Kevin Plank

Founder, Executive Chairman, Brand Chief
Under Armour

While representing the sportswear brand Under Armour, elite athletes will often say the company’s tagline “Protect This House.” The founder of the “house” is Kevin Plank, an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He was inspired to create the brand while playing football for the University of Maryland and being unable to find clothing that would not become sweat soaked during games and practices. Plank began running the business out of his grandmother’s townhouse and sold his first shirt out of his car. Over the next two plus decades, Plank and his team would turn the Baltimore-based company into a billion dollar empire outfitting high-level athletes in a wide variety of sports.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Spend more time writing a shorter letter. It’s something that still resonates with me today. To me, it means to focus on the details because Everything Matters.

What’s been your biggest success?

First and foremost is my family. My wife, DJ, and I met at the University of Maryland 31 years ago and have two incredible kids. Our family is everything. Second, building a global brand and all that it entails. What a tremendous honor to be able to compete on the global athletic brand stage against tough competition with 17,000 teammates in more than 100 countries and a home base of right here in Baltimore.

Who have been the biggest mentors in your career?

My mother. She passed away earlier this year. She was such a strong woman who taught me so much including the power of believing in oneself. It was truly her greatest gift to me.

What are your hopes for the state or your community this year?

I hope that we can continue to grow and show the world how great a place Baltimore is to live, work and play. We’ve got a lot of work to do but with projects like Baltimore Peninsula, where Under Armour will relocate to in 2024, we can begin to change the narrative and use it as another catalyst to spark a rebirth of this great city.

What do you do to unplug in your free time?

I like to exercise daily, play golf some, vacation with the family whenever possible and 100%, I do love going to stores to watch people shop! It’s how we learn and also something I can typically convince my 16-year-old daughter to do with me!

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Power 100 List for 2023-2024. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.