Jed Weinstein was a vital cog in helping the Emory men's tennis program reach heights it had not experienced before, and in the process left his mark as one of the most successful Eagles who competed in the sport. From 1995 through 1998, Jed earned All-America honors on four occasions, three times in singles and once in doubles. Following the conclusion of his career, he was the third player in program annals to earn at least four All-America citations. As a senior, he played his way into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championships while advancing to semifinal round in doubles. In 1996, he helped Emory to a runner-up berth at nationals, the best finish in program history at the time. Named the University Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player on two occasions, he registered a career singles slate of 80-21. All totaled, he helped the program to four UAA crowns and four top-eight finishes at the NCAA Championships.
While he made his mark on the tennis courts, Jed was also a three-year member of the soccer team, playing in 46 games and making 36 starts.
Q: Can you tell us what your occupation is and where you are living?
JW: I own an Experiential Marketing company called Rise & Set Agency where our firm specializes in brands in the luxury market. I have been residing in New York City for almost 20 years.
Q: What are some of your experiences post-Emory to where you are now?
JW: After studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Goizueta Business School, I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I had the opportunity of living in one of the best cities in South America where I worked at a company called Latin American Sports Camps. After nearly three years in Argentina, I made my way back to the United States, New York City to be exact, to work at the best live concert and production company in the world, SFX Entertainment which soon was purchased by Clear Channel Entertainment. The firm was involved in producing award winning events for Coca-Cola, Schering-Plough and activating XM Satellite Radio campaigns at all of the Clear Channel owned concert venues.
After years working in a corporate environment, I wanted to try my luck being an entrepreneur and opened up Rise & Set which has become one of the nation’s top experiential marketing agencies. Clients scale the gamut and include global luxury brands such as Montblanc, Hublot, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bomber Ski and FC Barcelona.
Q: Can you provide some reflections upon your time at Emory, both as a tennis player and as a student?
JW: I wouldn't change anything about my time at Emory University. Playing on both the Men's Varsity Tennis and Soccer teams, studying at the Goizueta Business School and being a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity really rounded out my collegiate experience. I thoroughly enjoyed being so active on campus as well as traveling to key cities across the United States representing the school and competing against other NCAA teams during the tennis and soccer seasons.
Q: Who were some of people who influenced you during your time at Emory?
JW: During my tenure at Emory, Coach Mike Rubesch (soccer) and Don Schroer (tennis) were both extremely influential while I was on campus. Each coach had their unique ability to connect with their respective players and I felt an incredible bond with both of them. In addition, I had some incredible memories with former tennis teammates Travis Saacke, Todd Getz, Sam Smaldone, Mark Saldutti and Brett Kaplan to name a few. The tennis team was a tight knit group of guys who really spent a lot of time together, almost making it a small family that traveled together, ate together, practiced together and relied on one another.
Q: What are some highlights that you remember while playing tennis at Emory?
JW: While playing tennis at Emory, there were a lot of great team wins and individual accomplishments. I think we won the UAA conference title as well as qualified for Nationals all four years while I was there. One memory that I will never forget, my junior year, seeing Coach Schroer shed tears of joy due to making it to the NCAA finals. As a team, we put our best effort forward and worked super hard throughout the year, but unfortunately came up a little short placing 2nd in the nation.
Q: You were inducted into the Emory Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 -- that certainly had to be a proud moment for you?
JW: Being inducted into the Emory Sports Hall of Fame was a true honor. I was fortunate to play two sports in college, but felt I excelled in tennis and hit my stride my sophomore year. Oddly enough, I was recruited out of high school to play soccer at Emory and told I could try out for the tennis team. Ultimately, I received more accolades during my tennis career which led to my induction of the HOF. I really enjoyed being able to joke about that during my acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame dinner in 2012 in front of Coach Schroer, my parents and former teammates.
Q: How you are surviving the pandemic and how has it affected you?
JW: My daily life in New York City has been extremely intense since becoming an entrepreneur. During the beginning weeks/months of COVID, the city pretty much shut down. It really gave me time to take a step back and prioritize a variety of things in my life. I enjoyed being able to reflect on the overall situation and spend more quality time with my family and reconnect with friends from childhood, college, time abroad, etc., over zoom calls. It seemed like the world stopped at a certain point. In terms of business, we have definitely been negatively impacted, however trying to stay positive and focus on 2021 and beyond.
Q: Any interests/hobbies or things you do to relax when away from work?
JW: My wife and I love to travel in our free time. We have recently enjoyed traveling to Sicily, Cartagena, Peru and continuing to explore her home country, Belgrade. When back in New York, I play squash multiple times a week and try to get on the golf course as much as possible.
Q: Any former teammates that you are in contact with?
JW: This past August, I helped organize a virtual reunion for the Emory Tennis team with former players spanning the last 50 years. It was great to have 30 attendees participate including ex-Coach Don Schroer, current Coach John Browning, Roy Martino, Gavin O'Connell, Jim Burns, Todd Kennedy, Todd Getz, Sam Smaldone, James Oliviero, Mark Saldutti, Sam Gompers, CW Early, Conor Civins, Dax Deason, Brett Kaplan, Tom Curran, Dillion Pottish, Jackson Isaacs representing their classes on the zoom call. We left the call excited to reconnect face to face post COVID for a fun reunion.
Q: Are you able to keep up with Emory tennis?
JW: I have created a great relationship with current coach, John Browning, and try to do whatever I can to stay involved. It is truly remarkable to see how much success he has had recruiting amazing talent. Each year the team is consistently at the top, competing for a national championship. I tell him often how much I admire what he has built at Emory and excited to continue to watch the team win more championships in the years to come.
Q: Is there anything that you take from being a student-athlete into your profession?
JW: I think being a student-athlete has taught me numerous things. From my freshman year and beyond, we needed to manage our work and compete while on the road. The same philosophy goes for business. I am often traveling, overseeing our event executions across the United States while managing a team back in New York. In addition, there are all of the personal things going on outside of work, so learning from an early age on how to juggle everything was super important. I have always been a big believer that being mentally tough while competing at a high level in sports reflects on what type of business person you are. Everything from the amount of preparation that goes on prior to a season, to the blistering hot days of battling someone on the court, to body fatigue after consecutive matches really builds character. I feel that due to my collegiate tennis and soccer experience, it really molded me to be a strong leader and businessman.
Q: Any advice you would give Emory students/future grads?
JW: I think Emory provides a great platform for learning. There are fantastic opportunities inside the classroom as well as outside. If I were to relay on advice, I would recommend trying to meet and create relationships with as many people as possible. The student body is made up of so many wonderful people from across the country in addition to a significant amount of international students on campus with unique backgrounds. I would also take interest in the professors who students have access to as they tend to have a plethora of information and experience. Lastly, try to have as much fun as possible before heading into the real world.
Q: Any other items you would want to add?
JW: I married an amazing woman from Europe, Snezana Weinstein, a few years ago - I couldn't be luckier!
Jed Weinstein lives in New York and is the owner of Rise & Set Agency.