FedEx Opens First-Ever Lemonade Stand in Super Bowl XLVII Media Center, Enlists NFL Stars to Help Junior Achievement Students Run Small Business

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Close on the heels of an exciting 2012 NFL season, FedEx is bringing together football and future entrepreneurs to give New Orleans students a big stage to launch a small business. FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, is recruiting NFL stars to team up with Junior Achievement (JA) and open a pop-up lemonade stand in the heart of the Super Bowl XLVII Media Center in New Orleans, giving students the opportunity to run their own small business in one of the most highly-trafficked venues of the Super Bowl city.

“The Super Bowl Media Center is one of the busiest places in New Orleans this week, with the flurry of media activity and parade of personalities on site”

The reason: To celebrate the 10th year FedEx has sponsored the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week awards, and its ongoing support of today’s small business owners and students who will become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

“The Super Bowl Media Center is one of the busiest places in New Orleans this week, with the flurry of media activity and parade of personalities on site,” said Kevin Demsky, director of FedEx Sponsorship Marketing. “We’re excited our NFL stars can help local JA students raise money for their organization and at the same time instill in them the confidence, know-how and teamwork needed to run their own future small businesses.”

The pop-up lemonade stand, which will be operated by local JA students and NFL athletes, will be open between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. Running back Alfred Morris of the Washington Redskins, a FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year nominee, and Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers, who is staffing the stand in support of Aaron Rodgers’ FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year nomination, will join the students in this exciting undertaking.

“It is such a privilege to see these great athletes participate alongside our student-volunteers to help raise awareness about the importance of entrepreneurship education,” said Buzzy Thibodeaux, executive vice president of Junior Achievement USA®. “This unique event truly sheds light on Junior Achievement’s goal of empowering young people to own their economic success.”

Since 1996, FedEx has donated more than $10 million dollars to Junior Achievement Worldwide in support of small business and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, in part through the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program.

The FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year will be announced during the “2nd Annual NFL Honors,” a nationally televised awards show airing Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The 2012 FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year nominees are quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, and the 2012 FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year nominees are running backs Alfred Morris, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson. FedEx will make two $25,000 donations in the names of the winning players to the Junior Achievement offices in their NFL cities.

To learn more about the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program, visit NFL.com/FedEx. You can also follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter via @FedEx.

About FedEx Corporation:

FedEx, the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services, is the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Through the weekly FedEx Air & Ground Awards, FedEx recognizes those NFL players who represent the same speed, precision and teamwork that their customers have come to expect from the full range of FedEx air, ground, freight and international shipping services.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $43 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.

About Junior Achievement USA™ (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 4.2 million students per year in 122 markets across the United States, with an additional six million students served by operations in 119 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.