When someone mentions the AAU, I immediately hear the phrase in my head “I’m playing AAU”. This is the phrase hundreds of thousands of athletes across the United States say year in and year out as they give themselves the opportunity to compete against other aspiring athletes from various communities. I’ve seen first hand the level of commitment from the athletes to compete in their respective sports as well as the commitment from their families, friends and coaches to support those efforts.

When we had the opportunity to partner with the AAU, the most compelling element to this partnership was the ability to have a positive impact on the athletes and their families not just with all-natural products but with the knowledge on how proper sports nutrition can improve performance. I’m a big believer in focusing on what you can control and sports nutrition is one area that can be an advantage for athletes that is within their control.

As we begin our partnership with the AAU, we’re excited to help as many athletes as possible achieve their goals; be the best they can be and to remind them of our philosophy, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”

-PAT CAVANAUGH, FOUNDER

Ready^® Nutrition Named Official Sports Drink Company of the AAU

On a Mission to Prepare Elite Young Athletes

Pittsburgh, PA. December 10, 2019 — Ready^® Nutrition (@ready_nutrition), one of the fastest growing sports nutrition companies in America, today announced that Ready has been named the Official Sports Drink of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). This agreement between AAU and Ready Nutrition is a unique partnership that will allow the fast-growing brand to reach even more athletes and further build on its mission of helping athletes achieve their goals.

Ready Nutrition will be the official sports drink provider of the AAU with its proprietary sports drink products featuring all-natural and functional ingredients that prepare athletes to compete at their highest levels. The AAU is the largest, volunteer based, multi-sport organization in the United States with nearly 700,000 athletes competing in local, regional and national championships across 41 sports. “One of our stated goals has always been to help young athletes achieve their performance goals through best practices in sports nutrition.” said founder and president Pat Cavanaugh, a former Division 1 athlete at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a two-time basketball captain. “To be able to impact and assist literally hundreds of thousands of up-and-coming athletes as they strive to reach their athletic potential and their ultimate individual or team goals, is just an amazing opportunity for our Ready Nutrition team.”

‘As President/CEO of the AAU, I strive to identify strategic partners who share in the AAU’s 130-year plus vision of providing athletic opportunities for all, in a safe, quality environment,” said Dr. Roger J. Goudy, President/CEO of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

“The health and well-being of our athletes has always been the AAU’s utmost priority. Partnering with a brand that is as progressive as Ready Nutrition as the new ‘Official Sport Drink of the AAU’ provides participants a valuable hydration resource as they compete in AAU events. We look forward to building a strong relationship for many years to follow.” The two organizations will kick off their partnership at the AAU’s National Football Championships scheduled for this December 10-15th in Orlando featuring teams from across the United States.

About Ready Nutrition
www.readyismade.com

Ready Nutrition was founded in 2012 by former University of Pittsburgh basketball team captain and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Hall of Fame member, Pat Cavanaugh. Ready Nutrition is a fast-growing sports nutrition company dedicated to assisting athletes in achieving their goals through cutting edge nutrition. The company’s products include protein and snack bars, protein powders and plant based functional snacks, along with its best in-class all-natural protein water. Its products are currently available in over 8,000 retail outlets across the country and have been sold in 15 countries. Over 200 college and university athletic programs provide their student-athletes with Ready Nutrition products and the brand is the Official Sports Nutrition Brand of four NCAA Division 1 Conferences. Recently, professional football star Aaron Donald has joined the company as an investor and spokesperson.

About the AAU

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has been raising champions for more than a century. Since its inception in 1888, the AAU has set the standard for amateur sports in the United States with one goal in mind: “Sports For All, Forever.” It is more than a motto – it has been the focus and drive of AAU for 130 years and counting for sports in the United States and throughout the world. One of the largest, nonprofit, volunteer, multi-sport event organizations in the world, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. The AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 700,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 41 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts.

Ready Information Contact:
Sotiris Aggelou
Vice President, Global Brand Partnerships
sotiris@comeready.com
412.939.3399

The first time I met Aaron I walked into the room and he was sitting down with his back to me. As I walked in, he stood up, turned around, and gave me a firm handshake. He looked me in the eye and said “Nice to meet you”. This may sound like an ordinary, every day introduction, but it said a lot about him right off the bat. In today’s world, to have someone at any age look you in the eye and give you a firm handshake speaks volumes, especially coming from someone as accomplished as Aaron.

I’ve played with hundreds of guys in football and basketball and I’ve always said “Everyone looks good in warmups.” So many people talk a good game, but very few have the discipline, commitment, and relentless work ethic to do the little things day in and day out to be great. I knew Aaron was a grinder, someone who enjoyed the process of working like crazy to be the best he could be. That’s my kind of guy.

All of that being said, I knew we wouldn’t be able to work together if Aaron wasn’t a user and believer in our products. He told me right away that he’s always loved our Ready Water and the idea of partnering with a brand that puts so much emphasis on clean, all-natural ingredients. The rest is history.

– Pat Cavanaugh, Founder

Ready^® Nutrition (@ready_nutrition), one of the fastest growing sports nutrition companies in America, today announced that professional football star Aaron Donald (Twitter: @AaronDonald97, IG: aarondonald99), has joined the company as an investor and co-owner along with Founder and President Pat Cavanaugh, former University of Pittsburgh basketball team captain.

This new partnership ties together two high-energy Pittsburgh entrepreneurs with shared sports, workout and nutrition agendas, all aimed at helping athletes achieve their most ambitious goals. The fifth-year defensive tackle, who was a user and believer in the company’s best in class Ready Protein Water prior to joining Team Ready, will be actively involved in the company’s product development, young athlete and brand awareness programs.

In particular, Donald and Cavanaugh will focus together on high school and youth athlete platforms such as Ready’s Mobile Training Table Program and Ready Talks with Aaron that give advice to athletes, and extensive donations of Ready product to select high school and youth programs nationwide.

Donald and Cavanaugh are confident that all this activity and emphasis will lead to the achievement of a key Ready goal: helping one million athletes achieve one ambitious stretch goal they set for themselves by 2025.

Ready Water is an all-natural, premium sports hydration drink featuring 15 grams of protein, NO Sugar and 5 natural electrolytes. It is currently available nationwide at Sam’s Club, numerous grocery and convenience stores, as well as online through Amazon and the company’s website www.readyismade.com.

“We are proud to have Aaron join our Team, especially how well he matches our brand mentality.” said Cavanaugh. “Most importantly, he’s a caring person who likes to help others. We’re excited to partner with someone who is so engaged in helping young people and at the same time is known to be a relentless worker, on and off the field. We LOVE people who believe in our products and our philosophy that it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. Aaron epitomizes this.”

“I play hard and I train even harder,” said Donald. “I’ve learned during my career through a lot of trial and error that getting the right quality nutrition products in my body can make a big difference in how I perform. So, I am very particular about what I put in my body, very particular. Ready Water’s combination of protein, no sugar, and all-natural electrolytes checked all the boxes for me. I’ve looked at hundreds of brand partnerships over the past couple years and have found very few that match my standards and interests in making a difference in a global community. The fact that Pat, also a Pitt guy, shares the same mindset about hard work and helping others, and runs the business with that mindset every day, made Ready the perfect fit for me.”

Most recently Ready and Aaron made a large donation of Ready Water to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to help hydrate the firefighters during their recent battles with wildfires across Southern California.