Outlook Magazine - Fall 2023

H Heidi Schultz (’05) and Ryan Englebert (’06) were all in as Blue Devil athletes. Heidi stood out as a midfielder in soccer, starting every game in her four years; she was all-conference and two-time Academic All-American. Ryan was so good his senior year, rushing for more than 900 yards, that the next year he had a tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. Athletics was a passion, and it’s ultimately what brought them together when they met in 2005 at a soccer-football social and began dating. It just so happened they both were business administra tion majors too, although Heidi started in graphic design. After marrying in 2008 they found a career path that’s tied to their UW-Stout past — an athlet ics-based business — but one that ultimately is all about building futures. In 2010, they founded ETS Performance, or Englebert Training Systems, a company that helps others achieve their potential as athletes and individuals.

BUILDING: BETTER FUTURES

Blue Devils and business alum Heidi and Ryan Englebert put passion, skills education into training, guiding athletes at ETS Performance

(Below) Alums Heidi and Ryan Englebert founded ETS — Englebert Training Systems — in 2010. It has grown to more than 30 facilities across the Midwest.

ETS has become the fourth largest such business in the world. Using a model that Ryan created that allows select former NFL and NHL clients of ETS to be minority partners, the Woodbury, Minn.- based company is poised for more growth. ETS had 17 facilities a year ago, soon will have 34 and within five years hopes to have 100, including one in every NFL city. “We’ve created something life-changing. We’re helping athletes become the best they can be but also mentally preparing them for life after sports and what tools they need to be successful,” Ryan said. “That’s what drives us to grow our business, the impact we know we make in every community.” Young athletes, especially, learn intangibles that carry over into their daily lives. “We’re helping develop the next generation of leaders,” Heidi said. “They learn self-confidence, are more focused and disciplined. It’s the ripple effect of how athletes excel on their teams, in their lives and in their com munities.” A company born from adversity ETS bears the Englebert name for good reason. Heavily recruited out of high school with multi ple Division I scholarship offers, Ryan played one season at UW-Madison in 2002 before suffering a back injury and transferring to UW-Stout.

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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT

OUTLOOK 2023