Iconic athletes, the coronavirus pandemic, and food combined to inspire a novel business model for a group of local entrepreneurs.
In 2019, Derek MIssimo, a longtime restaurateur and marketing mind, developed a concept and co-founded a company called Playmakers, which links well-known – and beloved – local athletes to businesses in the cities where they made their names. 
Several years later, Mark Caffey, an Arlington entrepreneur, joined the venture after his primary business, which focused on the oil and gas industry, suffered during the global coronavirus pandemic.
The idea was an easy sell for Caffey, who has been connected to Arlington with a number of business ventures, as well as growing up in the city and locating his office on Main Street.
“I’ve always been a sports junkie,” he said. “And I’m always looking for other business opportunities.”
Missimo put together what he calls his Dream Team, led by Banh Shop CEO Ken Myers, former CEO of Tony Roma’s; co-founder Michael Uremovich, the COO and another former professional soccer player with vast restaurant experience; Simon Bozas of The Mezas Team as a partner responsible for finances; and Heather Peoples, “the glue that keeps the operation going” and who brings more than two decades of business experience.
The Playmaker brand covers a list of other ventures, including podcasts, film documentaries, Spirit Water, and arrangements with noted universities.
Caffey had coached Missimo in youth soccer in Dallas, and later at the University of North Carolina, where Missimo became an All-American player and the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Missimo’s career veered from sports after he left North Carolina, leading to decades in the restaurant industry, notably as the vice president of operations for the largest franchisee group for Schlotzsky’s Deli. After leaving that post, he turned to developing concepts for airport restaurants and concessions.
Pivoting back to sports came naturally, particularly in a sports-mad community like Arlington and the rest of North Texas.
The venture focuses on airport restaurants, reflecting the star of that area. Locally, Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is featured at DFW International Airport and longtime Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco is the profile for a bar at Love Field.
The number of relationships with these iconic athletes grew with the partnership of Tom Fireoved and Spencer Bass from Franchise Sports & Entertainment. Fireoved has more than 20 years in sports with the Stars, Rangers and on his own with his first and still client, Mike Modano.
Bass is a former professional BMX rider who specializes in contracts and extreme athletes.
Among other stars represented are Simone Biles at both airports in Houston, Wayne Gretzky in Canada, Johnny Bench in Cincinnati and an all-star roster that includes athletes such as Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps. Plans are in the works for a restaurant revolving around longtime Texas Rangers star Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, including locating a site in San Juan, Puerto Rico along with plans to build out a restaurant with the Dallas Stars. 
The menu reflects the tastes of the local community and the appetite of the associated star.
“It’s what we call a ‘sports atmosphere’,” Caffey said, adding that memorabilia is also available at the restaurant locations.
“We have 20 athletes signed to get restaurants in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada,” Caffey said, adding that locating a business inside an airport brings a unique set of challenges not present in a traditional location.
Sports isn’t the only theme for the group’s restaurant development. Playmakers owns an interest in seven Banh Shop locations in the United States and Canada. Those restaurants offer Asian-style street food.
Aside from food, Playmakers also delivers through podcasts, presenting a diverse cast of sports personalities from DFW. Bringing the broadcasting background to the production is acclaimed sports anchor John Rhadigan. Past participation included local sports radio personality Julie Dobbs and longtime area sports reporter Emily Jones McCoy.
The athletes joining them are a who’s who of prominent DFW athletes:
– Derek Harper, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, most notably as one of the early and sustained stars of the Dallas Mavericks.
– Kevin Mench, the former Texas Rangers slugger who played 8 seasons in Major League Baseball and developed a following for his good humor.
– Craig Ludwig, who won a Stanley Cup while playing defense for the Dallas Stars during his 17 seasons in the NHL. He’s still heavily involved with the Stars and the local hockey community.
– Nate Newton, a three-time Super Bowl champion and star offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. Newton later became a highly accomplished radio personality in DFW.
The podcasts, available on streaming sites and through YouTube as the Playmakers Network (formerly DUB), reach beyond sports and provide unique insights from the stars about their time on and off the field.
A common link among the athletes that Playmakers connects with is that they’re individuals committed to the community. “They’re not only great athletes, they’re fantastic human beings,” Caffey said. “We want to do this with athletes that are respected.”
“I like to say that all of us strive to be respected by others,” Caffey said. “You’re only as important as other people think you are.”
