Shane Battier to award 5 commercial cleaning franchises to minority applicants

article link

Part 2: Athletes & Franchises
Rockets star is giving away the store

By Alexis McCombs

Athlete: Shane Battier, 28
Sport: NBA's Houston Rockets
Franchise: ServiceMaster Clean

August 24, 2007--Shane Battier has teamed up with Service Master Clean to award 5 commercial cleaning franchises to minority applicants. He shares the details with BE’s Alexis McCombs.

There are a lot of similarities between sports and business. People who work the hardest are the most successful. You also have to have talent and luck in both. [The problem] is most people go through life without exposure to opportunities. That's why I’m excited about giving them a head start [with the Shane Battier Franchise Scholarship Program].

Franchises are a great vehicle to own a business and to get ahead in the corporate world. That's one of the reasons why I signed up as the spokesperson a little over two years ago, when I was playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. Service Master’s headquarters are in the same city.

They wanted to get people aware of what franchising affords and to increase diversity within their company while keeping it lively. I leant my name because I try to surround myself with people who have similar values as my own. Service Master is not all about turning a profit but working with people. Plus, its not often you can award a scholarship that can change people's lives.

We did the program kick-off at the University of Houston’s School of Entrepreneurship. About 30-40 young entrepreneurs attended. The initial response was so great because we had about 60 who applied by submitting an essay on why they wanted to be good stewards going forward [in the world of business].

We had only planned to give away 1 franchise but gave away two to area Houston men who had attended the event that day. As a member of the selection committee, I felt that the winners understood how to operate a successful business because they had prior work experience—[Mike Powell] owned a landscaping company and [Jeff Kent] was a financial analyst for Continental Airlines.

Applicants in select cities can still apply for the three remaining franchises that will be rewarded. We looked at markets I had a personal connection to and expanded the program to Durham, where I went to school at Duke; Denver where I played with the Nuggets for five years; [as well as nine other cities across the US].

Any minority can apply and the franchise is awarded at no cost. For all of the rules go to www.ownafranchise.com/battierprogram. With hard work and determination you can do anything—play basketball or be an entrepreneur. The world is your oyster.

----

Any clutch fan takers?