Why CougsFirst! Works – Real Business Wins
Helping Cougs, Help Cougs!
Jack Thompson, Co-Founder of CougsFirst! and Regional Manager with CrossCountry Mortgage, shares his experience of finding business success and delivering impact to the Coug community.
The Jack Thompson Team created an affinity program for Cougs, in which they give back $2200 to all Coug customers who secure their financing through CrossCountry Mortgage. In the past 5 years, they’ve done over $150 Million in mortgages, giving back over $1.2 Million to Cougs!
By leveraging the relationships of the CougsFirst! network, CrossCountry has seen huge success and has also given back to the community, allowing for more Cougs to support more Coug businesses!
Why Think CougsFirst!?
Thinking CougsFirst! is more than a slogan; it’s a way of life and intention that nurtures the WSU spirit within the business community.
By choosing to engage with and support fellow Coug-owned and -operated businesses, we’re not only fostering a robust economic network, but also reinforcing the bonds that make our community unique!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CougsFirst! is a business network that brings together WSU alumni, student, friends, and fans with the goal to foster a culture of thinking CougsFirst!. We serve as a platform for Cougs to connect, interact, and collaborate within a positive business environment.
Our purpose is multi-faceted, but often boils down to this: We want more Cougs to do business with more Cougs.
There is no other university network that elicits the same emotion, connection, and passion as Washington State University. Once a Coug, always a Coug – and we take pride in that!
CougsFirst! is the only alumni business network of its kind. Many other universities have an Alumni Association with memberships for individuals. Some also have a list of alumni owned businesses on their websites, but we’ve yet to find another independent, non-profit organization like ours.
WSU alumni and friends are more dedicated, passionate, and supportive than any other alumni group out there. This is precisely why we, and our business community, strongly believe that Cougs should support Cougs.
We work to achieve our mission of connecting with the Coug business community primarily by organizing special events year round and leveraging the power of social media.
These initiatives provide WSU alumni and friends with opportunities to connect, share their experiences, and form valuable professional relationships.
CougsFirst! was founded as an independent, non-profit organization that works in close collaboration with Washington State University and the Alumni Association.
While we are a separate organization, we have close and powerful partnerships with both WSU and the WSUAA. This allows us to bring our community together and to make sure that each of our organizational purposes are met.
Similar to a Chamber of Commerce, CougsFirst! focuses most on business memberships and connecting Cougs with those businesses.