Biography
"Going with the Flow"
Alex Evers started his martial arts training at the age of 12, when one of his friends said he was going to practice with his nunchucks after school. He remembers that sounded like a lot more fun than doing homework, so he asked his parents to let him join his friend’s karate school in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Alex instantly loved martial arts. He attended classes five days a week and earned a black belt at the age of 16. He then began studying and passed his instructor certification test within six months.
By the time he was in college, he was teaching all of the classes at the studio while the owner had opened another location in Tulsa, about 70 miles away. Alex was so organized that the owner soon asked him to serve as the general manager of both locations.
Because Tulsa was the bigger city, and the school there was newer, he had to spend most of his time well over an hour’s drive away from home. While that was fun and educational, he regretted only being able to spend one day a week in Stillwater, where his friends and longtime students were.
Alex graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Information Systems in 2013 and, within a month, the owner asked him if he’d be interested in buying the Stillwater martial arts school. Alex used his knowledge of the business, and years of experience, to win over a few investors and purchased the school only two months after graduating college.
Within a year, Stillwater Martial Arts had doubled in size. They launched a very successful after school pick-up program, summer camp program, decreased class sizes, and increased student to instructor ratios.
Alex is very involved in the Stillwater community. He has graduated from Leadership Stillwater, Payne County Leadership, was voted as a Top 10 Leader Under 40, as well as holds free Self Defense and Bullyproofing seminars for the Public School Systems. In April of 2015, Alex completed the Ultimate Black Belt Test which is put on by Master Tom Callos, for his 4th Degree Black Belt.
In 2018, Alex announced the opening of Family Martial Arts in Enid Oklahoma. Family Martial Arts was well received by the community and currently offers an after school pick-up program and summer camps in addition to traditional martial arts classes.
Unfortunately, a few months after opening Family Martial Arts in Enid, Alex had an unexpected emergency open-heart surgery. As a result, he had to relearn much of his movement through physical therapy and is not medically cleared to do traditional kickboxing style sparring ever again. Alex speaks about the difficulties he faced and how he coped and overcame many of the challenges in some of his speaking topics. On a positive note, Alex is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Certified Instructor and is still cleared to grapple.
Alex enjoys working with Stillwater, Enid, Edmond, and surrounding communities. Alex has worked with Richmond Elementary on their Ninja Math Facts program, offers free self-defense and bully proofing seminars and has visited Perkins, Glencoe, Enid, Ripley, Garber, Perry, and all Stillwater schools to give Focus and Confidence talks. Stillwater Martial Arts has been awarded 2018's Stillwater Small Business of the year, Top 10 Leaders Under 40, and First Place Martial Arts Facility 2013-2019. Alex is also on the board of directors for the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and is an active public speaker.
In 2021, Alex sold Stillwater Martial Arts to senior staff members, Craig Nichols and Lauren Sneed. Although Alex strongly believes in Stillwater Martial Arts, with the upcoming birth of his first child and the wild growth that Family Martial Arts is having, Alex decided to step down as the Owner of Stillwater Martial Arts and focus on those two specific passions.
However, his entrepreneurial spirit is still strong and Alex announced the opening of Family Martial Arts in Edmond in 2022!
In 2024, Alex accepted a role at Meridian Technology Center as the Director of Business and Entrepreneurial Services. In this role Alex plays a key role on the school's administrative leadership team, overseeing the management of programs and tenant relationships within a 22,000 sq. ft. business incubator. The primary objective of Business and Entrepreneurial Services is to support entrepreneurs in initiating and expanding their ventures during the initial phases of the entrepreneurial journey. They aim to enhance the value of these companies by fostering a proactive, supportive environment and offering coaching that empowers them to concentrate on essential aspects such as core product development and market potential. Alex is still the Owner of Family Martial Arts in Enid and Edmond and is still teaching classes!