If you caught our previous story introducing LeBron James’ new CNBC show called “Cleveland Hustles”, you heard about the opportunity for small businesses to have the chance to win an online endorsement from the 4-time NBA MVP. Well the results are in and the winner was announced: a San Francisco-based company called Yolanda’s Construction Administration and Traffic Control.
Small businesses around the country were able to submit a 23-second long video with the hashtag #PitchLeBronContest. Yolanda Jones, the owner, created the business back in 2010 in hopes to “keep young people off the streets of San Francisco’s rugged Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood”. The goal is to employ kids who are headed down a negative path in hopes to get them an opportunity to find their way and start making a living.
“LeBron, I need your help. We place men and women on construction projects to earn a decent living. Put the guns down, put the dope down and pick up a stop sign.”
While a single online endorsement may not seem like much, one from a top athlete with 32 million Twitter and 23 million Facebook followers can really get the name out. His Facebook post already has 126,000 views while and tweet has 1.5 thousand favorites, so it’s safe to say he helped spread the news. “An endorsement from LeBron James will help me get the word out to those fresh out of prison, those mothers who don’t want their sons and daughters in juvenile (detention). What I do is I reach into the community, not out. I help show them a way that they can live a productive life,” said Jones.
Congrats Yolanda!! Way to go. https://t.co/KKNY47DPRO
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 24, 2016
This contest was created to help endorse “Cleveland Hustles” which premiered Wednesday, August 24th. The show will bring in investors to assist four local entrepreneurs to set up a storefront in the Gordon Square Arts District, but, to get there they will need to compete with others in a series of challenges. Overall it’s a seemingly great concept for a superstar brand like Lebron’s to be fueling and it’s another example of athletes getting smarter with their investments, digital brands and ultimately how they impact their communities through their conscientiousness.
The next episode will air on August 31st at 10:00 pm ET/PT.