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Contact: Andy Schroeder
Phone: 888-964-9990
Email: aschroeder@ascendingathletes.com
2015 Business Symposium Results
Record High Corporate Interviews & Meetings Conducted
(Dallas, Texas, April 23, 2015) Ascending Athletes’ 2015 Business Symposium was held March 24-25 at
the Pizza Hut World Headquarters in Plano, Texas. The semi-annual event helps current and former
professional athletes answer the question, “What comes next?” It also provides a forum for Fortune 500
corporations, franchise companies and entrepreneurs to network and interview players in the hopes of
sparking mutual interest. This year’s event produced a record number of onsite interviews and
meetings—a total of 197.
According to Kelsie Christian, Operations Coordinator for Ascending Athletes, this year was different in
terms of both demographics and corporate participation. “In years past the attendees were primarily from
the NFL. This year in addition to a growing contingent from the NFL, we hosted a really diverse group
including former WNBA players, and Harlem Globe Trotters. On the corporate side we had an impressive
list of participants including State Farm, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, CBRE, and Pizza Hut.”
Lamonte Winston, Director of Player Engagement for the Oakland Raiders and President of The Winston
Group, coordinated with the NFL, NFL Players Association, NFL Player Engagement, NFL Alumni, The
Trust, and WNBA to get athletes to the symposium. “I was so proud of the athletes that had the courage
and trust to join us in March. They were prepared and competed with confidence. The Business
Symposium could not have had a better host than Pizza Hut. Their global brand brought tremendous
impact to our event.” Peter Cooke, Sr. Recruiting Specialist for Johnson & Johnson agrees with Mr.
Winston on the quality of candidates. “I was impressed with the high levels of professionalism,
competitiveness and wide range of experience levels of the attendees. The growing talent pool of athletes
is what inspires Johnson & Johnson to make this an annual event for our company.” Hilton Williams,
Agency Recruiter for State Farm draws a parallel between the State Farm business model and the skills
players possess in order to take it to the professional level. “Each player has an entrepreneurial spirit
burning inside. Players have that mindset of adapting to the environment, the will to never give up and the
ability to work with others and lead a team. This is what attracted me to attend and present our agency
opportunity at the event.”
Day one started with a morning session led by notable speakers on personal and professional development
followed by an afternoon of breakout sessions on how to interview, analyze and assess resources. Maxann
Reese, former WNBA player called it both “refreshing and inviting.” “These highly skilled individuals
were able to quickly capture and complement my needs as a business owner, giving me key ingredients to
get even better.”
The evening’s networking event was sponsored by NFL Alumni giving both players and corporate
participants an opportunity to find their potential “matches” and schedule interviews and meetings for day
two. “Helping former players in their new post-NFL lives is our top priority at the NFL Alumni,” said Joe
Pisarcik, President and CEO of the NFLA. “We were happy to support the Business Symposium hosted
by Ascending Athletes as a terrific opportunity for former players to network with great companies as
well as other former athletes.”
Day two only brought further success. Athletes and corporations came together to follow up on their
initial introductions from the day before and 197 real-time interviews and meetings were conducted
throughout the day. Kevin Daley, a former Harlem Globe Trotter got much more than he expected.
“After playing professional sports for 14 years, I felt I had so much to offer a company but was having
trouble getting interviews. Ascending Athletes put me in front of those companies. I went from 0 to 6
interviews in one day! I can’t thank them enough.” Mr. Cooke of Johnson & Johnson had a similar
experience. “Many second and third interviews were set up within 24 hours of the meeting’s end and
several are still ongoing.” Hilton Williams with State Farm interviewed 20 players. 10 started
prescreening and 3 progressed to the business plan portion. “State Farm helps each individual go into
business for themselves but they are never alone in the process. We provide the opportunity along with
resources for success.”
Ascending Athletes’ President, Andy Schroeder thanks all the sponsors, corporate attendees and player
participants for making this year’s symposium such a success. “I know the companies that joined us were
very impressed with the attributes and transferable skills that our player participants brought to the table.
Professional sports is and should be a foundation for one’s future--not the destination. We’re proud to be
a catalyst for their success once their days on the field or the court are in the rear view mirror.”
Visit us at www.ascendingathletes.com for more information.