to moving my family to the Coachella Valley and helping the event become even better.”
The CareerBuilder Challenge – the Coachella Valley’s longest-running charitable event, organized and operated by Desert Classic Charities – has raised more than $57 million for Eisenhower Medical Center and other local charities since its inception as the Palm Springs Golf Classic in 1960.
The 2017 tournament is scheduled for Jan. 16-22 and will be played at the TPC Stadium and Jack Nicklaus Tournament Courses at PGA WEST and La Quinta Country Club. More information is available at www.CareerBuilderChallenge.com.
Jason Dufner won his fourth PGA TOUR title – his first since claiming the 2013 PGA Championship – at the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge by shooting 25-under-par 263 through the regulation 72 holes (four rounds) and besting David Lingmerth on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
About CareerBuilder®
As the global leader in human capital solutions, CareerBuilder specializes in cutting-edge HR software as a service to help companies with every step of the recruitment process from acquire to hire. CareerBuilder works with top employers across industries, providing job distribution, sourcing, workflow, CRM, data and analytics in one pre-hire platform. It also operates leading job sites around the world. Owned by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE:TGNA), Tribune Media (NYSE:TRCO) and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
About Desert Classic Charities
Since its inception, Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the PGA TOUR event in the Coachella Valley, has contributed more than $56 million to Coachella Valley charitable organizations. The scope of giving is broad and includes support for structured and mentoring programs for children, social services, and food and safe shelter for the less fortunate. Desert Classic Charities is dedicated to continuing its mission to serve human needs in the Coachella Valley and beyond by generating funds and opportunities every year through the event.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 30 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2015, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $160 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.3 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
Contact:
Greg Helm, Desert Classic Charities – greg@helmconsulting.com – 760-220-8800
Damian Secore, BZA Public Relations – DamianS@bzapr.com – 818-462-5614
Greg Ball, BZA Public Relations – GregB@bzapr.com – 760-271-9183
