J.D. Byrider

It was still dark when the first interview of the day aired on Radio Disney from 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. The sunrise sky was taking on a beautiful orange hue when the first live interview with Jim England, J.D. Byrider Advertising Group president, hit Fox 59 TV at 7:00 a.m. By 8:15, when the live coverage on NBC’s The Today Show began, the sun was bright yellow. And when Jim did his live interview on NBC affiliate WTHR-13’s Chief Meteorologist, Chuck Lofton, the sky was beginning to turn a breathtaking cobalt blue.

But perhaps, the prettiest blue was that seen on the shirts of Team Byrider…the hearty group that showed up to walk to honor both victims and survivors of heart disease and stroke…and pay tribute to a relationship that was begun by the late Jim DeVoe, Sr. “I promised Jim when he was alive that I would make our relationship with the American Heart Association (AHA) mean something,” England said. “Since Jim’s untimely death, I’ve tried to make it mean even more. We need our associates to take better care of themselves so they can take better care of their families and our customers. Start! is the perfect answer to getting people up, moving and thinking about making better choices regarding diet and exercise.”

J.D. Byrider is a now a Cause Sponsor of the Indianapolis Start! Heart Walk. England serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the AHA in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. Advertising Coordinator, Audrey Ryder, serves on the Logistics Committee for the walk, having been Chairman in 2009, and works with Jim to make sure the event is successful year after year.

Audrey was responsible for developing the concept of the “Start! Girls.” These girls don bright green wigs, green shirts, white shorts & tennis shoes with green laces to create more buzz about the event. “They’re a hit wherever they go”, says Audrey. “From the kickoff of National Start! Walking Day back in the spring, to the J.D. Byrider 100 at O’Reilly Raceway Park, to the walk itself, the girls create a lot of interest and excitement. The Start! Girls are usually made up of local high school dance teams from the central Indiana area.

And, then there was bright red. Seen both in the hats of the Heart and Stroke Survivors present at the event, and on the “Start Your Engines” shirts worn by members of the team from the Tony Stewart Foundation. Heart survivors Bailey Hunsberger and Josiah Scheller were joined by TSF representatives Joni Thompson and Julie Zintsmaster and all were part of a great fundraising project between J.D. Byrider, the Tony Stewart Foundation and Start!

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J.D. Byrider and Tony Stewart Foundation “Start Your Engines” campaign will hit full stride this Saturday.

Tony Stewart is one of the most competitive drivers on the NASCAR circuit, which should come as no surprise since he’s been a competitor and winner all his life. He’s puts his heart into everything he does, and he’s been involved in so many outstanding projects throughout the years. Back in July, Tony Stewart and Jim England, president of the J.D. Byrider Advertising Group, Inc. announced a new program that has A LOT of heart.

“The Tony Stewart Foundation (TSF) has a great relationship with Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, and with ICAN (the Indiana Canine Assistant Network)“, said Stewart. “We were very excited to announce our “Start Your Engines…it’s all about heart” effort to raise funds for the Indianapolis Start! Heart Walk for the American Heart Association.

“The Tony Stewart Foundation has organized its ‘Start Your Engines’ program asking Hoosiers to support the Start! Heart Walk in downtown Indianapolis,” said TSF Director Joni Thompson. “In keeping with our mission of helping children and animals, we’ve formed two teams to compete/participate in this year’s Start! Heart Walk. Josiah Scheller and Bailey Hunsberger will serve as Tony’s “Crew Chiefs” for the Heart Walk.”

Josiah is from Evansville, and he’s 9 years old. He was born with a congenital heart defect called Ebstein’s Anomaly and is being evaluated for a triscuspid valve replacement. He also is awaiting a service dog from ICAN.

Bailey has been a survivor for all of her 18 years. She also was born with a heart defect and had the first of 5 open-heart surgeries when she was just 3 days old.

Bailey and Josiah will both walk this Saturday at the Start! Heart Walk.

