Dave Kovar Live - Fresh. Uplifting. Actionable.

AwardsAwards

2022
Person of the Year

Named "Person of the Year" by Carmichael Chamber of Commerce.
2019
Instructor of the Year

Named "Instructor of the Year" by Black Belt Magazine.
2018
Governor’s Proclamation

Presented with the Governor’s Proclamation on the 40th anniversary of Kovars.
2017
Presenter of the Year

RevGear’s Presenter of the Year.

2009
Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award from the Martial Arts Industry Association. Other recipients include: Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Tony Robbins.
1992
Instructor of the Year

International Martial Arts Association’s Instructor of the Year.
1971
First Place

Won 1st place in Star King Grade School’s Wheelbarrow Race.

Entreprenaurial Adventures

1971

Began wrestling.

1973

Began Karate in 1973.

1974

Began teaching martial arts.

1978

6 months out of high school, opened his first Martial Arts School.

1980

Directed and starred in Black Belt Fighting Techniques, arguable the first Martial Arts instructional video series in the United States.

1982

Had to take a day job as a house painter to make ends meet.

1982

Competitor of the Year at the Karate League.

1987

Partnered with older brother, Tim, and returned to full-time instructor. BUSINESS SKYROCKETS!

1988

National Champion at the Karate Championships in Reno, NV.

1992

Dave and Tim purchased the current headquarters school in Carmichael, California. (For most of the 90s, this location was considered the largest martial arts school in the U.S., both in square footage and number of students (903).

1992

Performed for President Bush at a presidential dinner in LA.

1993

Opened second location in Granite Bay, California.

1994

Lead actor in the Martial Arts/Sci-Fi movie “Lucid Dreams.” Don’t ask.

1996

Opened third school location in Fair Oaks, California.

1996 - present

Starred in the local cable TV show, “Kovar's Home Martial Arts Show.”

1997 - 2003

ABC local affiliate’s (TV10) “Noon News Safety Expert.”

2000 - 2015

Lead instructor for the Martial Arts Industry Association.

2001

Opened fourth school in South Sacramento, California.

2004

Partnered with VC company to open a chain of Martial Arts school throughout the U.S. and went from 4 to 20 schools in 18 months.

2005

Realized that Kovar’s expanded too fast and was destined for bankruptcy if we didn’t adjust.

2006

Brought on David Chamberlain as CEO of Kovar’s, Inc. Stopped the bleeding by going from 20 locations to 8 locations in 18 months.

2006 - 2009

Managed to survive despite consistent losses and an onslaught of creditors.

2010

Kovar’s, Inc. made a small profit for the first time since the start of the failed expansion.

2010

Designed and help launch The Satori Challenge, an online, 9-week, mind/body health and fitness challenge, edging Kovar’s outside the martial arts industry for the first time.

2011

Wrote his first book—A Dad’s Toolbox for Better Parenting.

2014

Wrote his second book—The Martial Arts Instructor’s Toolbox.

2015

Wrote his third book—Brief Moments of Clarity.

2017

Partnered with retired NBA player, Larry Hughes, to start Basketball Training Systems (BTS)—a youth basketball academy emphasizing Life Skills.

2019

Business is better than ever. We have been running in the black since 2010, we have a world class team of nearly 100 and are very close to having paid in full all past investors, never having filed for reorganization as was suggested by numerous business consultants, as well as our own Board of Directors. Whew!!!

2020-2022

Due to the COVID pandemic, Kovars, Inc loses 40% of business by June of 2020, develops a new gameplan and battles back to profitability by 2022.

2023

Kovar, Inc is alive and well, and stronger than ever!

DAVE’S PRIME NUMBERS

0

Earned varying degrees of blackbelts in 10 different styles of Martial Arts.

0+

Forty-five years in running and owning a business.

0

Keynotes on leadership, business and personal development.

0+

Instructor Colleges and Business Boot Camps throughout the world in nine countries.

0+

Coached over five hundred businesses since 1999.

1,500

Founded and developed DoneWithBullying, which launched in 1500 locations throughout the world.

AwardsAwards

Person of the Year

Instructor of the Year

Governor’s Proclamation

Presenter of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award

Instructor of the Year

First Place

Entreprenaurial Adventures

1971

1973

1974

1978

1980

1982

1982

1987

1988

1992

1992

1993

1994

1996

1996 - present

1997 - 2003

2000 - 2015

2001

2004

2005

2006

2006 - 2009

2010

2010

2011

2014

2015

2017

2019

2020-2022

2023

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