Brees Launches New Startup & Is Hiring A NOLA Entrepreneur To Take The Reins

New Orleans’ biggest star is launching a new startup.  And he is looking to hire an entrepreneur in New Orleans to lead the venture.

Drew and Brittany are financing the new, unnamed startup-up apparel venture.  The Brees’ have been working to incubate the company with the Idea Village and Harvard Business School students for the past nine months.  They developed the business plan for the New Orleans-based apparel startup and plan to launch in late 2012.  This for-profit company will create jobs and revenue for the region while having a strong charitable focus and community orientation.

Perhaps the biggest news though is that this is an opportunity for a true partnership: Brees is offering equity to the lucky entrepreneur.

This isn’t the first time the Brees’ and the Idea Village have worked together.  They’ve teamed up for the last two years on a program called the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge.  The Challenge is meant to inspire, support and teach local high school students about entrepreneurship.

Brees commented, “Brittany and I are thrilled to launch this venture in New Orleans.  The new business represents the brand and the spirit of the city we are proud to call home. We are now identifying the ideal entrepreneur to bring this plan from idea to execution.”

In a statement, Tim Williamson, Co-Founder and CEO of The Idea Village added, “We are excited to partner with the Brees Dream Foundation and Harvard University to develop this business in New Orleans. We believe that entrepreneurs create change and we look forward to identifying an all-star CEO to lead this bold new venture.”

Both the Idea Village and the Brees Dream Foundation have been tight lipped on the details of the opportunity except for the info contained in the job description (reproduced below).  Interested candidates must apply to breesentrepreneur@ideavillage.org by Tuesday, June 5 at 12pm CST. Qualified candidates will be invited to join an information session the morning of Wednesday, June 6. Interviews will begin week of June 11, 2012.

This is the start of something big…

 

JOB DESCRIPTION – APPAREL CEO

OBJECTIVE: Seeking an experienced manager with apparel experience to develop, launch and manage a brand with Brittany and Drew Brees. Candidate must be independent and require no training. He or she must be educated with apparel industry background and must know how to effectively manage a Board of Advisors.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Work full-time, based in New Orleans
  • Launch a global apparel brand, in collaboration with Brittany and Drew Brees
  • Create a scalable business model with a sustained community impact
  • Develop partnerships, suppliers, and sales channels
  • Manage day-to-day operations and high level strategy
  • Oversee sales: wholesale, online and direct

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS
Experience:

BA required, MBA preferred

Minimum 5 years work experience in a combination of the following areas:

  • Apparel and retail operations and management
  • Brand development
  • Product management
  • Manufacturing and distribution
  • Strategic alliance and partnership management
  • Entrepreneurship and early-stage growth
  • Direct, wholesale and online sales
  • Cause marketing

Skills: Leadership; Communication; Project Management; Relationship Development & Management; Analytic & Strategic Thinking; Multi-tasking; Organization; Process Management; Creativity; Financial Management

COMPENSATION
Entrepreneur will be compensated with equity ownership and variable compensation linked to mutually determined performance metrics.

INTERESTED
By Tuesday, June 5, 2012 @ 12pm CST to breesentrepreneur@ideavillage.org,
email resume and an executive summary (500 words or less) that explains your experience and why you are qualified to launch a celebrity-endorsed retail apparel line.

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
Morning of Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Information Session for invited applicants
Week of June 11, 2012: 1st Round Interviews
Week of June 18, 2012: 2nd Round Interviews