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Join Nate Boyer and Run with Heart for Dell Children’s

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Run with heart and join Nate Boyer in supporting Dell Children’s Heart Program

Nate Boyer, former Green Beret, Texas Longhorn, and Seattle Seahawk has always followed his heart. Like when he decided to serve our country and when he taught himself to long snap leading to his career in the NFL. His decision to run his first marathon and fundraise for the new Dell Children’s Heart Program is no different. And you have the opportunity to join Nate Boyer and make a difference!

Nate Boyer carries the American flag for the Texas Longhorns before a home game. Courtesy of Nate Boyer.

Boyer leads the Texas Longhorns onto the field before a home game. Image courtesy of Nate Boyer.

“Now’s a time when we need to love ourselves and one another,” said Boyer. “2021 is a year where we have an opportunity to do things differently, do them better.”

Boyer’s fully committed

Boyer is committed to running the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon, his first marathon, on Valentine’s Day weekend despite many obstacles. The Austin Marathon, originally set for February 14th, was canceled because of COVID-19. The Austin Half Marathon and KXAN SimpleHealth 5K were moved to April 25th.

Boyer will follow his heart and stick with his plan to run the Austin Marathon on Valentine’s Day weekend. He’s raising funds for Dell Children’s Heart Program and you can join him! See below for all the ways you can take part. As a Longhorn, Boyer and some teammates would visit Dell Children’s before games. Those visits left an enduring mark on both patients and players. 

Nate Boyer smiles for the camera in front of a Humvee while serving as a Green Beret. Image courtesy of Nate Boyer.

Boyer served our country as a Green Beret. Image courtesy of Nate Boyer.

“I’ve always wanted to run a marathon and I’m fully committed to my goal,” said Boyer. “When things get tough I’ll run with my heart knowing the money raised will give kids the opportunity to follow their heart later in life.”

Boyer is a philanthropist, humanitarian, and the oldest rookie in NFL history at age 34. Being a member of both the military veteran and athlete community, he saw an opportunity to team up both populations to tackle their transition struggles together through his charity Merging Vets & Players (MVP). He currently works in film and TV as a producer, director, actor, and host. Among several other projects, he currently produces and hosts the NFL Network show: Indivisible with Nate Boyer. It features NFL cities, players, and community leaders across America. They discuss issues relevant to their communities and how football unites us all to solve these problems.

How you can help make a heart-filled difference

  1. Donate to Boyer’s fundraising page! Every dollar donated will be doubled up to $10,000 thanks to a generous grant from Moody Foundation, presenting sponsor of Austin Marathon Gives.
  2. Sign up to virtually run with Boyer! Receive a limited-edition Love Austin virtual finisher medal and a virtual swag bag with discounts around town so you can go show Austin some love. Run all 26.2 miles or you can do any distance you choose! Sign up here!
  3. Run the Austin Half Marathon or 5K on April 25th! When you register you can select to create your own charity campaign to raise money for Team Dell Children’s.
  4. Purchase a shirt! Through February 14th, 50% of profits from the Run Austin Love Austin shirts will go directly to Boyer’s fundraising page for Dell Children’s Heart Program!
  5. Follow along on social! Follow Boyer’s 26.2-mile journey through Austin during Valentine’s Day weekend on our Facebook and Instagram. Join us for the virtual afterparty and share photos from your own virtual run with Boyer. Use #RunAustinLoveAustin and encourage others to help support the campaign.

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High Five Events Ranked #35 on 2020 Inner City 100 List

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Placement marks the company’s first time on the 2020 Inner City 100 list

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) announced that Austin’s High Five Events is a winner of the 2020 Inner City 100 (IC100) award which recognizes the 100 fastest-growing firms in under-resourced communities across America. The winners were picked based on revenue growth and job creation during the four-year period from 2015 to 2019. Winners were revealed at the 2020 ICIC National Conference held virtually on December 8th. The full list is available here. High Five Events is led by Stacy Keese, Dan Carroll, and Jack Murray. They were ranked 35th on the 2020 Inner City 100 List based on its four-year revenue growth rate of 240.17% and job creation of nine. 

Great achievement

“This is a proud moment for us to be included on the IC100 list,” said Stacy Keese, co-owner of High Five Events. “This is another proof point that what we are doing is working. It is incredibly rewarding to be recognized alongside leaders from so many industries across the county.”  

Beginning with the launch of a single triathlon in 2003, High Five Events has grown to become one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States. High Five Events is a community-centric company based in Austin, Texas. Their staff has more than 100 years’ combined experience organizing large events across different venue types in a variety of locations. The 18-year-old company owns and produces the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon, CapTex Tri presented by Life Time Fitness, Rookie Triathlon, Jack’s Generic Triathlon, and Kerrville Triathlon Festival. They also produce 3M Half Marathon presented by Under Armour and Cap10K.

2020 Inner City 100 list explained

In order to measure the impact of COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis, ICIC conducted an in-depth survey of winners. They gathered information on the companies’ estimated 2020 end-of-year revenue versus 2019. They also estimated 2020 end-of-year employment versus 2019 and information on a company leader’s approach to leading through the COVID-19 crisis. 

Each winner shared stories of how they had to pivot due to the pandemic, from transitioning manufacturing centers to produce PPE, to learning how to sell virtually for the first time, to even holding free office hours with tech experts on a weekly basis – countless examples of innovation, grit, and resilience. 

In addition to the survey, ICIC has collected demographic data on all the winners. They also used metrics around revenue growth and job creation, included below.

2020 IC100 Winners by the Numbers

  • Average Company Age: 17
  • Cities Represented: 56
  • States Represented: 29
    • Industries Represented: 25
  • Woman-Owned/Led: 42
  • BIPOC-Owned/Led: 51
  • Veteran-Owned/Led: 7
  • First-Time Winner: 71
  • Hall of Famers (will have won the IC100 for at least 5 times, including this year): 15
  • Average Four-Year Revenue Growth Rate: 310%
    • Average 2019 Revenue: $8,986,862.31
  • Total Jobs Created: 3,230
  • Total Employed by IC100 Winners in 2019 (year-end number): 7240

These numbers bear out some encouraging trends. This year’s IC100 list had the highest number of women-owned/led companies. There was an increase of eight companies from 2019 and 17 since 2015. The 2020 list also contains the highest ever number of BIPOC-owned/led companies. This is an increase of seven since 2019 and 11 since 2015. 

“IC100 companies are forces of economic opportunity, optimism and transformation in their communities, and it’s an honor to recognize High Five Events’ leadership,” said ICIC CEO Steve Grossman. “Especially during this incredibly challenging time, as small business owners reckon with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, these pioneering entrepreneurs have demonstrated a deep commitment to and passion for their local communities.”