Kodi Lewis and Alex Weetch Sports Visionaries Carve a New Niche

Imagine a corporate trip with an indiscernible blur between business and pleasure. Where keynote speeches are delivered overlooking the Caribbean Sea, deals are discussed over a round of golf, team building comes naturally on the tennis court and corporate galas take place aboard a luxury yacht.

Dakota Ross Founder and CEO, Jonathan ‘Kodi’ Lewis, and Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Weetch, know first-hand that the Caribbean is where memories are made and lifelong relationships are born. Dakota Ross works closely with clients to create authentic experiences infused with sport and offering exclusive access to the luxuries of the Caribbean.

At thirty-seven, Kodi Lewis is already a veteran when it comes to luxury events. His ‘Tennis Pon de Rock’ was a historic event for Barbados, attracting the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Gaël Monfils and John Isner. With proceeds going to his brother Haydn Lewis, Barbados’ No.1 at the time, and Darian King, Barbados’ current No.1, and to help support the Barbados Tennis Association, it marked the beginning of a shared company mission to level the playing field for elite athletes and champion the growth of regional sport.

Distinctively affable and unpretentiously smart, it is no surprise that the shorts-clad entrepreneurs have already secured some major league relationships, including a partnership with a leading Canadian luxury hospitality company, with whom they will be co-hosting a number of upcoming international and regional events.

In the pipeline is an intimate, multi-island ‘white glove retreat’ for executives, corporate trips to The U.S Masters Tournament and Wimbledon, and a charitable initiative at the Formula One Grand Prix in Montreal. The team is also in the process of developing Barbados-based, luxury sporting events that could significantly revolutionize the future of

Barbados’ tourism.

The Dakota Ross strategy is simple: to leverage the natural lure of the Caribbean, while innovatively capturing market share from the sports holiday and sports events markets— the fastest-growing sector in the global tourism industry, estimated to be worth more than US$800 billion.

“Barbados has the opportunity to become the Caribbean hub for sports hospitality and events,” Lewis proclaims with heartfelt emotion.

“As an athlete, an entrepreneur and a Bajan, Dakota Ross is the reflection of a lifelong dream.”