LANSING - Former NFL player Lonnie Young is helping others go the whole nine yards in Lansing.
In October, Young and wife Lisa opened a branch office of Express Personnel Services, 6437 S. Cedar St. The business is part of a national franchise that offers full-time recruiting, interviewing, drug screening and professional placement services.
Knowing he would eventually have to retire, Young said he had wanted to own his own business.
“I knew that I would eventually have to turn the page (of playing football) and knew that it would be an adjustment,” he said. “My whole life, my goal had been to play in the NFL, and I got there and stayed.”
The idea for Express Personnel came to the Youngs after researching other types of businesses.
“We were in the process of owning a McDonald’s restaurant, and the ones we looked at were not to our liking,” Young said. “Express swept us off our feet.”
The Youngs said they love how their business allows them to help others.
“It’s a sense of accomplishment helping someone who needs a job, and give them the skills and training to get it,” he said.
The company targets men and women who are in search of a job, and will help them learn skills if necessary.
“The franchise’s slogan, ‘jobs that fit’ is exactly what we do,” he said. “It’s the concept of creating a marriage between associates and their skills to a company.”
Young, who played 12 years of professional football for the New York Jets, the Arizona Cardinals when they were still in St. Louis and the San Diego Chargers, said it was a big change for him to retire.
“It’s tough for any athlete (to retire),” Young said. “You don’t develop the skills to market yourself into the workforce.
“We did.”
Both MSU graduates, the Youngs were anxious to return to Lansing.
Although Young is no longer playing football professionally, he took his best teammate with him to Lansing.
“Lisa is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Young said. “We’ve had children, traveled and been through a lot together, and you can’t beat that.
“It really makes a huge difference.”
Robert Funk, founder of Express Personnel Services, is optimistic for the Youngs’ success in Lansing.
“We are looking forward to watching Lonnie and Lisa’s clients and employees succeed in today’s hot job market,” Funk said.
The office provides full- and part-time staffing services to several area businesses with a supporting network of more than 400 franchises internationally.
