Hurdler Spencer inks two-year deal with Eve

Leighton Levy, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Kaliese Spencer, the 2010 Diamond League 400-metre hurdles champion and the Eve brand of foods have entered into a two-year sponsorship agreement. This was announced during a press briefing and celebration held at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in Kingston on Thursday night.

The occasion also marked the eve of Spencer's 24th birthday and was attended by several of her training partners from the MVP track club, including World Championship and Olympic medal winners Deon Hemmings-McCatty, Michael Frater, Sherone Simpson and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce.

During toasts brought by Hemmings-McCatty, the 1996 400-metre hurdles champion, and Simpson, the silver medallist in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, Spencer was described as the right person to represent the Eve brand. Terms like 'down-to-earth' and 'hard-working' were used to characterise the former Manning's School standout athlete, who last year was ranked number one in her event by All-Athletics.com and number two by Track and Field News. These were but some of the attributes that caught the attention of Facey Commodity, owners of the Eve brand, as they sought to branch out into different areas of advertising.

Bright prospect

"We decided on Kaliese, Diamond League winner from last year for the 400-metre hurdles, as she is obviously a real bright prospect, I daresay, for gold this year at the coming World Championships and the Olympics next year," said Richard Barrow, senior general manager - Consumer Products Division of Facey Commodity Company Ltd.

Barrow declined to disclose details on the dollar-value of the sponsorship deal but said there were incentives built in for any colour medal won, for winning the gold medal as well as for each time she breaks a world record.

"This is an opportunity for us to work with Kaliese and for Kaliese to excel, specifically with the Eve brand. We welcome it because Kaliese, once you've got to know her, is really a beautiful person," Barrow said. "It really comes down to the ideals of family and hard work and nurturing, which is what we are about at Eve. So it's really a beautiful matchup, a beautiful collaboration."

Spencer, the 2006 World Junior Champion, all dressed up in a pink blouse, black pencil skirt and, platform pumps, was super excited about the deal. "It means a lot, it's my first endorsement ever and I am very honoured and I am proud and hopefully, I will make the best of it and they will be proud of me," she said, her voice trembling with excitement. "As their slogan 'First Family of Fine Food' suggests, I am a family person and I am very happy that this endorsement came about."

MVP Club president Bruce James, who helped broker the deal, said the two-year agreement which covers 2011 and 2012, was a good investment for Eve.

"It's very rewarding to see a local company have this kind of vision and foresight. Global companies recognise that athlete endorsement is a very powerful proposal in terms of having their brand promoted," he said. "And this really isn't so much the company sponsoring the athlete, but rather investing in the athlete who is going to endorse their product so that the company can grow."

Kaliese Spencer (right) and Sherone Simpson at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel, Waterloo Road last Thursday. The Eve brand of foods hosted a 24th birthday party for Spencer at which the world-rated hurdler signed a two-year sponsorship deal with the company. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer