Whitener's first job was working as a graduate offensive assistant for the Oklahoma State University football team under head coach Pat Jones and staff.
During his time directing Oklahoma State's recruiting efforts, the team secured future Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders and current OSU Head Coach Mike Gundy, among others.
In 1988, Whitener made the decision to leave college football and began a career in sales and marketing at Collins & Aikman Floor Coverings (now Tandus) in the Dallas area.
In October 2002, Whitener was brought on as COO of Host Communications (now IMG College), one of the nation's leading providers of affinity, multimedia, promotional, and event management services to universities, athletic conferences, associations, and corporations.
[1] In 2007, Whitener became chairman and chief executive officer of SportsMyx Holdings, LLC, which owned Action Sports Media[2] until late 2009.
Under license by CBS Consumer Products, Bethesda Softworks, and ZeniMax Media, Silver Screen Bottling Company has launched spirit brands around iconic fan-centric franchises like Star Trek and the Fallout video game series.