Lee University Athletic Director John Maupin is pleased to announce a multi-year sponsorship deal naming Food City as the official supermarket of Lee University Athletics.

"Food City is excited to partner with Lee University on this initiative that will not only benefit the University's athletics program and student body, but also the residents of Cleveland, TN and Bradley County," said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. "We are proud to serve as the official supermarket of Lee University Athletics and look forward to working with them for many years to come, as we continue to serve the area residents and invest in the Bradley County community".

Food City's commitment to Lee Athletics covers complimentary admission to all women's and men's basketball home games over the next three seasons. This will allow fans to enjoy all the action inside Walker Arena free of charge.

"We are very excited to begin this partnership with Food City. I am grateful for their commitment to Lee University Athletics and most importantly, their commitment to our student-athletes and their growth at Lee University," said Maupin. "From the outset it was very clear that we have a shared vision for having a long-term positive impact in the Cleveland/Bradley County community. We are proud to partner with Food City and look forward to doing so for many years to come."

Food City will also serve as the exclusive sponsor of the Burn 'Em Up Podcast which is a weekly podcast that features Lee University student athletes and gives them a platform to tell their stories.

"We are extremely grateful and excited about our new corporate sponsorship deal with Food City. Walker Arena has become one of the best home court advantages in the GSC and country for both our men's and women's programs. This deal will allow complimentary admission to our fans and continue to enhance our game day experience for our student-athletes," said Lee men's basketball coach Bubba Smith.

"Part of what makes Lee Basketball special is our local connections and hometown fans, we can't thank Food City enough for wanting to support our basketball programs for investing in our community," said Lee women's basketball coach Marty Rowe.

Food City is a privately held family-owned company headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia and currently operates 153 retail locations throughout Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. The company continues to invest heavily in the Bradley County Community. Food City recently broke ground on a 50,000 square foot facility off Georgetown Road and a 46,000 square foot facility in Ocoee, Tenn. All totaled, Food City is investing more than $30 million in the new supermarkets and upgrades to the store on 255 Ocoee Crossing in Cleveland, Tenn.

 

Pictured (left to right):

Bubba Smith- Mens Basketball Coach 

Noah Boler-Kyle- Basketball Senior 

Jaci Kazy- Food City Special Events Manager 

Brooke Firestone- Food City Human Relations Coordinator

Eric Hozouri- Food City Store Manager 

Brea Chapman- Food City Human Relations Coordinator

Mitch Cochran- Food City Store Manager

Katie Penny- Food City District Manager

Rodney Dillard- Food City Exec VP Operations, Chattanooga Division

John Maupin-Athletic Director 

Cary Anselment- Food City District Manager 

Micheal West- Food City Store Manager

Tim Gaddis- Food City Store Manager 

Susanna Rogers- Women's Basketball Sophomore

Jan Spangler- Women's Basketball Associate Head Coach

Marty Row- Women's Basketball H ead Coach

Carmen Lastoria- Associate Athletic Director