Teton Ridge
Named Title Sponsor for The Run For A Million
Who is Thomas Tull?
Emerging western heritage brand invests in reining’s most prestigious event with the goal of keeping the values and traditions of western horsemanship alive The richest event in reining has a new title sponsor, Teton Ridge. The company is determined to not only help grow the sport of reining, but to preserve, protect, and ensure the future of sports born of America’s most iconic way of life. Beyond the brand’s title sponsorship, Teton Ridge will also sponsor and present the $150,000 Invitational Fence Work Challenge for open bridle horse competitors.
Thomas Tull is a self-made billionaire, born to a single mother in Binghamton New York. Forbes estimates his wealth at $2.9 billion as of 7/28/21, and claim the swing of his stock market portfolio on a single day can result in $21 million dollar gains or losses. Growing up he discovered sports as a path to get ahead scoring a football scholarship to Hamilton College. Tull abandoned his plans to become a lawyer, and instead first started a chain of laundromats, then tax and accounting offices, and later he entered the world of finance.
Sixteen-years ago he raised $600 million in equity to finance the production of movies under the Legendary Pictures brand, and four-years later Tull became the majority shareholder of Legendary. The consummate deal-maker he struck deals with Warner Bros. and Universal Studios to jointly finance and produce films. Created by visionary entrepreneur Thomas Tull, Teton Ridge is After grossing over 13 billion dollars worldwide, in January of an authentic western brand with a long-term vision that will focus 2016, Legendary was acquired by the Wanda Cultural Industry on everything from performance horse breeding and Group, controlled by China’s riches man Wang training, to western apparel and gear, to hosting westJianlin, for $3.5 billion, Tull reportedly retained a ern experiences and events. 20% stake. A year later Tull left the company after The Teton Ridge sponsorship of The Run For A having produced a series of 47 films as Executive Million marks the first collaborative effort for Tull and Producer, or Producer including the block-buster the driving force behind The Run For A Million, Hollyfilms; Superman Returns, 300, The Dark Knight, wood’s western storyteller, Taylor Sheridan. Watchmen, The Hangover trilogy, The Dark Knight “Teton Ridge is uniquely positioned to bring awareRises, Pacific Rim, Godzilla, and Kong Skull Island, ness and excitement to our sport and the western performance horse world in general,” said Sheridan. Jurassic World, and Straight Outta Compton. “Teton Ridge’s title sponsorship of The Run For A MilAs a movie actor, Tull has screen credit for his lion speaks to that commitment, and our joint ventures role in The Dark Knight Rises as Gotham Rogues in the future will continue to spread the excitement owner. In television he had a small part in Stranger TRFAM has started.” Things as the role of Man on Street. “Taylor and I share common vision when it comes In 2017 Tull founded Tulco, LLC, a privately to riding disciplines which have grown from the life held holding company that invests in companies and culture of the American West,” said Tull. “There’s and then applies technology such as artificial an integrity, honesty, and purity to these sports that intelligence and machine learning. Both of which represent the unique heritage of our nation.” can be applied in the reining horse industry to Teton Ridge’s sponsorship of TRFAM underscores THOMAS TULL create AI machines that learn how to judge reining the brand’s mission to preserve the traditions and competitions, as reported in the June edition of Bridle & Bit. values of the West, while celebrating the athleticism and spirit of He currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after selling his the men and women who compete in western equine sports every Westlake Village, California 32,000 square foot mansion that was day. listed for $85 million. A Pittsburgh Steelers fan in his youth, he is The second annual TRFAM, which was postponed in 2020 now a part-owner of the team, and an avid baseball fan. due to COVID concerns, happens in Las Vegas from August 18th Tull’s philanthropy included a donation of $4.2 million worth of through the 21st, at the famed South Point Arena and Equestrian personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Center. donation to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation for research, and a grant to the University of Pittsburgh towards brain About Teton Ridge cancer research. Teton Ridge is a multi-platform brand devoted to the iconic AmeriIn 2018 Tull, acting as an venture capitalist thru his firm Tulco, can Western way of life and western equine sports. Teton Ridge invested a $65 million cash influsion into FIGS, an online retailer, will create a team of elite equine riders from multiple disciplines, that sells medical apparel. Three-years later they took the invest in the breeding and training of the most sought-after pedicompany public with an initial stock offering that raised $580 million grees in the quarter horse industry and engage audiences to at $22 dollars a share, and three-months later FIGGS July 29, elevate and expand western equine sports through innovative 2021 trades at $37.18 a share. The company uses 250 medical technology. Additionally, Teton Ridge operates a philanthropic foundation that provides invaluable funding for land stewardship, fosters compersonal that act as online influencers in their off-hours to drive munity by preserving the American West’s cultural heritage, and ensures interest in their products. Healthcare apparel is a $79 billion a year the future of ranching and riding sports. For more information about global market. FIGS 2020 sales revenue reported by FORTUNE, Teton Ridge, please visit tetonridge.com or @tetonridge on Instagram @ was $263 million. tetonridgeusa on Facebook.
AUGUST 2021
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