By Mark Dowd, co-founder and Managing Partner of Forefront Communications
Flashback to 2017 – fidget spinners were all the rage, Bitcoin was rocketing to the moon ahead of its (first) HODL decline and both Forefront and Rides FAR were just beginning to take off. Seeing the potential synergies of these two endeavors, PR vet and all-around good guy Randy Williams connected Eric Soderberg and me with Rides FAR co-founders Bryan and Melissa Harkins to talk about how we could support one another. The trading industry firms that comprised Rides FAR’s earliest supporters were the precise ones Forefront was attempting to reach, while the services we offered – capital markets-focused marketing and PR – were exactly what the nascent event required to create the brand Bryan and Melissa envisioned. The synergies were blindingly obvious, and so with that, a partnership was born.
Over the last seven years, we’ve worked tirelessly to help each other grow. I am incredibly proud that Forefront’s pro bono publicity efforts helped the Ride become one of the most prominent capital markets charity events today, and even prouder that many of our clients – firms like Talos, DASH, Tower, CTC, Eventus, STA, and others – have all become key supporters of the cause.
On the flip side, Rides FAR has been instrumental in Forefront becoming a well-known brand in its own right, with our logo displayed prominently each year alongside industry leaders like Cboe, Goldman Sachs, T. Rowe Price, and XTX. We’ve accrued other benefits as well. Our tight-knit staff has gotten even closer by bringing significant others, children, and even parents to the event, creating bonds among our team that I suspect will last for years. I’ve gotten closer with many industry peers I’ve met at the event and have gone on to become a Rides FAR board member, a role that I am grateful and humbled to serve in. And after getting to know the small-but-mighty Autism Science Foundation staff over the years, my wife even joined them for a year as ASF’s Director of Community Relations during her transition from journalist to therapist.
While Rides FAR’s impact on Forefront has been profound, we are by no means an exception. Look around at the events in White Plains, Toronto, Baltimore, Chicago and (for the first time this year) Miami and you will see hundreds of individuals – colleagues, clients, partners, and competitors – strengthening relationships in a unique and intimate way. As DriveWealth CEO Mike Blaugrund noted, “a tough client or fierce competitor seems a little less daunting when they’re wearing bike shorts.”
And the biggest industry benefit of Rides FAR may be this: the knowledge that you’re helping an organization committed to battling a disorder that impacts millions of people across the globe. The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continues to rise, with the CDC announcing last year that 1 in 36 children are on the spectrum. And while many of those cases are in individuals fortunate enough to lead fairly typical lives in a society that has thankfully embraced the idea of neurodiversity, about 1 in 4 autism cases are those on the severe end of the spectrum who will require 24-hour care for the rest of their lives. That latter group is where ASF (which worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help codify the “profound autism” diagnosis) really shines, providing the family support, research funding, and advocacy needed to help. (ASF founder and president Alison Singer, whose brother and older daughter live with profound autism, has written movingly on the topic).
This year’s events are right around the corner, occurring throughout three Saturdays this Fall – September 21st in Miami, September 28th in Chicago and Baltimore, and October 5th in New York and Toronto. There’s still time to register a full corporate team or just yourself, with the events catering to folks of all interests and abilities (multiple course lengths, on-site bike rentals and even a walking route for those who prefer two feet to two wheels). Feel free to reach out to me or any of my fellow board members if we can help get you involved, or if that’s too much, please consider simply making a donation.
Nearly all of us in this industry are fortunate enough to do well. Let’s come together to do some good, too.
