News

Former MLB Pitcher Todd Stottlemyre franchising poke concept

October 23, 2019

Koi Poke, a six-unit poke fast casual concept based in Arizona, is launching a national franchise platform under the name, Koibito Poke. Former Major League Baseball Pitcher Todd Stottlemyre, who helped lead the expansion of Koi Poke throughout Arizona, is its principle leader, according to a company press release.

"With the quick success of Koi Poke in Arizona and realizing we have the potential to build the right team to leverage a brilliant plan for creating a franchise model, it was impossible for us not to look at expanding this brand on a national level," Stottlemyre said in the release. "Creating a remarkable culture is massive differentiator and our focus is not to follow the standard but to become it. We aim do that on a national level by creating families of entrepreneurs mixed with high-performing coaching to create a new standard to which other companies can set their benchmark."

After his baseball career in which he was recipient of the Branch Rickey and the Lou Gehrig Memorial awards, Stottlemyre entered the world of Wall Street before launching his own investment fund. In addition to founding the Koi Franchise Llc. model, the best-selling author of "Relentless Success" has also created a high-performance coaching program — Stottlemyre International —  with CEOs of major companies such as Merrill Lynch, Home Builders Assn, APS, Canada White Sports and Tennessee Insurers. Through his own experiences of successes and self-admitted failures, Stottlemyre — who has served on the boards of organizations such as United Way, Caring for Kids, Not My Kid and the Leukemia Society —  said he hopes to engage people to live their lives without limits, according to the release.

Koibito Poke (Koibito, with Koi being the slang of this term, which means love in Japanese) will roll out its franchise efforts first in California, Las Vegas, Colorado and Washington. Franchise opportunities will be available in markets in the Midwest and beyond including Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Franchisee fee is $30,000 and for the first 18 months, entrepreneurs who are awarded a franchise will receive a lifetime 4% royalty, according to the release.