4 Peaks
LEARN
Every student-athlete will be invited to learn through various teaching mediums including university-accredited courses, diverse lecture series, and hands-on instruction where appropriate. Topics will be selected by student-athletes and taught by leaders in the field. Business and subject-matter experts will educate student-athletes on developing critical life skills and growing professionally in a dynamic global economy.
BRAND
Empower student-athletes with custom assessments of their current brand values (via a third party) and provide student-athletes with resources to maximize their name, image and likeness potential. While building a brand can be enhanced through various social media platforms, a personal brand is about much more than a set of online profiles. Embracing the other Peaks in the Built4Life program will provide the student-athlete with substance that can be leveraged in a variety of spaces.
WORK
Develop a first-class internship program that will assist student-athletes with obtaining bona fide professional opportunities that are targeted to the interests and skills of the individual. “Work” means work, and student-athletes may be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the job. Prospective employers will not hire interns for the intern’s marketability or utility under the internship program. All NCAA rules and regulations will be followed. The Built4Life program representatives will provide student-athletes and partnering organizations with regular NCAA compliance training and education.
LOVE
Built4Life encourages student-athletes to elevate their local and hometown communities through service initiatives. Student-athletes will be taught how to create philanthropic brands by actively supporting causes of their choice. Tools and resources will be provided for individuals who wish to create and head 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.
"It's fitting that a world-class university in Utah would be the first in the nation to innovate a program that allows its student-athletes to fully benefit from the NCAA's name, image and likeness rules, given our state's preeminent economic position and the cutting-edge leadership from our businesses in all industries that will allow these students to receive the full benefits intended by the new rules. It is an honor for the Salt Lake Chamber to join BYU as a founding partner of the Built4Life initiative, and we look forward to working with BYU Athletics to ensure the program's success there and to assist its adoption by other universities that will embrace its principles, practices and innovation to serve student-athletes in laying a foundation for personal and professional success that will sustain them well beyond competitive athletics."
“The purpose of Built4Life is to assist our student-athletes in developing their personal and professional brands now and help them capitalize on their name, image and likeness while complying fully with the NCAA rules and regulations. The Built4Life program is designed to easily adapt to any anticipated or unforeseen changes to NIL policy. As those changes occur, we will continue to place our student-athletes in the best position possible to benefit from the endless opportunities associated with attending a university surrounded by the No. 1 economy in the nation. At the heart of Built4Life is our program's commitment to foster a culture of love and learning while assisting student-athletes in laying the foundation required for personal and economic prosperity beyond athletics.”
"College sports is in the midst of its most significant changes in many decades. The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrates BYU’s Built4Life initiative for its innovation and thought leadership in addressing proposed rules that would provide college athletes with endorsement opportunities. Built4Life is a common-sense approach to support the student-athlete while remaining competitive in the college athletics landscape and true to the values and principles of BYU’s mission."
“What an unbelievable job Tom, Coach Sitake, Gary and Billy have done laying the framework for this revolutionary Built4Life program at BYU. While impending NIL legislation was certainly an impetus for this program, Built4Life is way more than just an answer to NIL. It is an all-inclusive program that will more fully integrate our student athletes' university studies with their post-graduation careers. Gone are the days when a BYU student-athlete will wonder what they are going to do the day after graduation. Built4Life will be an absolute game changer and will be the model for universities around the country to emulate.”
"Built4Life is a transformative program for student athletes, and an exemplary model for meaningful character and skill building. The BYU Athletics team is leading the way in helping it’s family of athletes gain exposure to opportunities and careers that will set them apart off the field and prepare them for continued success in life after college. Silicon Slopes is honored to assist in establishing this program and providing access for student athletes."
Advisory Board
Alex Barcello
Student-Athlete
BYU Men's Basketball
BYU Men's Basketball
Fraser Bullock
American Entrepreneur
Sorenson Capital
Sorenson Capital
Shaylee Gonzales
Student-Athlete
BYU Women's Basketball
BYU Women's Basketball
Brian Hawkins
Influencer, Entrepreneur, & Consultant
Whitney Johnson
Associate Athletic Director - Student-Athlete Development, Diversity and Inclusion.
