Some of the AV industry’s leading men got a little more hairy in November and combined to raise more than $4,000 in the name of men’s health for The Movember Foundation.
Movember calls itself “a global charity committed to men living happier, healthier, longer lives” that has raised more than $677 million and funding more than 1,000 projects focused on prostate and testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity since 2003. Its primary fundraiser comes in November, when men elect to put their razors aside and grow mustaches of all shapes and sizes.
Brock McGinnis, Audio & Visual Solutions Division sales manager at Westbury National Show Systems, seemed to emerge as the industry leader in Movember fundraising, pulling in almost $3400 in contributions in his native Canada and the U.S., almost $1,000 more than he’d originally targeted.
Brock charted his mustache’s progress regularly on Twitter, but decided 30 days was enough time for him to have the growth above his upper lip and shaved it off on the morning of Dec. 1.
Mo No Mo
Thanks again for your #Movember encouragement & generous support of Men’s Health initiatives. #AVtweeps pic.twitter.com/rQLXp2o3al
— Brock McGinnis (@brockmcginnis) December 1, 2015
He says he’ll explore a different way to raise awareness and money for men’s health in 2016, noting “Growing a ‘stache just wasn’t that tough!”
Bill Chamberlin, VP of global sales of Verrex, called Movember “a fun event and something that I’ve wanted to support for a number of years now.” His efforts helped to bring in $435 for the cause, exceeding his original goal.
@commintegrator @brockmcginnis @casaplex @openeyeglobal Our before & after mustached Bill Chamberlin pic.twitter.com/b8j9956VVY
— Verrex (@Verrex) November 30, 2015
Verrex’s so-called Bro-Stache Brigade—senior account executive Erik Dykes, project engineer Brandon Meyers and installation technician Eric Leclerc (pictured below respectively)—raised about $800 for the cause.
The team at OpenEye Global joined the Movember initiative “to grow a cancer-fighting Tom Selleck moustache, have some laughs, raise awareness for men’s health, and hopefully fundraise a couple of dollars along the way.” That effort was enough to bring in about $110 for the cause.
Several men from Casaplex decided to grow mustaches in November, although they “prioritized awareness and team building over financial contributions this year.” Owners Derek Goldstein and Nelson Garcia, Steve Lappat from sales and Ryley Sevier from IT were among those at Casaplex who gave their razors a rest as part of the effort.
@commintegrator Check out these portraits of some of our mustache-sporting team members to wrap up #Movember pic.twitter.com/0DPMQtE09p
— casaplex (@casaplex) December 1, 2015
Congratulations to all who participated in this unique effort. If we missed anyone who grew facial hair for a good cause in November, let us know and we’ll share the news.
