About
We have a lot of experience

Ben Sturner
CEO and Founder

Ben Sturner
CEO and Founder
Ben and Leverage have been at the forefront of sports and pop culture through strategic and opportunistic endeavors. Among his many achievements over the last decade, Ben brought cricket to America through the Cricket All-Stars series, secured primary sponsors for American Pharoah’s electrifying Triple Crown run and Rich Strike’s 80-1 Kentucky Derby win, and own and produce the annual hockey game at Madison Square Garden between college’s most famous rivals – Harvard and Yale.
Ben elevated his passion for mentorship by creating the Manhattan Sports Business Academy in 2014, which brings students to NYC for internships with premium sports organizations and immersion into the sports business world. He secured partners such as Gatorade, Fila, MLB, NBA, MLS and NFL. The inaugural class featured 25 students and applications are in the hundreds for this year’s class.
Ben and the Leverage team were featured in this 2017 issue of AdWeek with the headline: “Leveraging the Moment: From the Super Bowl to the Celebrity Apprentice, Leverage Agency has become a Major Player in Sports and Entertainment.” He has made television appearances on ESPN, NBC, CBS and CNBC, and has been quoted in top newspapers and trades including USA TODAY, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, AdWeek and Sports Business Journal.
Prior to starting Leverage, Ben was the Director of Marketing for Bennett Global Marketing Group where he worked on sponsorship deals for clients such as Dunkin' Donuts, Reebok, Manchester United and Level Vodka.
Ben sits on the board of advisors for a variety of organizations including Boston University Athletics, Brooklyn's High School of Sports Management, Ivy Sports Symposium and the Sports Executive Association. Ben earned his bachelor's degree with cum laude honors from Boston University where he played on the tennis team. He resides in Orlando, FL, with his wife Kimberly and two young sons, William and Cameron.

Chief Operating Officer



Over the last few years, Jake has secured eight figures worth in gross sponsorship revenue.
Jake graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a double major in Legal Studies and Political Science. He enjoys a good beach and boat day more than anyone.


Prior to joining Leverage, Bob spent 12 years at the International Management Group (IMG) where he was responsible for all media and sponsorship sales for the Television and Events Division, which produced over 500 hours of sports programming nationwide. In addition to leading the acquisition and sales efforts for numerous national and global clients, Bob negotiated the four-year $10 million BCS Sugar Bowl sponsorship deal on behalf of Nokia, generating over $1 million in annual revenue.

Middle East & Africa



Don has significant experience driving corporate growth and developing strategic business initiatives. He also has expertise in tracking inefficiencies, HR management and compliance, information technology and telecommunications, facilities and office management, and benefit plan selection.
Don is also president of Your COO, an operations management consulting company. Previously, he held executive level positions at several major professional services firms, implementing new budget forecasting and modeling that improved financial decision-making and reduced operational costs significantly. He also sharply reduced employee turnover by improving recruiting processes, enhancing employee welfare benefits, and implementing employee training and development programs. Don’s work for clients has resulted in significant increases in revenue and profitability through the execution of operational improvements.
Don has an MBA from Iona College and a BA from Montclair State University.




Larry was named the 15th Most Influential Person in Sports Advertising by the Sports Business Journal. He developed the VISA NFL Halftime on FOX and the VISA Triple Crown to name a few. His passion for brand building is second to none.


Prior to joining Leverage, Luiza played golf for the University of Miami and then professionally on the Ladies European Tour. During this period, she managed four social media pages, handling various aspects such as content creation, engagement, posting schedules, graphics, and data analytics. Throughout her professional golf career, Luiza secured over 15 brand partnership deals, handling all negotiations and effectively managing sponsor relations. Luiza holds a Business Foundation Specialization from Wharton University of Pennsylvania.


Ben grew up in London, England and earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University.



