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Published: May 23 2014

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Author, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker and Former NBA Player Keyon Dooling has teamed up with Joe Toliver, an avid community activist, to form Dooling Enterprises, LLC for a conglomerate of business ventures. These two South Florida natives have also chosen to keep philanthropy at the core of their business model.

"Dooling Enterprises has been a vision for quite some time, and I am excited about the future of this business and the impact we will make in South Florida," Dooling said. "With Joe's extensive experience in not-for-profit management, local relationships and community building, along with my tenure as a leader in professional sports, Dooling Enterprises definitely has a great recipe for success."

Dooling Enterprises will focus on several business ventures and further develop its social responsibility arm, The Respect Foundation, to bring awareness to sexual assault and mental health and wellness. Dooling will serve as president of the new business enterprise and will generate opportunities in South Florida and throughout the country. Toliver will serve as CEO, responsible for leading the day-to-day operations and leveraging opportunities to assure optimal return on investments.

Dooling, most recognized for his skills and leadership on the basketball court, was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He entered the NBA in 2002 as a starter for the LA Clippers and spent 13 years on the court until encountering a life-altering experience that changed his career path. He remained committed to his love for the game and was resilient in overcoming his obstacles, landing a front office job with his former team, the Boston Celtics. Dooling has taken his experiences on and off the court to serve as a motivational speaker, promoting child abuse prevention, mental health and wellness as part of the NBA's Team Development Summit. He has provided presentations for the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and most recently the fatherhood summit hosted by CNN Anchor Soledad O'Brien. Dooling also authored a new book entitled "What's Driving You? How I Overcame Abuse and Learned to Lead in the NBA" that will be released this summer. The book has been converted into a monologue, "What's Driving You?" which is a part of the "I Am Respect Tour" performed by Dooling to share his formidable tale of life deferred, interrupted but ultimately triumphant.

Toliver has volunteered and worked professionally in the social sector in numerous leadership roles for more than 20 years. He is a community builder who continues to foster and advocate for strategic frameworks, utilizing defined approaches to produce results reflective of a community's needs. Most recently, Toliver served as Vice President of Philanthropy and Communications for the Urban League of Broward County, where he was responsible for overseeing operations for the fund development, marketing, public relations and events departments. He previously held positions with the United Way as Director of Grant Administration and Director of Community Mobilization and Empowerment.

"This is an exciting venture. I am overcome with pride to have grown up in Ft. Lauderdale and to take on this new role as an entrepreneur, as it connects me with the legacy of my parents, who owned and operated businesses in the Sistrunk community during my youth," Toliver said. "Keyon and I share a similar passion for this community and will make it our top priority to operate in its best interest."

For more information and to support the work of the Respect Foundation, visit www.respectfoundation55.org.