Alexandria, VA, March 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/051d8aba-7222-46a6-a20b-5e8f0afac557 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/051d8aba-7222-46a6-a20b-5e8f0afac557 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d497479f-01bf-4a67-ba40-3cc76a0c8b49

While NCAA® March Madness® fans everywhere focus their attention on the 2016 NCAA® Men’s and Women’s Final Four®, Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and Hillard Heintze, a leading private strategic security advisory and management company, announced the eligibility of the winners of the TEAMUp2Win! sweepstakes for Designated Drivers.  This national program capitalized on the excitement of the 2016 NCAA® Men's and Women's Final Four® and encouraged fans to celebrate responsibly.

To participate in TEAMUp2Win!, individuals made the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” pledge to:

• Never drive drunk
• Always have a designated driver
• Never provide alcohol to anyone under 21 years of age
• Always buckle up, every trip, every time

 

For the seventh consecutive season, the NCAA and TEAM Coalition have joined together to make more fans aware of the TEAMUp2Win! sweepstakes and the effort to make sure all college basketball fans drink responsibly.  The TEAMUp2Win! sweepstakes promotes traffic safety by encouraging responsible drinking and positive fan behavior. For almost a month, more than 4,000 NCAA basketball fans made the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” pledge and at the conclusion of the first weekend of the tournament, two lucky fans were selected as winners, one for the Men’s Final Four® and one for the Women’s Final Four®.

 

Brian Pietragallo, an avid college men’s college basketball fan from Lake Jackson, TX was selected as the Men’s Final Four® winner and is on his way to Houston, TX to enjoy the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four®. Madeleine Radcliff, a passionate women’s college basketball fan from Indiana is on her way to Indianapolis to enjoy the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.®  These two lucky and responsible fans are the TEAMUp2Win! sweepstakes grand prize winners.

 

"TEAMUp2Win! reaches fans beyond the basketball arena, reminding them to celebrate responsibly,” said TEAM Coalition executive director Jill Pepper.

 

“As we have been for many years,” Arnette Heintze, CEO of Hillard Heintze, said, “we are proud to be partnering with TEAM Coalition in keeping NCAA basketball fans and their families – and other people on our roads safe.” Hillard Heintze conducts the background checks for the winners using the advanced technology and services of S2Verify, LLC, one of the fastest growing companies in the employee screening market and the leading screening industry process innovator.

In addition to the NCAA^® Men’s Final Four^®, the NCAA^® Women’s Final Four^®, Hillard Heintze will partner with TEAM Coalition to provide similar background screening services for fans who pledge to be responsible and therefore become entered to win a trip to collegiate and professional sporting events including the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, the MLB All-Star Game and the MLS All-Star Game.

About TEAM Coalition

TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition members and supporters include National Collegiate Athletic Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Americrown, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information, please visit www.TEAMCoalition.org, www.RHIR.org or www.FansDontLetFansDriveDrunk.org.

About Hillard Heintze  

Hillard Heintze is one of the leading investigation and security risk management firms in the United States. The company helps protect people, performance, interests and reputations. It does so by offering investigative, security and law enforcement advisory services worldwide that provide insight, deliver assurance, and instill confidence.

“To protect what matters most, we believe that immediate access to trusted counsel, critical insights and the full scope of information vital to strategic decision making is absolutely essential,” says Arnette Heintze, CEO. “And we view our role as a trusted advisor as a noble and honorable pursuit. This is our purpose. It's who we are. It's why our clients trust us.”

Headquartered in Chicago, Hillard Heintze also has operations in Washington D.C., Virginia Beach, Detroit, Newark and San Jose, as well as operating capabilities across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia.

For more information, please visit www.hillardheintze.com

Jill Pepper, TEAM Coalition 703-647-7431 jill@teamcoalition.org