PARK CITY, UTAH (Nov. 28, 2012) — The Group, Inc., one of Colorado’s most innovative and successful real estate companies, continued its long tradition of giving back to the communities it serves by launching the “Group Gives” charity foundation at a gala event to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Saturday, Oct. 13.

The event, called “Ales for A.L.S.” — or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — featured a wide range of delicious craft beers donated by Grimm Brothers Brewery. By the end of the night, the gala had raised over $20,000 for A.L.S. research, more than twice the event’s fundraising goal.

“We are thrilled with how successful this fun event really was,” The Group president and CEO Eric Thompson said. “It once again shows how deeply committed The Group is to investing in the communities that we serve. We were recently named a ‘Top Giver’ by the United Way of Larimer County, and we expect that our Group Gives foundation will continue and expand our tradition of charitable giving.”

The Group’s own Bill West, a partner in the firm, served as master of ceremonies.

“Bill made sure everyone knew what was happening, and he did an amazing job interviewing our special guest, Dan Evert, who is living with A.L.S.,” Thompson said.

The Group consists of nearly 230 owners in five offices in Northern Colorado who work together to best serve their customers and communities. The company performed more than 34 percent of all real estate transactions in Northern Colorado last year, and it is regularly named a Top-200 real estate firm by Real Trends Magazine.

For photos from the gala, check out the Ales for A.L.S. album on the Facebook page for Heidi Muller Photography, www.facebook.com/HeidiMullerPhoto. Muller donated her time to shoot the event.

For more information about The Group, Ales for A.L.S., or Group Gives, visit the firm’s website at www.thegroupinc.com, or contact Christa Graff, of Graff Public Relations, by calling 435-640-7921 or emailing christa@graffpr.com.

Residents of Northern Colorado give alot of their time in our communities. The Loveland-Fort Collins area ranks seventh among the nation’s mid-sized cities in volunteering, according to the newest Volunteering in America report. The report analyzed data from 2005 to 2008 collected in a monthly survey of about 60,000 households by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Loveland-Fort Collins metro area tied with Greenville, S.C. with a 38.3 percent volunteer rate. Provo-Orem, Utah, was the top mid-sized area with a volunteer rate of 62.9 percent. Greeley ranked 25 out of the 75 mid-sized areas with a 32.8 percent volunteer rate.

Loveland-Fort Collins volunteers contributed $200.7 million worth of volunteer time from 2005 to 2006 while the value of Greeley’s volunteerism was $192.9 million.

Partners at The Group, Inc. pride themselves in their volunteer work. Nearly everyone in our company gives their time to one or more organizations.

Also a part of The Group’s culture is sharing our financial resources. We are getting ready to launch our United Way campaign for 2009. We have been recognized as one of the top 10 corporate donors in Larimer County for the past several years. Our ‘corporate’ donation to United Way does not come from our company, but rather all the individuals who work here. Last year we created this video along the United Way’s theme of ‘Live United.’

The Group, Inc. Real Estate – Live United

It was reported today in the Fort Collins Coloradoan that the city ranked No. 7 on bizjournals.com’s quality of life survey for midsize metropolitan areas.  The survey cited Fort Collins and Larimer County for ‘its high percentage of people with college degrees, a healthy entrepreneurial spirit and solid concentration of management jobs.”  The article went on to say that more than 40% of all adults in Fort Collins hold bachelor’s degrees.  Colorado stacked up well with 3 cities in the top 10.  Here are the Top 10:

1.  Provo, Utah

2.  Boulder, Colorado

3.  Madison, Wisconsin

4.  Bridgeport-Stamford, Connecticut

5.  Ann Arbor, Michigan

6.  Ogden, Utah

7.  Fort Collins, Colorado

8.  Boise, Idaho

9.  Colorado Springs, Colorado

10.  Des Moines, Iowa

One of Fort Collins’ claims to fame is being the home of Fat Tire beer! New Belgium is an important part of our city’s culture. Not only are they great corporate citizens, they have helped build awareness in our community about our environment and how businesses can be highly successful and and be responsible environmental stewards at the same time. They also add to the local color by hosting events throughout the year. One of the most raucous is the Tour de Fat. Check out this video of the Fort Collins 2008 Tour de Fat.

“The funeral of a part of car culture today. Five-7,000 bicyclists gettin’ freaky on dressed up bikes, parading through town, blocking up traffic with the help of the local police. Really a cross between a critical mass rally and Halloween, the New Belgium sponsored Tour de Fat reminds us to ride our bikes when we can. And they say yes we can, in gospel style choruses and the funereal procession of the proverbial Escalade, life led by a dark and soulful marching band. Clank below to check out the Fort Collins version ’08.”

New Belgium\’s Tour de Fat