Hokie ClubCulture: that's what attracted Adam and Dawn Boitnott to Virginia Tech women's basketball. Ultimately, it's what led their company, Hylaine, to move forward with a generous, philanthropic contribution to the team's locker room renovation project in the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Facility.
"Coach Brooks understands relationships, not only with his players, but with alumni and other coaches at the university," said Adam Boitnott, a 1998 Virginia Tech graduate and CEO of Hylaine. "We talk about that a lot at Hylaine. Relationships with our employees and the community. So, we like to give back to the community."
Boitnott founded Hylaine, a software consulting firm, in 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the help of friend and Tech alum T.J. Eberle ('89). In the span of the short, yet prosperous history of the company, Hylaine has opened additional offices in Raleigh, Atlanta and Dallas to coincide with the demand of their project-based technology approach to finding IT solutions.
Even before the success of Hylaine, the Boitnott's fostered a special relationship with Virginia Tech women's basketball. Dawn and Adam's oldest daughter, Hylton, began attending basketball camps in Blacksburg even before Kenny Brooks was hired in 2016. Adam and Dawn were appreciative of the way Coach Brooks connected with Hylton during the youth camp, and the family began to closely follow the team in the years after. The Boitnott's made the trek from Charlotte to Cassell Coliseum on a regular basis as season ticket holders, all the while keeping in mind the possibility of one day making a substantial contribution to the program.
"The opportunity to be a part of something bigger was huge to us," Adam Boitnott said. "Virginia Tech gave a lot to us in life. We thought, 'When we can do more, we would like to do more.' Now is one of those times."
Kenny Brooks, who led the Hokies to their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2022, has nothing but high esteem for the Boitnott's.
"The gift is really the cherry on top of what they really do for us," said Brooks, who met the Boitnott's several years ago at an event in Charlotte. "They do a tremendous job of spreading the word for us to other Hokie fans and donors who might not know everything about us yet."
This philanthropic contribution to women's basketball will provide the bulk of resources needed for a full renovation of the team's locker room in the Hahn Hurst Practice Facility. This will include a completely renewed dressing area, meeting room and team lounge. This particular area of the facility is the epicenter of development for the team culture. Women's basketball student-athletes often complete their schoolwork, recover after practice and host team bonding movie nights all in this space.
"It's an arms race so to speak to run with other programs that are consistently upgrading their facilities," Brooks said. "For them to step up and give us this gift, it really allows us to compete and show the new space to recruits. It's also where our current team spends 80% of their lounge time, so it gives them the comfort level to go in and enjoy a really great space."
Dawn Boitnott, a 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech and native of southwest Virginia, built a successful career in the insurance industry after she left Blacksburg. She reflected on the significance of investing in women's athletics initiatives while adding her perspective from a successful career.
"It's incredibly important," said Dawn, who most recently served as Vice President, Chief Underwriter at Legal & General America. "There have been many times where I've been the only female in the room. To be able to support women's basketball to support their career, to support their growth, give them the opportunity to do whatever they might want to do, whether it's continuing basketball after a college degree, is really important to our family."
As for Adam, he hopes that this contribution to the Virginia Tech women's basketball program will galvanize more support from other successful alums from he and Dawn's generation to women's athletics in Blacksburg.
"I want to encourage them to reach out and start a relationship," Adam stated. "The part I like about women's sports here at Virginia Tech, and even extended to the pros, is accessibility and how much they appreciate a gift. That's why I'd say form a relationship, whether it's with the Hokie Club or the team. Start paying attention to what's happening and what they need."
Renovations for the locker room are set to begin in spring 2023. The Hokies will tip off their season on Nov. 7 at home vs. Mount St. Mary's.