Live Uncommon is a registered 501(c)3 which exists to promote a full, balanced life while striving for excellence. The organization works its mission by inspiring others to achieve. One of the Live Uncommon methods is to recognize and celebrate uncommon individuals, who personify the Live Uncommon core values, and who inspire others to Live Uncommon.
Live Uncommon tips our hat to those who have supported the Live Uncommon movement during its early development. They are:
Barkley Photography
Brian Barkley blends the down-to-earth reality of Jen and Jeff with the surreal of the photography shoot, creating many of the Uncommon moments you see on our billboards and website. He overcame fallen trees, power outages, fried computers, and a jam packed schedule, to meet our deadlines and make sure we got truly incredible images. See more of Brian doing what he does at barkleyphoto.com
Pix by Solis
Sharron Solis captures so much magic on film for Live Uncommon. Whether she is braving the shadflies on the riverfront at 4:30 a.m. for photo shoot with Jeff, or recording the many, many uncommon moments on the many, many early morning race days, she is Live Uncommon’s steadfast and treasured “historian”. We thank Sharron for the incredibly cool images she contributed to this site and for being ever present behind the lens, by our side, and behind the Live Uncommon movement.
EmbroidMe
Live Uncommon is proud to have EmbroidMe of Davenport, Iowa, as a supporting partner. The cool folks of EmbroidMe donate a portion of their production time and costs to the Live Uncommon movement with the creation of each and every item of sweet Live Uncommon apparel. We are grateful for their “giving back”.
Twin State Technical Services
Beth Tinsman answered our call to action when our seed of an idea snowballed into an all-in campaign overnight. Longtime friend and IT provider, she guided us through the web creation process and made it painless. Special thanks also to Twin State designer Chris Weiser, who took our vision and translated it into what we think is a really cool website. Thank goodness we didn’t try to do this ourselves – the site wouldn’t be nearly the awesome experience it is without his help. Check out more of Twin State's work and services at their website.
Jasen Hengst
Special kudos goes to Jasen Hengst who wears many hats extremely well at Live Uncommon. Jasen’s creative talents have him editing photos, creating billboards, sound boarding the website, and designing apparel. We value his significant contributions and point of view.
Heninger and Heninger
Ralph Heninger, longtime friend and attorney, lent his professional counsel to walking us through the not-for-profit inception process. We are truly grateful for his support behind this uncommon endeavor.
Community Foundation of the Great River Bend
Susan Skora has been there, if not from day 1, from day 3 or 4. When Live Uncommon was just a baby of a thought, we were picking her brain for ways to make this work. Thinking in and out of the box, Susan helped us ultimately get here – a non-profit entity with a mission to inspire the world to make a world of difference.
Jen and Jeff Paul
In many ways, Live Uncommon would not have come to fruition without Jen Paul. Initially inspired merely to invite Jen to appear in a local 5K event last spring, this invitation would eventually trigger the on-switch for the Live Uncommon campaign. Impressed by her phenomenal win in that race, we began discussing the idea of sponsoring her efforts for the season. Our question to each other was, Why would we do this? We were not sports agents. We explored our motives for weeks, talking it over. We wondered, Why are we drawn to her? She was, and is, an exceptional athlete, no question. But that was not it. It was only after much deliberation that we figured it out – we were drawn to her Excellence as a Person. You see, we knew firsthand and from others, that she worked full-time. We knew she had two very small kids. We knew her husband was an extraordinary athlete also and that they seemed to conquer the world together. We knew they both coached. And, most of importantly of all, it turns out, we knew first, second, and third-hand, that she was one of the nicest, most positive, encouraging, and humble people we had ever met, a fact that was ever more significant given her exceptional gifts and talents. What we realized was that the qualities we saw in her, were the qualities for which we strove. We recognized that the values she held highest were beautifully in line with the Russell Construction core values. Astonishingly, we found the same held true for her husband, Jeff. This realization marked the beginning of our defining, embracing, and living the Live Uncommon movement. We thank Jen and Jeff for being the face, the role models, of Live Uncommon.
And finally,
Russell Construction
Without Russell Construction and the core values it represents, Live Uncommon would not exist. Live Uncommon serves to promote Family, Work Ethic, Fitness/Health, Giving Back, Balance, and Excellence. Visit Russell Construction's website at RussellCo.com
And last but not at all least, from One to the Other, thanks for walking the walk.