Since its founding, longtime sports and entertainment executive, former pro and college coach, and award-winning film producer and director Dave Whinham has served as President/CEO of The TEAM Management, LLC, the exclusive management company of Pro Volleyball Federation.

Dave’s career in sports began in 1980 when he was named an assistant coach at his alma mater, Grand Valley State University. Dave would coach football at the college level for seven years, serving two stints at Division II powerhouse, GVSU, and also coaching at Wayne State University and the University of Cincinnati. 

In 1988, Dave joined the coaching staff of the Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League. As a coach in Arena Football, Dave was part of eight playoff appearances and four championship seasons, two with the Detroit Drive (1988 and 1990) and two with the Tampa Bay Storm (1995 and 1996). For part of this period, Dave also served as the NHL Detroit Red Wings’ first Strength and Conditioning Coach.

It was in Arena Football that Dave built his career, advancing from assistant coach to head coach (Columbus Thunderbolts 1991, Cleveland Thunderbolts 1992-93, Buffalo Destroyers 1999-2000) to general manager (Columbus 1990) to Vice President of Operations (Buffalo 1998-2000) to president (Columbus Destroyers 2003-04) of an Arena Football team. As VP of Operations for the Buffalo Destroyers (and while concurrently serving as head coach of the team), Dave placed, trained, and directed a staff that produced record setting sales numbers in all ticket sales categories, sponsorship sales, and merchandise sales. 

In 2002, along with his longtime business partner and friend Stephen Evans, Dave formed The Team Sales Company. Now known as The TEAM, the company has provided outstanding service to clients throughout the sports entertainment industry. Those services include managing M&A transactions for pro sports teams and entertainment companies, comprehensive advisory, consulting and management services, live event production, and production of original television and radio programming and award-winning feature films. 

One early client, the Columbus Destroyers, purchased its AFL club via The TEAM in 2003 and then, in a post-closing arrangement with The TEAM, named Dave as its first president. The Whinham-led Destroyers were again leaders in both ticket and sponsorship sales, boasting sell-out crowds throughout their inaugural season at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. 

The Team has gone on to provide strong results for a wide variety of sports teams/leagues, entertainment, and collegiate clients across the United States and Dave has become well known as a featured speaker on the subject of sponsorship sales and services across the industry.  The TEAM has also recently produced a number of new live entertainment products (FreeForAll Concert Series, The Ballroom Breakout, and FabFEST) and feature media projects including production of live sports events for national television, three television pilots and three feature-length documentary films that are officially licensed NCAA products. The TEAM also launched a new broadcasting company called The Remedy Radio which has syndicated variety, music, and sports programming throughout Ohio. 

Dave’s collection of experiences and relationships set the stage for the creation of Pro Volleyball Federation. He and Stephen Evans had their eye on women’s volleyball as a professional sport for many years and co-founded Pro Volleyball Federation officially in November of 2022. In eight short months they have established ten independently owned teams and a world-class staff of professionals to lead the league which will beginning play in late January 2024. 

Dave resides in Columbus, OH, with wife Jennifer and sons Will and Stevie Ray.