Many may know and recognize Sidney Rice from his NFL days, in particular when he played for the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he became a champion in Super Bowl XLVIII. What many might not know, is that he has since become a successful entrepreneur and an important part of the Eastside community through his many business ventures. “I was always interested in entrepreneurship. As early as I can remember, I was paying my friends my hard-earned pennies to dig random holes to see how far we could get down,” says Rice. Clearly his drive and work ethic from the field to the boardroom have some overlap. “It all ties in together in my opinion (football and business). In order to stay sharp and be successful at anything, you must study and practice those crafts,” says Rice. Bellevue Lifestyle had the opportunity to meet with Sidney to discuss his new venture, Dossier Wine, as well other projects on the horizon.
What has your post-football journey been like?
My post-football journey has been an amazing experience here in the Seattle area. I’ve been fortunate enough to create a lot of different opportunities for people in the community which is very important to me. It’s a rewarding feeling to be able to give back to the people who supported me throughout my career. The support that the fans have shown in my different business ventures has been tremendous. It’s one of the reasons I decided to make the Eastside my home.
Tell us about Dossier Wine.
A lot of people think that any wine venture must be a passion project. That holds truth in this but ultimately my partner, Tim Lenihan, and I both see something special with Dossier. We feel like there is a niche that has yet to be embarked on. Our ultimate goal is to continue to push forward the amazing industry of wine in Washington State, but we also feel like the experience for people is very important. Our events and dinners we have decided to create are memorable experiences for our Dossier Wine Family.
Any new business ideas on the horizon?
I'm a fairly active investor and entrepreneur, and am always incubating new ventures with a core group of co-investors and business partners. There are a few releasing in the very near future that I'm particularly excited about.
We just acquired Sodo, a men's athletic lifestyle apparel brand founded in Sodo, Seattle. I've been a long-time customer of this brand and it’s exciting to reinvigorate it with a modern approach to design and relationship with our customers. This should be live in March 2023.
We are in beta with Catapult, a platform that works with the Department of Defense to connect veterans with the right roles in renewable energy, and our goal is to help find a significant percentage of the 200,000 transitioning vets great careers in a growing field by Q4 of 2023.
We have a survival blanket company called SIREN, that has a heat retention technology that was developed for emergency rooms and trauma patients. We're fortunate to be in a position with SIREN to contribute a significant number of blankets to people in Ukraine who are facing a terrible winter ahead. Our product will save lives there.
And, you know I love wine. We're in the development stages of a WineTech concept that would reduce the risk of buying spoiled product for buyers of aged, fine wines.
Is there a motto that helps guide you?
I don’t think I have a specific motto. But I do love the quote, “Choose a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I feel like a lot of people pass up on their passions for instant gratification. They’ll get a job that pays them well for the moment but trade off something they are very passionate about. I like to encourage people who have a working skill to try and start their own business if at all possible.
The support that fans have shown in my different business ventures has been tremendous. It’s one of the reasons I decided to make the Eastside my home.