Retired NFL Player Heads Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative

ATLANTA, GA, March 31, 2011 (Press-News.org) When the clock winds down on the average professional athlete's five-year career, often, their prosperous earning potential also comes to an abrupt halt. But unlike business professionals that have the benefit of lifelong education and career path guidance, these athletes often lack the direction necessary to continue their success once they've left the playing field.

Enter the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative (PAFI), which aims to fill this void by providing education and support for twilight year and retired athletes interested in exploring business ownership via franchising. Established less than a year ago and working in conjunction with the International Franchise Association (IFA), PAFI has already attracted significant interest from the franchise industry and has a goal of growing its charter membership base to 50 franchisors by the end of 2012.

Initiated by former NFL cornerback Michael Stone, PAFI has been guided by a team of franchising professionals headed by industry veteran Stan Friedman. From the onset, the initiative has had a dual purpose: 1) To create and deliver education and information about the franchise arena to the professional sports community, and; 2) To provide the franchising community with information about how to successfully engage professional athletes about their opportunities - following a new playbook after their game days are over.

"Through PAFI, we provide education and direction to former pro athletes as they transition from playing sports to the next phases of their careers," Friedman said, noting that athletes' tenacity at working their plans, coupled with better than average financial wherewithal, could potentially present a winning formula for success within the franchise industry. "By educating both the athletes and franchisors about these potential synergies, we are setting the table for a mutually beneficial situation that could create new jobs and contribute positively to the economy."

Michael Stone's passion to educate athletes about exploring business ownership came as a result of his own transition out of the NFL. After sitting out the first four weeks of the 2007 season due to injury, Stone learned he had been cut from the New York Giants while driving home from a medical exam. At that moment, he was confronted with the reality of a now abruptly ended career, and no clear path toward where his future would take him. Stone went on to create the Allied Athlete Group and co-founded Coliseum Enterprises, which both aim to assist professional athletes in converting their athletic careers into the fuel that will support their future endeavors.

Friedman, a Certified Franchising Executive (CFE) and PAFI's advisory board chair, is senior vice president at FranConnect, the leading provider of franchise-centric software solutions. He is also first vice chair of IFA's Diversity Institute and the 2010 recipient of IFA's prestigious Ronald E. Harrison Diversity Award. Friedman noted that as a business model, franchising provides endless opportunities for professional athletes to benefit from their past experience.

"Franchising is all about team play, and executing better every day against proven plans and systems," Friedman said. "PAFI not only aims to educate professional athletes on the benefits of franchise ownership, but also to create ongoing dialogues and relationships within the pro athlete, franchising and academic communities."

For example, the initiative's premier event is its annual "Franchise Summit" held at Emory University in Atlanta. At the summit, franchisors lead panels, classroom and roundtable discussions, providing education and information to athletes about the rules of engagement and mutual responsibilities that are inherent in the franchise business model. In addition, the PAFI Press, a monthly newsletter designed to keep both franchisors and athletes abreast of ongoing success stories and developments, raises awareness for the association with the professional athlete community, specifically targeting the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB player's associations, among others.

"A professional athlete's career is short and can be terminated at anytime for any reason," added Stone. "Because of this, athletes need to look to the future and explore all possible options. Joining the franchise industry allows these individuals to once again become part of a team that will enable them to maintain control of their future."

About PAFI
Founded in 2010 by former NFL cornerback Michael Stone, PAFI is guided by an advisory board of iconic franchise professionals and chaired by franchise industry veteran Stan Friedman. PAFI provides a platform for professional athletes to explore the world of opportunities available within the franchise industry. It does so by providing education and information about the rules of engagement and by communicating the mutual responsibilities that are inherent in the franchise business model. PAFI's goal is to bring awareness and synergy to both the professional athletic and franchising communities through education, research and interaction. This goal will be realized via the involvement of athletes that are already successful franchisees, franchisors and franchise supplier members, all of whom play active roles in developing this niche group. PAFI membership is open to all International Franchise Association members that share common vision, values and ethics, and agree with the value proposition that PAFI serves up; that of taking the field with the next generation of franchise industry professionals: pro athletes. For more information, please visit http://www.thePAFI.org.