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Surge Owner and General Manager, Khalia Collier, was among 20 young and talented African-American professionals to be honored with the Young Leaders Award. The award was given by a recommendation of Khalia’s peers and was awarded at the Four Seasons hotel in in St. Louis this past Thursday, February 19.
Khalia is a graduate of Missouri Baptist University, where she received a BS in Communications. While at Missouri Baptist, Khalia was a collegiate basketball player and eventually moved on to be the Owner and General Manager of the St. Louis Surge. Since joining the Surge Khalia has been working to enhance the team’s overall brand recognition and has worked her way toward creating a successful franchise.
Khalia has spent a lot of her time as the team owner by building up the team’s reputation. According to St. Louis American, Khalia stated that starting this franchise was all about “earning the support of people that typically look past women’s sports.”
She was honored amongst a strong group of candidates that included a partner of a well-known law firm and a neurosurgeon. Almost everyone honored had a different profession and stood out amongst the crew. Some that were honored were from medical and banking backgrounds, professions that are almost entirely different from Khalia’s profession. However, they all had one thing in common; they are all well-accomplished African-American’s under the age of 40.
The St. Louis market lacks a true basketball scene. There is no presence of an NBA or WNBA team in the area, and Khalia has made major strides towards making St. Louis basketball relevant again. Her efforts over the past three years are being honored, but the award also looks towards the future. Collier has a chance to continue enhancing the organization and eventually create a major presence in the St. Louis area.
Khalia has achieved a tremendous amount during her time with the Surge. She recently commented on this overall progress in St. Louis American, “Over the past three years we’ve grown exponentially. We have really created interest in the St. Louis market, now showing that we are viable and now building to be sustainable. Every fan of the Surge we have earned, and I am excited and blessed for the opportunity to make an impact in the community.”
Check out more information about this award here:
Young Leaders chosen, to be honored at Feb. 19 reception
Meet the Young Leaders: Khalia Collier – St. Louis Surge
