Richmond 2015 Fundraising — We’re Over Halfway There!

For Immediate Release

March 28, 2012

 

Virginia Corporate Community Steps Up with Significant Support

for 2015 World Cycling Championships

 

Richmond 2015 halfway to fundraising goal, shifts focus to

innovative national and international corporate partnerships.

 

(March 28, 2013 – Richmond, Virginia) — Richmond 2015, the organizing committee for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, announced today that it has reached a major milestone, by raising more than 50 percent of its approximately $21 million goal.

The organization’s initial Founding Partners have committed more than $11 million. Those partners include the following Virginia-based corporations and organizations: Altria, CarMax, Dominion, Genworth, Hourigan Construction, Kings Dominion, MWV, McGuire Woods, Norfolk Southern, Piascik, The Community Foundation serving Richmond and Central Virginia, VCU Medical Center and Williams Mullen. Furthermore, we have received generous individual contributions from Bill and Alice Goodwin and Jim and Bobbi Ukrop.

The announcement was made at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, site of the Lakeside Wheel Club, one of the area’s first bicycling clubs, founded in 1894. All four of Richmond 2015’s co-chairmen were represented to announce the progress to date. They are Thomas F. Farrell II, Chairman and CEO of Dominion; Mayor Dwight C. Jones; Governor Robert F. McDonnell and Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA).

“It is great to see Richmond 2015 making so much progress so early in the preparation for the Road World Championships,” Farrell said. “This collective support from the community clearly demonstrates the excitement and enthusiasm around this tremendous opportunity.”

Mayor Dwight Jones expressed his appreciation for the business community’s strong support for “this unprecedented opportunity to showcase the Richmond region on a global stage.” Mayor Jones added, “projections show economic impact, largely from tourism, as approximately $158 million throughout the Commonwealth. The long-range impact will be even more significant by attracting talented new residents and growing businesses to our region.”

“Staging a world-class event with more than 1,000 elite athletes representing more than 70 nations will bring positive attention to the Commonwealth,” said Governor McDonnell. “We are excited to showcase our region to the hundreds of thousands of onsite spectators and the hundreds of millions watching on global television.”

The Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Richmond and Henrico County have made significant commitments of Founding Partner support.

Sen. Warner could not attend the news conference, but sent a note that was read by Governor McDonnell, saying, “by stepping up financially to make this global sporting event a success, Virginia’s business leaders are supporting nothing less than a transformation of how we see ourselves and of how the world sees us. ”

“I know as a former resident of Richmond, I am looking forward to seeing the best cyclists in the world go through these familiar streets,” Sen. Warner added.

“It is important to recognize that we still have a long way to go to reach our goals,” Flohr said. “Most of our efforts to-date have been devoted to reaching out to our community for financial support and the response has exceeded our expectations.”

In recent months, the organization has made “a pivot towards establishing partnerships with national and international corporations that are interested in leveraging a wide-range of traditional and innovative partnership elements,” Flohr said. “Many positive conversations have taken place with such potential partners, with many more to come.”

Earlier this week Richmond 2015 participated in a summit in New York City about the expanded role of bicycles in a society and the role the World Championships can play in positively impact health, sustainability and resiliency. This group of thinkers and corporate influencers from different industries came together to generate ideas and discuss civic implications and business opportunities that bicycling presents and how the 2015 World Championships can best be leveraged.

About Richmond 2015

Richmond 2015, Inc. is the independent non­-profit corporation responsible for the organization, management and promotion of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. The 2015 World Championships is projected to generate approximately $158 million in economic impact, 450,000 onsite spectators and a global television audience of more than 300 million viewers.

About the UCI Road World Championships

The UCI Road World Championships is cycling’s pinnacle event, held annually in an international city as chosen by the UCI, the sports governing body. Upcoming World Championships will be held in Florence, Italy in 2013 and Ponferrada, Spain in 2014.

For more information about Richmond 2015, visit our website at www.Richmond2015.com, Follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Richmond2015 or Friend us on FaceBook at www.FaceBook.com/Richmond2015.

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