LEXINGTON, Va. – Beginning this fall, VMI’s Costen Court in Cameron Hall will have a bit more pop of color.
“In basketball terms it was a slam dunk,” said VMI athletics director Jamaal Walton.
VMI has taken advantage of an opportunity to have its first ever court sponsorship. With a strong alumni base, it wasn’t long before conversations were had and Estes Express Lines was ready to deliver.
“The sponsorship provided an opportunity for funds to go directly to the athletic department budget,” said Steve Hupp. He serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Estes.
While he’s excited to have their logo on Costen Court, the partnership between Estes and VMI takes on special meaning--highlighting the importance of relationships.
“Our family heritage goes pretty far back at VMI, roughly 86 years or so,” said Hupp. “My dad matriculated in 1940 as a rat from Chase City, Virginia.
H. Thomas Hupp, Jr. started what would become a multi-generational family tradition. His son Billy is a 1977 VMI graduate, Steve earned his degree in 1984 before his sons Stephen and Thomas came through Lexington in 2016 and 2020 respectively. For VMI athletics director Jamaal Walton, the Hupp family is a big reason he too was able to be a cadet.
“Billy Hupp provided my scholarship, he was my scholarship donor,” Walton said. “So, it’s really cool to see what they’ve done for me but also what they continue to do for VMI athletics.”
Hupp says he’s grateful to be in a position to help provide the ultimate assist to Coach Wilson and the Keydets.
“Just so impressed with the work he’s done there at VMI in his 4-5 years, the person he is and type of person he is,” Hupp said. “Just want to do whatever we can to help him succeed there and for VMI to have the finances in place to do it.”
VMI and Estes—two brands with one mission—deliver success in more ways than one, for years to come.
“It’s just so many similarities in the two organizations and what they’re trying to do in the world of serving,” said Hupp.
“To be able to do some things at VMI shows that we’re progressing and that we’re doing things that a lot of people probably felt we couldn’t do here,” said Walton.