FEATURED NEWS
05.08.23
Dallas, TX – May 8, 2023 – Mavs Business Assist (MBA), the flagship business development program of Mavs Take ACTION!, recently had its sixth session of the season, featuring Mavs sponsorship partner, ShiftKey.
The unique event featured a panel discussion with ShiftKey leadership, offering valuable insights and knowledge for entrepreneurs and business professionals. The session took place at the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce.
Launched at the start of the season, the MBA program gives 100 minority entrepreneurs representing communities across North Texas the backing of an NBA franchise to support their businesses and dreams.
The Mavs and various community partners, like ShiftKey, meet with MBA members quarterly. The program will culminate with a pitch competition in front of a panel of judges in August.
The local entrepreneurs all have different dreams and pursuits but share a common goal to impact their local communities.
“We take the feedback from our entrepreneurs very seriously, actively seeking their input on how to improve the program and how we can better help them achieve their goals,” said Teddy Graves, founder of Mavs Business Assist. “The Mavs Business Assist program has been everything I could have imagined and more (so far!). There’s always more work to be done.”
Mavs Business Assist Session No. 6 started with a networking hour, followed by encouraging words delivered by Dallas Mavs executive team members. ShiftKey executives then spoke to the entrepreneurs in attendance. ShiftKey panelists included Tom Ellis (Chief Executive Officer), Mike Vitek (Chief Revenue Officer) and Karen Clark (Chief Human Resources Officer).
The conversation focused on several key areas, including company scaling, building and maintaining corporate relationships, team building, and hiring the best fit for a company.
Founded by Tom Ellis in 2016, ShiftKey takes a marketplace approach, creating choices and options for both healthcare facilities looking to fill shifts and independent licensed professionals seeking to work on their own terms.
Since 2016, the model has proved highly successful, equipping thousands of facilities nationwide with the resources, analytics, and network to make strategic workforce decisions at scale while expanding access to work for hundreds of thousands of licensed professionals.
Vitek explained how the partnership with the Mavs was born from a personal mission. His son endured many medical hardships, and the game of basketball was a shining light during a hard period of their lives. They realized that the Dallas Mavs can bring hope to many people in all kinds of ways.
“We got Mavs tickets at that point in time because we wanted to enjoy his health,” Vitek shared with the audience. “We then met [the Mavs corporate team], and everything aligned well. What we wanted to do was give back. We [at ShiftKey] aligned with many of the same values of the Mavericks. We had a purpose and were driven towards that, so all the plans aligned.”
The Mavs and Shiftkey, a Texas-based technology company, announced a multi-year partnership in August 2022. With this partnership, the companies will focus on making a meaningful difference in North Texas. They worked together throughout the season on various projects, including the Mavs Vault at the State Fair, hospital visits for healthcare workers, the Mavs Ball and events honoring single moms in the community.
The MBA event was an extension of the work the organizations do together during the season.
“The Dallas Mavericks have built an incredible organization, and it’s exciting to be able to align with the team as their Official Partner,” Ellis said at the time. “Our company has seen tremendous growth over the past year, and part of what makes me proudest is the ability to give back. Seeing the Mavericks leadership and presence in the community inspired us to partner so that together we can make a meaningful difference.”
The Mavs Business Assist program is designed to provide networking resources and equitable support to diverse local entrepreneurs through professional development workshops and other activities.
Graves says the Mavs have an all-hands-on-deck support system that will only grow in the coming years.
“The Mavs Business Assist program has certainly been a source of pride for me and the entire Mavs Take ACTION! Team,” he shared.
About ShiftKey
ShiftKey is a platform that is disrupting the way healthcare facilities find licensed and certified professionals to fill available shifts. Leveraging marketplace dynamics and deep industry knowledge, the company is playing a vital role in mitigating America’s healthcare staffing shortages, enabling direct connections between facilities and healthcare professionals. By offering the opportunity to work as much or as little as they choose and putting the power back into the hands of healthcare workers, ShiftKey is bringing more licensed professionals back into the workforce, a solution that is solving a major crisis in healthcare. For more information, visit www.ShiftKey.com.
About Platform Partners LLC
Founded in 2006, Platform Partners LLC is a private investment company based in Houston that makes investments in lower middle-market companies with the intent of growing these businesses into industry leaders through a combination of organic and acquisition growth. Platform invests through a perpetual holding company structure allowing for a long-term, patient approach to partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies. The company manages total assets of approximately $950 million. For more information, please visit platformllc.com.