Business
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose buys a stake in the Pizza business
Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose in front of Giordano’s Pizza PHOTO/Bob Carl
Deep dish pizza company Giordano’s has announced that the Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, has become an equity partner in the restaurant franchise.
“The pizza business is a cash flow machine; we just have to make it grow,” said Richard Levy, managing partner of Victory Park Capital Advisors, which bought the stalwart Chicago brand last year.
Levy said Derrick Rose paid for his undisclosed piece of the pie, which will entitle him to the share of the profits as the company seeks to branch out, first to the Midwest and in “Big Ten” college cities and eventually to other states notably California and Texas, the two top states where Giordano’s says it ships the most frozen pizzas to.
It is a first-of-its-kind partnership, claim the two parties. Rose is the first nationally recognized athlete and celebrity spokesperson to partner with the iconic pizza brand in its nearly 40-year history.
