GREEN BAY, Wis. – Today Green Bay Athletics and Festival Foods unveiled the Festival Foods Fueling Station at the Kress Events Center on the campus of UW-Green Bay. Festival Foods made a significant gift in support of the fueling station and the University's Ignite the Future Campaign. The fueling station is part of a first-of-its-kind partnership for Phoenix Athletics aimed at enhancing the student-athlete experience and competitive excellence.  
 
"We're honored to support the student-athletes of UW-Green Bay with the Festival Foods Fueling Station," said Mark Skogen, Festival Foods president, and CEO. "As a company, we are deeply committed to making a positive difference in our communities, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to show our commitment to the student-athletes of UW-Green Bay."
 
The Festival Foods Fueling Station is located in the main concourse area of the Kress Events Center and will provide convenient access to nutritionally beneficial food to fuel Green Bay student-athletes. It will serve as a one-stop shop for all student-athlete nutritional needs, allowing them to quickly grab food to help balance time demands as well as providing nutrition education regarding recovery and performance.
 
"We are thrilled to partner with Festival Foods to bring this important resource to our student-athletes," Director of Athletics Josh Moon said. "Having access to a wide scope of products is essential for high-end athletic performance and we're lucky we have strong partners in Festival Foods, Prevea Health, and our Dietetics Department that have helped bring this vision to life."
 
Student-athlete education and operational leadership within the fueling station will also be provided through a partnership with UW-Green Bay's Nutrition and Dietetic programs. This strategic pairing offers students in these programs unique practical experience in Sports Nutrition while serving as a valuable resource to Green Bay Athletics.  
 
"Energy availability while training and competing is essential to performing at your highest level," said Director of Strength & Conditioning Brandon Schlotthauer. "The fueling station is a great way to ensure that Green Bay Student-Athletes have readily accessible energy sources available to meet all of their fueling needs."
 
"When a campus community is able to form collaborations that serve, educate, and empower our students through initiatives like this, it's a special thing," said Dr. Debra Pearson, Department Chair of Green Bay's Masters of Nutrition and Integrated Health program. "This partnership allows nutrition students to hone their knowledge and skills as they provide evidence-based food and nutrition recommendations to meet the fueling needs of student-athletes. The opportunity for students to gain practical experience in Sports Nutrition while working with a Division I Athletic Department will set UW-Green Bay's Nutrition and Dietetics programs apart from others."    
   
The Festival Foods Fueling Station is now open and will keep Northeast Wisconsin's Division I Team fueled for success.
 
If you would like to donate to Athletics through the Ignite the Future campaign, contact Alan Savage, Associate AD for Development at savagea@uwgb.edu.
 
ABOUT FESTIVAL FOODS 
Founded in 1946 as Skogen's IGA, Festival Foods is a Wisconsin family- and employee-owned grocer that is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and to providing guests with exceptional service and value. The company, which began operating as Festival Foods in 1990, today employs more than 8,000 full- and part-time associates and operates 40 full-service supermarkets across the state of Wisconsin. 
 
ABOUT UW-GREEN BAY ATHLETICS
Green Bay Phoenix Athletics supports 14 NCAA Division I varsity men's and women's sports, with 12 competing in the Horizon League. Entering their 41st year of Division I athletics, and serving as the only Division I school in the State of Wisconsin north of Madison, the Phoenix is "Northeast Wisconsin's Division I Team." The Phoenix has won 42 conference championships including 24 in women's basketball and four in men's basketball, and has made 23 total appearances in NCAA March Madness tournaments. Green Bay student-athletes excel in the classroom, earning above a 3.25 average GPA for the last 16 semesters, and give back to the region with over 2,000 total volunteer hours to various non-profits/and schools in the past year.
 
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