Free Mp3 Ringtones

[ksdsoft14o64]

Cardinals' [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] expanding his HighPoint Shoes
Arizona Cardinals safety[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] soon could expand his Scottsdale sports shoe store concept beyond the Valley.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who owns and operates HighPoint Shoes at the Scottsdale Waterfront with his wife, Alicia, said he’s talking with a potential partner.
“We are in serious talks right now with someone I feel is a good fit for the first expansion, and it will be out of state. If all goes well, it should be completed in the next year,” said [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who wouldn’t disclose further details.
HighPoint Shoes opened in 2007 and sells high-end athletic shoes and apparel. Shoes range in price from $60 to $178 for Nikes and $75 to $135 for Reeboks.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said he has been approached several times by interested partners, but he has hesitated to team with just anyone. He said he’s not looking to sell outright, but rather to forge partnerships for expansion into new markets.
“The problem is that I view the store as a personal achievement and am very protective of what I have built,” he said. “So it is very difficult personally to hand the reins over to another party and trust they will have the same passion behind them and the ability to execute the way we have.”
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] has played for the Cardinals for his entire 10-year National Football League career. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14.
He said he hopes to play five more years,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but he’s looking at other business ventures as well as his charitable organization, the [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] Foundation. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] recently teamed with Cold Stone Creamery on an ice cream giveaway in which customer donations went to his foundation.
“The entrepreneurial spirit is something that is alive and awake in me,” he said.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said his passion for HighPoint stems from his longtime interest in sports fashion and shoes and the realities of his childhood.
“Growing up in HighPoint, N.C., sneakers were considered a luxury item for me. We did not have the disposable income to go spend $100 on the new Air Jordans or the trendy clothes at the time,” he said. “But sneakers and fashion have always been something that I had an interest or passion for.”
Sports stars often become involved with various business ventures during and after their athletic careers. Some are very active in those companies, while others simply lend their names to a restaurant or other business.
Former Suns star Amar’e Stoudemire was a silent partner at the Stoudemire’s Restaurant in downtown Phoenix, which now is closed. Across the street, Suns Assistant Coach Dan Majerle takes a more active role in Majerle’s Sports Grill, which also has locations in Goodyear and Chandler.
Athletes’ and coaches’ business ventures historically have been hit or miss.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach founded and later sold a successful national commercial real estate company. Former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs owns a successful Nascar racing team.
On the flipside, former Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June with $24.7 million in debts from real estate, sports camps and other ventures. Bernie Kosar, a former quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009 after some Florida real estate investments went south.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] acknowledges it hasn’t been easy opening and operating a new store in the midst of a national recession, which has hit Arizona very hard. But he credits the store’s staff and managers, including their ability to stock popular brands, for keeping it afloat.
“It is challenging and rewarding every day, and you really learn to appreciate what actually happens behind the scenes of that shirt you just bought,” he said.
The key to success on the retail front is for popular athletes to be actively engaged, at least on the marketing front, said Scott Harkey, a partner with Phoenix advertising agency Owens & Harkey Associates.
“They must personally be a marketing and public relations force,” he said. “Another key is to have a good managing partner for day-to-day operations. Having a great brand name like an [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] always helps; it establishes immediate creditability, which typically costs a lot of money and time to establish.”
Harkey added, “Dan Majerle’s restaurants are perfect examples of a pro athlete excelling in a retail business. What’s great is Dan stays involved with the business, and customers know at any time they may seen him. Consumers are smart, and if the brand is not authentic people will see right through it.”