BYU Athletics
BYU Athletics
Lopini Katoa
Student-Athlete - 2020 Team Captain
BYU Football
BYU Football
Janae Moss
Chairwoman of the Board
Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce
Co-Owner, RBM Building Services
Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce
Co-Owner, RBM Building Services
Billy Nixon
Director of Player Experience
BYU Football
BYU Football
Dolita Shaw
Student-Athlete
BYU Women's Track & Field
BYU Women's Track & Field
-Carl Sokia
Founder & CEO
Experience Management Solutions
Experience Management Solutions
Rick Tolman
VP Digital Demand Generation
Sales Force
Sales Force
Gary Veron
Associate Athletic Director - Student-Athlete Experience
BYU Athletics
BYU Athletics
Contact Us
Form
BYU 300
FAQ
This program is about much more and goes far beyond just NIL. NIL is ultimately about student-athletes being able to monetize their personal brands and make money. BYU is well equipped to help its student-athletes capitalize on such opportunities. But while many are focused solely on the short-term opportunities for student-athletes while they are enrolled in college, the Built4Life program is looking at the long game. What is going to benefit a student-athlete most in five, 10 or 20 years from now? Is it a $5,000 sponsored Instagram post? Or is it actual paid work experience in their field of choice and connections that can go on a resume and transition into meaningful future full-time employment? We believe BYU can help its student-athletes capitalize on both types of benefits, but tying NIL and wholistic career development together like this is what makes this program unique.
The economic innovation and growth neighboring BYU’s campus, and extending throughout the State, is unmatched by any location in America. Here are some of those highlights: The U.S. News & World Report ranked Utah's economy No. 1 among all 50 states. Utah also ranked high in education and is the third best state overall.-Best States 2021 Rankings
According to rankings by the Milken Institute, the Provo-Orem area has the best regional economy in America, and Salt Lake City is ranked fourth.-Best-Performing Cities 2021
"Utah is the best state in the nation for economic opportunity, for education, and for quality of life."-Gov. Spencer Cox
National studies and surveys have shown that the No. 1 consideration for Division I, II and III football recruits when choosing what school to attend is what that school can provide them for future career opportunities outside of football. This mindset has been seen within BYU football’s player experience and career development efforts. We have seen first-hand that BYU student-athletes have a sincere passion and appetite for development and experience enhancing opportunities. During the BYU football pilot program, several dozen athletes created LinkedIn accounts, obtained high quality, legitimate internship opportunities, and participated in a lecture series devoted to preparing athletes for life beyond college sports. The success witnessed through the pilot program is especially impressive when noted that all participation was done voluntarily.
These partnerships provide access to thousands of businesses in the No. 1 economy in the nation. BYU Athletics student-athlete experience professionals can reach out directly to those businesses with the backing of the state of Utah’s most reputable business organizations. Businesses can then choose to partner with Built4Life as official partners that provide internship and mentorship opportunities to BYU student-athletes. BYU staff will work to match the opportunities available to individual student-athletes who have specific interest and need within the industry or position that the business partner can offer.
The BYU Built4Life Summit will be an annual celebration of the Built4Life program where members of the ‘BYU 300’ community and student-athletes come together and collectively focus on becoming world-class leaders. This event will provide NCAA and governmental compliance education on how student-athletes and partnering organizations can permissibly capitalize on Name, Image, and Likeness. Finally, the Summit will allow student-athletes to network and create positive, lasting memories with business professionals throughout the Utah economy.
The BYU Built4Life Summit will be an annual celebration of the Built4Life program where members of the ‘BYU 300’ community and student-athletes come together and collectively focus on becoming world-class leaders. This event will provide NCAA and governmental compliance education on how student-athletes and partnering organizations can permissibly capitalize on Name, Image, and Likeness. Finally, the Summit will allow student-athletes to network and create positive, lasting memories with business professionals throughout the Utah economy.
Use the “Contact Us” form on this website and a BYU Athletics student-athlete experience professional will be in touch soon.