Comments from selected dignitaries during the announcement Jan. 31 that Gainbridge, an online financial services platform providing straightforward access to tax-deferred accumulation and income products, has reached a multiyear agreement to become the presenting sponsor of the Indianapolis 500 starting with the 2019 edition of the world’s most prestigious auto race:
MARK MILES (President and CEO, Hulman & Company): “We couldn’t be more happy about this relationship, for lots of reasons. First of all, Gainbridge is part of a holding company, Group1001. We’ve gotten to know them over the last few years and have developed a great respect and admiration for that team. Gainbridge is a particularly interesting platform, from our perspective, because it’s going direct to consumers and becoming a national brand very quickly. We love a partner that’s going to consumers, and particularly targeting younger consumers, as Gainbridge will. The second reason we love them is we know they’re good Hoosier citizens. They’re just great people. They’re headquartered here in Indianapolis; they’re Hoosiers. We’ve been involved with them through their relationship with an Indy car and through the Indy Women in Tech golf championship here. We’ve grown to be huge admirers of Dan (Towriss) and his team and their businesses. Finally, there may be an opportunity for (Gainbridge) to help us help drivers as they think about their own financial planning and growth. It seems to us what you do will add real value for the drivers, and we care deeply for them. This is a big day. This is the third of a few big announcements for us, and we just couldn’t be more pleased with this one.” (About announcements of Gainbridge, NTT and Speedway forming partnerships with IMS and INDYCAR in the last six weeks): “We’re in a period of growth. It’s not just momentum – it’s growth. We expect this to be another stepping-stone to propel us forward with even more growth. One, it starts with the sport. Our racing, everybody knows it’s the best in the world. If that wasn’t the case, it would be harder to attract partners like Dan. But it is a great sport. We’re represented by great athletes, our drivers. And our team owners and our promoters are fantastic. The product speaks for itself. But we have worked really hard, our whole team, for many years now to have folks understand that. The way I look at the broader context here is that everybody knows by now that NBC is onboard, and they’re going to do all they can to grow the prominence and the viewership for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by Gainbridge and also for all of the NTT IndyCar Series. And they’re serious. If you’ve watched any of the NFL Playoffs, you know that, coming out of the box so early in this year (with on-air promotions). We were able to create a great new relationship with Speedway convenience stores. This group has 4,000 convenience stores coast to coast. Two million customers go through their stores every day. They intend to really help us present the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by Gainbridge and the series, and to really activate with that relationship. NTT is terrific. That’s more of a technology play that they’re bringing to us, which will allow us to do a better job of reaching our audience and getting it more involved in the sport. And today with Gainbridge, which is very focused on consumers. It’s all come together. And between the three of them, we’ve got partners we haven’t had that have the capacity to help us be more in the mainstream of what sports fans watch in this country.”
DAN TOWRISS (President and CEO, Group1001, parent company of Gainbridge): “The Indy 500 is a best-in-class national brand, and we’re building a national, best-in-class platform. So we really think we found the perfect place to launch Gainbridge here at the Indy 500. Gainbridge provides straightforward access to attractive products that investors can understand and buy directly to grow their money for goals big and small. It’s a 21st century platform for the digital age. Group1001 is not only success-driven but civic-minded and sports-focused. As Mark (Miles) mentioned, we’ve invested in Indy right here with the Indy Women in Tech Championship and also through our Andretti Autosport sponsorship of Zach Veach. Right now, our new Gainbridge platform has launched in four states, including Indiana, a place that Gov. Holcomb rightly says is easy to do business. We also plan an aggressive expansion strategy in 2019, with the Indy 500 sponsorship as our key piece of that strategy. We see many parallels between investing and racing. I think of the Indy 500 as culminating talent, dedication and hard work to win an endurance race. And we see those parallels to Gainbridge as something we want to align ourselves with and make this a great place to launch our new platform. We’re looking forward to watching this partnership grow over the next several years and to the big things that we want to do as the presenting sponsor of the Indy 500.” (About Group1001’s vision for community involvement): “Our definition of success is holistic. It’s not just economic, but it’s also civic-minded. At Group1001, we believe in empowerment as a central guiding principle for how we interact with our communities and our customers. We strive to empower consumers through straightforward products that increase accessibility to financial products for their own personal benefit. We also believe in investing in our communities in areas of sports and education. That’s what initially drew us to a relationship with the track, through the Indy Women in Tech Championship, but also into racing.”
ERIC HOLCOMB (Governor, State of Indiana): (How the history of IMS and partnerships like this one help to promote the State of Indiana as a good place to do business): “It’s immensely helpful. For 103 years now, IMS has been taking it to the next level, long before that became a slogan de jour. Success attracts success. The best want to work with the best. That’s what we’re seeing here today with IMS and Gainbridge. When you think about what IMS has meant not just to the past, the memories that have been made here, but what it means to the future of our state: It’s an organization that has been tethered to or built on technology advancements and how we connect to people and how we connect our assets globally. One hundred and three years ago, we were looking at the newspaper or listening to the race on the radio. Then came TV and now mobile devices. That fan experience is just going to be enhanced again to that next level.” (About the importance of community involvement by Indiana-based companies headed by civic leaders like Mark Miles and Dan Towriss): “Critically important. It’s the difference-maker. It’s where the deal gets made or not. For a state like Indiana, which has grown alongside companies like Gainbridge, we have got to not just be competing in the future, but we’ve got to be winning. We’ve got to be in that winner’s circle. We want to be drinking milk every day. For us to do that, that means we have got to add to the skills of our workforce. For Gainbridge to really step forward and encourage and support and promote more women in tech, for Indiana to be a leader in that space, for Gainbridge to support more STEM proficiency throughout the whole state of Indiana, this is what’s going to make the difference. This is when we’re going to start lapping the competition, not just occupying the pole position.”
ZACH VEACH (Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar Series Driver, to be sponsored by Gainbridge in 2019 season): “For me, it’s such a privilege to be representing Gainbridge, especially with them being the presenting sponsor of the 103rd Indy 500. Just 20 years ago, I was 4 years old, dreaming of coming to this race, let alone as a fan, not even thinking about being a driver. And to be showing up in May, knowing I’m representing the presenting sponsor for the race, is something that’s just extraordinary. It’s a privilege and an honor. I’m so thankful for the people who made it happen. Dan Towriss has absolutely changed my life, allowing this dream to become a reality. And now with Mark Miles and everyone here, I think we have a product that’s very exciting, and it just keeps getting better and better every year. To be a part of it at such an exciting time, with someone like Dan Towriss and a company to represent like Gainbridge and Group1001, is very special. I’m excited to get this year started.” (Has Dan given you advice on how to invest through Gainbridge and how to prepare for when you’re in your 40s, 50s and 60s?): “Of course! I’ve got to figure out how to take care of my five Indy 500 wins and championships when I’m that age. (Gainbridge) is simple, and I think it’s going to be pretty easy to get other drivers onboard with this because of two things: It’s simple and straightforward with great products, and they empower you to win. That’s an easy sell for any driver. We like winning, and so does Dan and Gainbridge. It’s something that lines up perfectly.”
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