THE HEARTS BEHIND COUNTDOWN

TWO STORIES. ONE MISSION. ONE GREATER PURPOSE.

MORE THAN SNEAKERS. MORE THAN BUSINESS. A HEART TO SERVE.

BEHIND COUNTDOWN SA ARE TWO MEN WITH DIFFERENT STORIES, DIFFERENT JOURNEYS, AND A SHARED BELIEF THAT EVERYTHING WE HAVE IS A GIFT FROM GOD.

WE BELIEVE OUR BUSINESS IS MORE THAN A PLACE TO BUY AND SELL SNEAKERS. IT'S A PLATFORM TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, ENCOURAGE OTHERS, SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, AND ULTIMATELY GLORIFY JESUS CHRIST.

THIS IS A LITTLE ABOUT THE HEARTS BEHIND THE COUNTDOWN.

MEET RJ | FOUNDER & CO-OWNER

FROM THE HALLWAYS OF SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL TO LACING UP THE 210.

FOR RJ, THE LOVE FOR SNEAKERS STARTED LONG BEFORE COUNTDOWN SA EVER EXISTED.

GROWING UP IN SAN ANTONIO, HIS PASSION FOR SNEAKER CULTURE BEGAN AROUND 2007, WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT BASEBALL LEGEND DEREK JETER WAS PART OF THE JORDAN BRAND FAMILY.

GROWING UP AS A SAN ANTONIO SPURS FAN, AND MICHALE JORDAN ENTHUSIAST, THE HOBBY BECAME A PASSION. WHAT STARTED AS AN INTEREST IN JORDAN BRAND AND THE CULTURE SURROUNDING ICONIC SNEAKERS QUICKLY GREW INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.

AS A STUDENT AT SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL, RJ WAS KNOWN FOR WALKING THE HALLWAYS IN HIS JORDANS. HE DEVELOPED A PASSION NOT ONLY FOR COLLECTING SNEAKERS BUT ALSO FOR THE HUSTLE BEHIND THEM — BUYING, SELLING, TRADING, NEGOTIATING, AND CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE WHO SHARED THAT SAME LOVE FOR THE GAME.

FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL, RJ WENT ON TO SERVE SEVEN YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE.

IN 2021, AFTER SEPARATING FROM THE MILITARY, HE TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH AND TURNED HIS LIFELONG PASSION INTO A BUSINESS. "DREAMS TO REALITY."

COUNTDOWN SA WAS BORN 9/4/2021.

WHAT BEGAN AS A DREAM HAS BECOME A TESTIMONY OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND PROVISION.

BUT IF YOU ASK RJ WHAT MATTERS MOST TO HIM, HIS ANSWER ISN'T SNEAKERS, BUSINESS, OR SUCCESS.

IT'S JESUS CHRIST.

RJ BELIEVES THAT THE LIFE HE GETS TO LIVE IS ONE HE COULD NEVER EARN OR DESERVE, AND THAT EVERY BLESSING IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE GLORY BACK TO GOD.

HIS HEART FOR MINISTRY AND LEADING PEOPLE TO JESUS WILL ALWAYS COME BEFORE LACING PEOPLE UP.

BUT HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO BOTH? THAT'S SOMETHING HE CONSIDERS ONE OF HIS GREATEST BLESSINGS.

FOR RJ, COUNTDOWN SA ISN'T SIMPLY A BUSINESS HE OWNS. IT'S A PLATFORM GOD HAS ENTRUSTED TO HIM — AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, BUILD GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS, AND SHARE THE HOPE FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST.

"IF I CAN LACE SOMEONE UP AND POINT THEM TO JESUS ALONG THE WAY, THAT'S LIVING THE DREAM IN MY BOOK." — RJ

MEET MATT | CO-OWNER & BUSINESS PARTNER

A PASSION FOR SPORTS. A HEART FOR PEOPLE. A STORY OF REDEMPTION.

IN 2024, COUNTDOWN SA ENTERED AN EXCITING NEW CHAPTER WHEN MATT JOINED RJ AS A BUSINESS PARTNER.

BRINGING HIS OWN PERSONALITY, PASSIONS, AND LIFE EXPERIENCES TO THE BUSINESS, MATT HELPED STRENGTHEN THE SHARED VISION OF BUILDING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY.

IF THERE'S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MATT, IT'S THAT HE LOVES SPORTS.

FROM UFC AND PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING TO THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS AND COLLEGE ATHLETICS, MATT'S PASSION FOR COMPETITION AND SPORTS CULTURE RUNS DEEP.

HE ALSO HAS A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO UTSA ATHLETICS, ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THE ROADRUNNERS ACROSS MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL.

WITH A FAMILY THAT HAS LONG BELIEVED IN SUPPORTING UTSA AND ITS ATHLETIC PROGRAMS, MATT VALUES THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY, INVESTING IN OTHERS, AND BEING PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN HIMSELF.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER PART OF MATT'S STORY THAT MEANS EVEN MORE.

HIS JOURNEY OF RECOVERY, SOBRIETY, AND REDEMPTION.

MATT UNDERSTANDS THAT LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS EASY AND THAT EVERYONE FACES BATTLES THAT OTHERS MAY NEVER SEE.

THROUGH HIS PERSONAL JOURNEY OF RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION, HE HAS DEVELOPED A HEART FOR ENCOURAGING OTHERS WHO MAY BE WALKING THROUGH SIMILAR STRUGGLES.

HIS STORY IS A REMINDER THAT YOUR PAST DOESN'T HAVE TO DEFINE YOUR FUTURE, THAT HOPE IS REAL, AND THAT A NEW CHAPTER IS POSSIBLE.

MATT DOESN'T VIEW HIS JOURNEY AS SOMETHING TO HIDE, BUT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED TO HEAR THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE.

HE AND RJ BOTH RECOGNIZE GOD'S GRACE THROUGH THEIR INDIVIDUAL JOURNEYS AND GIVE HIM THE GLORY FOR THE BREAKTHROUGHS AND BLESSINGS THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED.

FOR MATT, COUNTDOWN SA IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE, SHARE HIS JOY, AND BE A POSITIVE LIGHT IN THE COMMUNITY.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE MOST VALUABLE THING YOU CAN GIVE SOMEONE ISN'T A PAIR OF SHOES — IT'S TO TELL THEM THAT JESUS LOVES THEM & SO DO WE.

TWO HEARTS. ONE PURPOSE.

RJ AND MATT MAY HAVE WALKED DIFFERENT PATHS, BUT THEIR HEARTS SHARE A COMMON FOUNDATION.

FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. GRATITUDE FOR GOD'S GRACE. AND A GENUINE DESIRE TO SERVE OTHERS.

NEITHER OF US CLAIMS TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT.

WE'VE EXPERIENCED CHALLENGES, MADE MISTAKES, LEARNED LESSONS, AND WITNESSED GOD'S FAITHFULNESS THROUGH IT ALL.

WE KNOW THAT THE LIFE WE GET TO LIVE IS FAR GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE COULD HAVE EARNED ON OUR OWN.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE CHOOSE TO GIVE BACK.

WHETHER IT'S THROUGH SNEAKERS, SPORTS, MINISTRY, A CONVERSATION, OR SIMPLY EXTENDING A HELPING HAND, WE WANT COUNTDOWN SA TO BE KNOWN FOR MORE THAN WHAT'S ON OUR SHELVES.