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Jenni Peters, a former USA Track & Field athlete and a competitor in the first-ever Olympic Marathon Trials in 1984, turned her passion for running into a thriving business.
She launched Varsity Sports in 2000 near the Perkins Road overpass, growing it into a beloved local chain with four locations.
The stores, often set in repurposed houses, are known for their warm vibe, expert service and weekly group runs. Peters also spent 25 years teaching marketing at LSU—where she held the Marjorie B. Ourso endowed professorship and earned the LSU Student Government Outstanding Faculty Award—before leading marketing for LSU athletics.
Here are a few profile excerpts.
HOW I INSPIRE MY TEAM
By example. If I am going to ask them to dress up like a circus person for a big top birthday sale, I am first in with my ringmaster/mistress costume.
MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY IN A LEADER
It depends on your leadership style, of course, but for me it’s a sense of humor. It makes a leader more relatable and human, which helps build rapport and trust. Ultimately, a sense of humor balances emotional intelligence with serious business objectives, making a leader more effective.
PIVOTAL CAREER MOMENT
When I decided to take a break from LSU grad school studies when some friends invited me to the Miller Lite 5K on College Drive. They said for $5 you get a T-shirt and free beer. I was not a runner before that moment.
Read the extended version of Jenni Peter’s profile.
