Ann Marie Kennon
TOURISM
annmarie@wilcobr.com
Williamson County is “Fit” for Business
E
arly in 2021, Ohio-based Rogue Fitness chose Williamson County for the third annual Rogue Invitational, a CrossFit and Strongman competition that featured some of the biggest names in the sport. Rogue is the leading manufacturer of strength and conditioning equipment and has been serving athletes at every level for 15 years. Their three-day competition took place at Dell Diamond in October; another example of big business choosing Williamson County and demonstrating the versatility of the county’s economic development community.
BPN
Nick Bare (facing page) is an entrepreneur and elite athlete who built a successful company and a social media following in the millions while still an Army Infantry platoon leader. Now headquartered in Round Rock, BPN is a leading and trusted source of performance and health supplements. The company is known in the industry for transparency, and extreme diligence in product testing and safety.
R O G U E I S B O DY B U I L D I N G A N D WEIGHTLIFTING. BPN IS THE F U E L T H AT H E L P S P E O P L E ACHIEVE AND SPURS THEM TO W I N . ~ N I C K B A R E BPN athletes and staff are committed to connecting with like-minded individuals and businesses, and they agreed the Rogue community is on exactly the path they want to follow. Executive Assistant Wyatt Knight said, “Rogue is an established brand, and we are looking forward to expanding our communities together while being leaders in our respective space.”
image Facebook/rogueinvitational
Bare explained, “We began speaking with Rogue about a partnership a few years ago because their values are so much in alignment with ours and I have great respect for everything they do. Their products are American-made, they support our military, and many athletes who have signed with our brand are professional CrossFit athletes.” When Bare found out Rogue had chosen Austin for the 2021 event, things began to fall into place.
The event was a huge success in terms of awareness, but also for the new and vigorous partnerships that will continue to bring prosperity to everyone involved. Chief among them is Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) founder and CEO, Nick Bare.
20 WILCO BUSINESS REVIEW | 2021 • ISSUE 3
As it happens, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell sometimes meets with Bare to discuss his growing business. During one such meeting, Bare mentioned the Rogue event was coming to Austin. He recalls, “Judge Gravell said, ‘I want that in Williamson County’, picked up his phone and called [Round Rock Express President] Chris Almendarez at Dell Diamond. We had a relationship with Chris; having previously sealed a deal to have a booth at Dell Diamond and donate $100 for every home run. All the pieces fell into place and Dell became the primary partner for the event.”
