About Us & Our Founder Story

Sports Staffing Reinvented

Twenty years ago, our founder's story began with a young collegiate coach. A simple request from a friend running a local club team sparked an idea that would change the course of his life. The team needed a few collegiate coaches to help run a two-hour practice, offering a modest stipend, hot pizza, and cold drinks in return. As more requests for assistance at tournaments and events followed, the seed of Rian Consulting was planted.

By 2019, Rian Consulting had blossomed into a thriving full-time venture. As the young coach's career evolved, it became clear that the side hustle had outgrown its humble beginnings. Enter his wife, Kate Wellner, a seasoned tech industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. She made the bold decision to leave the corporate world and channel her expertise into entrepreneurship.

With a fresh perspective and a wealth of knowledge, Kate set out to revolutionize the way staffing was handled. She built a cutting-edge platform, streamlined processes with automation and efficiency, and assembled a team of dedicated recruiting account managers. The goal was clear: to create a simple, user-friendly interface that catered to the needs of both coaches and event operators. To reflect this renewed vision and strategy, Rian Consulting was rebranded as Tourney Direct, aligning the company's identity with its core values and mission.

Kate Wellner,
CEO of Tourney Direct

Kate is an experienced product management leader with expertise in driving customer-centric innovation in high-tech and regulated sectors. She is known for scaling global product organizations and launching strategic solutions that enhance efficiency and revenue. Skilled in product lifecycle management, strategy development, market analysis, and team leadership, Kate has led the implementation of next-generation pathogen-reduced platelets at the Red Cross, managed a global product organization at MICROS (Oracle) for cloud services, and directed a multi-million-dollar website and portal initiative at AT&T for B2B cloud service management. She holds a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Rebecca Lewis,
Director of Recruiting

Rebecca is an experienced Hospitality and Customer Service Manager with a successful 20+ year career in the leisure, travel, and tourism industry. She has played a pivotal role in various service teams, overseeing the entire hospitality experience from arrival to entertainment and event production. Rebecca has developed and implemented policies to effectively address member needs and inquiries. Proficient in building strong member relationships through regular communication and understanding their interests, needs, and goals, Rebecca excels in organizational skills, efficiency, management, delegation, and interpersonal qualities. She completed her studies at Hawaii Pacific University.