Arizona Famous Entrepreneur Profile - Reggie Fowler

Reggie Fowler

In 1989, Tucson Arizona native Reggie Fowler started Chandler Arizona based Spiral Inc.with a $1,000 investment. Spiral supplies non-food items such as bags, cups, containers, labels, and janitorial supplies to grocery stores. Reggie Fowler also owns broadcasting, manufacturing, aviation, and real estate companies, as well as a cattle ranch.

Reggie Fowler played football at Sahuaro High School in the 1970s, at the University of Wyoming, at the Cincinnati Bengals and a season with the now-defunct Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League.

Reggie is in the final stages of buying the Minnesota Vikings. Fowler could become the first African-American to own a National Football League franchise.

Breaking News:

Reggie Fowler Issues Revised Biography

Reggie Fowler authorized the following clarifications for his biography.

"I realized that there was some confusion surrounding my background, and I wanted to make perfectly clear the facts of who I am and what I have done." said Fowler. "I regret that a draft copy of my biography was issued and I want to make sure the facts on my background are clear."

Reggie Fowler says he played on a Tucson Little League All-Star team during the '71-'72 season. Fowler's understanding is that leagues of this type earned a chance to advance to the Little League World Series tournament.

Fowler said he was a part of the Arizona Wranglers (USFL; 1984), and was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals' (NFL; 1982) and the Calgary Stampeders' (CFL; 1983) training camps.

His early work experience at the now-defunct Mobil Chemical was informally known as the "Whiz Kids" program to describe the hand-picked nature of the exclusive sales training program.

"For the past 10 months our group has been focused on acquiring the asset of the Minnesota Vikings and we remain committed to that goal. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we look forward to getting the focus back to the approval process ... and on to ownership of this great ball club," said Fowler.

Here is the newly issued Fact Sheet

Reggie Fowler Fact Sheet

Reggie Fowler, Prospective new owner of the Minnesota Vikings. 
    Personal information
    -- 46 years old
    -- Raised in Tucson, Arizona
    -- Four siblings
    -- Two children

    Education
    -- University of Wyoming
    -- Degree in social work.
    -- Emphasis of study in business and finance.
    -- Arizona State University
    -- Enrolled in MBA program.

    Business
    -- Mobil Oil Corporation's "Whiz Kids program"
        -- Named Mobile Chemical's "Rookie of the Year."
        -- Recognized as group's top sales person.
    -- Founded Spiral, Inc., Chandler Arizona
        -- Grew business to include six divisions, with a focus on the
           following industries: Real Estate, Aviation, Manufacturing,
           Agricultural, Entertainment and Banking.
        -- Business is currently the 11th largest African American owned firm.

    Athletics
    -- College
        -- Played outside linebacker at the University of Wyoming.
    -- Professional
        -- 1982, attended Cincinnati Bengals training camp of the National
           Football League (NFL).
        -- 1983, played on the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football
           League (CFL).
        -- 1984, played on the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football
           League (USFL).

Reggie Fowler Signs Purchase Agreement for the Minnesota Vikings

If Approved by the NFL, Reggie Fowler Will Become the First African-American General Owner of a NFL Franchise

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Feb. 14 Reggie Fowler, 46, at a news conference today announced he has signed a purchase agreement for the Minnesota Vikings. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The contract agreement will be reviewed by the NFL and voted upon by team owners within the next 60 to 90 days.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to purchase the Minnesota Vikings," Fowler said. "I look forward to the agreement being reviewed and approved by the NFL."

Fowler is founder and owner of Spiral Inc., Chandler, AZ. Spiral, Inc. is comprised of six divisions including, Real Estate, Aviation, Manufacturing, Agricultural, Entertainment and Banking.

Reggie Fowler Biography:

Reggie Fowler's journey to the brink of majority ownership of a National Football League franchise began forty-six years ago. One of five children from a military family, Mr. Fowler spent most of his formative years in Tucson, Arizona.

His first job was in his father's restaurant, known throughout Tucson's African American community as a signature, high-quality establishment. Mr. Fowler cooked, washed dishes, bussed tables and did whatever was required to support his family's business. He also assisted in the oversight of the restaurant's business operations -- an invaluable experience that, in many ways, served as the genesis of his remarkable business career.

Mr. Fowler's early drive and determination in the family business quickly translated into academic and athletic pursuits and achievements. An annual member of his school honor roll, Mr. Fowler also began receiving recognition for his athletic talents as early as the sixth grade. In that year, he was the recipient of a Presidential Accommodation from President Richard Nixon. At eleven years-old, Mr. Fowler's performance as an all-star baseball player earned him and his team a spot in the Little League World Series.

While blessed with athletic talents in several sports, football became Mr. Fowler's first love. After graduating high school, he accepted a football scholarship from the University of Wyoming, where he excelled on the gridiron and in the classroom. The early years in the restaurant business, where he developed a passion for numbers, led him to pursue a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Finance.

On the athletic front, Mr. Fowler's stellar performance as an outside linebacker provided him an opportunity to pursue his dream of playing professional football. For three years Mr. Fowler realized that dream by playing for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League.

Upon his retirement from professional football, Mr. Fowler remained in Arizona and enrolled in Arizona State University's MBA Program. Based on his academic success at ASU, Mr. Fowler applied for and was accepted into Mobil Oil Corporation's internationally renowned "Whiz Kids" program. This two-year matriculation program is designed to train gifted, young professionals to become executives of large corporations. Mr. Fowler participated in the program through Mobil Chemical, where he developed knowledge in the marketing of plastic products, as well as different forms of bags, trays and trash containers.

Mr. Fowler's performance at Mobil was consistent with the standard of excellence he had demonstrated on the field and in the classroom since childhood. He was named Mobil Chemical "Rookie of the Year" and earned additional honors as the group's top sales person.

However, when his accomplishments prompted Mobil Chemical to offer a promotion that would have necessitated a move to Southern California, Mr. Fowler declined. Instead, in the spirit of the entrepreneurial vision established by his father, Mr. Fowler began a stunning career in the private sector that brings him to this historic moment in American and professional sports history.

With a $1,000 investment in the late '80s, Mr. Fowler founded Spiral, Inc., presently the 11th largest African-American owned firm, according to the June 2004 edition of Black Enterprise Magazine. Spiral is comprised of six divisions, with a focus on the following industries: Real Estate, Aviation, Manufacturing, Agricultural, Entertainment and Banking.

In a lifetime filled with an inordinate amount of self-made success, rooted in principles formed in the Southwestern Desert and football fields across North America, Mr. Fowler is now embarking on an unprecedented new venture -- majority ownership of a National Football League franchise. When he succeeds, he will take with him the disciplines of hard work, integrity and passion that have fueled his achievements for over four decades.

SOURCE Reggie Fowler