SFU Athletics announced a formal partnership with Ready Nutrition in August. Ready is a sports nutrition company based in Wexford, Pennsylvania. It is a fast-growing company that has also partnered with Gonzaga and UCLA, as well as the Allegheny Health Network and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).
This is the first time that the Red Flash Athletics Department has every partnered with a sports nutrition company. The agreement is for three years and, during this period, the University will provide student-athletes with the full line of products produced by Ready, including their Original and Light Sports Drinks, Protein Water, Clean Protein Bars, Protein Snacks and Protein Powder.
“We naturally had an interest in enhancing the student-athlete experience and Ready was interested in assisting Saint Francis Athletics while also advancing their brand,” said SFU Director of Athletics James Downer.
“I think the fact that we are one of three college partners that they have chosen to work with speaks volumes about the company’s commitment to Red Flash Athletics.”
The partnership between SFU and Ready has been in the making for several years, dating back to 2021 when the University offered a small number of the company’s products.
Sotiris Aggelou serves as Vice President for Global Partnerships for Ready Nutrition and is a 1998 graduate of SFU with a degree in English/Communications. Aggelou was also a member of the Red Flash men’s basketball team during his time at SFU (1996-98).
He transferred to Saint Francis from Pitt, where he played two seasons for the Panthers (1993-95).
“The goal and the mission of the company is to help people get better. It’s as simple as that,” said Aggelou. “From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed, it’s all about being ready.
“How you prepare your body, your mind and what you put in your body. Everything is about being ready.”
Aggelou will visit Saint Francis next Wednesday, Oct. 25, as a guest of the Shields School of Business. His visit is part of the SSOB’s Executive-in-Residence Program. He will be meeting with students from the Communications Program and various Business majors throughout the day.
Ready provides the Athletics Department with coolers, plastic cups, towels, water bottles, refrigerators and other items free of charge.
“You’ll see the Ready logo incorporated in various ways in terms of advertising,” said Downer. “We have already added the logo prominently on our website, along with our video boards.
“We routinely run their commercials during our broadcasts on NEC FrontRow and will have some added prominent advertising elements during home football and basketball games.”
Originally from Greece, Aggelou was a teammate of current Red Flash head men’s basketball coach Rob Krimmel during his two seasons at SFU.
After graduating from SFU in 1998, Aggelou played professional basketball for seven seasons overseas before returning to the United States in 2005. He accepted a job from former Pitt teammate Pat Cavanaugh shortly thereafter.
Cavanaugh is the founder and president of Ready Nutrition.
Aggelou and Krimmel agree that Saint Francis has an “underdog” mentality as one of the smallest Division I schools in the country. They also agree that this mentality fits nicely with the Ready brand.
“The Ready people are the underdog people,” said Aggelou. “The people that have a chip on their shoulder.
“We love the people that have heard throughout their career that they’re not going to make it: ‘you’re not fast enough, you’re not tall enough.’”
Krimmel believes that SFU and Ready make a good team.
“The nutrition market is very competitive,” said Krimmel, who enters his 12th season as the school’s head men’s basketball coach in 2023-24.
“It is saturated with brands and types of products and Ready Nutrition has that underdog mentality.”
On the evening of Oct. 25 – the day of Aggelou’s visit to the Shields School of Business – Ready Nutrition will bring a truck full of its products to Loretto. The products will be available outside of DeGol Arena for people to sample.
That evening, the Red Flash men’s and women’s basketball teams will host their annual “Rim Rally,” which includes a basketball game between SFU Greek Life members and University faculty.