“As a member of the Executive Board of the American Heart Association and Chairman of this year’s Start! Heart Walk, I can’t thank Tony and the Tony Stewart Foundation for their participation,” said England. “We’re also very grateful for The Office Depot contribution of $2000 per team. That is truly a tremendous gesture on their part.”

“I also can’t thank the DeVoe family, the Senior Management Team, all of our Team Captains and all of our supporters at JD Byrider enough for their commitment. We’re truly blessed to have such a great group representing the ‘soul’ of JD Byrider. We’re truly committed to helping people advance in their lives, and this effort on behalf of the American Heart Association is further evidence of that. Thanks, again, to everyone, and thanks to Tony Stewart for putting his heart into everything he does. I truly value our friendship and relationship. It will be great to see 10,000 people downtown this Saturday, walking to celebrate yet another successful Start! Heart Walk.”

For more information about the Start! Heart Walk taking place on September 18th visit www.indyheartwalk.org or www.tonystewartfoundation.org.

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J.D. Byrider believes in promoting a heart-healthy lifestyle to their employees and customers. They have once again signed on as a Cause Sponsor for the 2010, 2011 & 2012 Start! Jim England, president of the J.D. Byrider Advertising Group, will serve as Walk Chairman for the second year in a row. The National Start! Walking Day begins on April 7th in Indianapolis from 11am-1pm downtown on Monument Circle. The day will include a mix of healthy snacks, local celebrities, free health screenings, media coverage and the opportunity to meet with Tony Stewart Racing drivers, Brian Clauson and Steve Barnett. Come get a firsthand look at the #14 J.D. Byrider dirt late model and enjoy a new healthy start on life!

Visit J.D. Byrider to learn more about our company, our mission, and our values.

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J.D. Byrider leads National Start! Walking Day April 8, 2009 in Indianapolis!
Jim England, Chairman of the 2009 Start! Heart Walk, kicked off the ceremonies on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.

What is National Start! Walking Day ?

• National Start! Walking Day, April 8, 2009, was a call-to-action for Americans to Start! getting healthy by incorporating at least 30 minutes of walking into their day.

• Wednesday, April 8, was officially designated as “National Start! walking at work day”. It was part of the American Heart Association’s Start! movement that encourages individuals to walk more and corporations to promote wellness at work.

• National Start! Walking Day focuses on walking as an activity because it’s accessible, free and has the lowest dropout rate of any type of exercise.

• Most Americans work in sedentary occupations and spend more hours at work than ever before, and this can be a major obstacle to finding time for physical activity.

Walking/Physical Inactivity Stats & Tips

• Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and is a comparable risk to other modifiable risk factors such as high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.

• Heart disease and stroke continue to be the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers; 66 percent of U.S. adults are overweight.

• Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day will help people improve their circulation; reduce stress and anxiety; increase enthusiasm and optimism; improve muscle tone and strength; lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure; and promote weight loss.

• Walking during the day is as simple as parking farther away from your office, taking the stairs, walking to lunch, or hopping off the bus/subway/train a stop or two earlier.

What is Start?

• The focus of the Start! campaign is simple: Walk more. Eat well. Live longer.

• Walking was chosen as the primary activity because it’s inexpensive: no need to join a health club or gym, or purchase expensive home exercise equipment. Simply lace up a good pair of walking shoes and have at it!

• MyStart! Online, a Web-based fitness and nutrition tracker, is the hub of the Start! movement that offers constant, measurable, personal improvement. Visit heart.org/start to register.

• Be sure to register for the Indianapolis Start! Heart Walk, scheduled for Saturday, September 19th at White River State Park Celebration Plaza.  The Start! Heart Walk, a premier fundraiser for the American Heart Association, gives people an opportunity to improve their health through walking while helping fund the fight against heart disease and stroke.

• Start! is sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® Restaurants, Healthy Choice®  and AstraZeneca.  Start! is sponsored locally by J.D. Byrider.  Jim DeVoe, Jr., J.D Byrider CEO and Jim England, president of the J.D. Byrider Advertising Group, Inc. both walked on treadmills, along with many other local business leaders and celebrities.

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Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, and strokes rank third on the list. Studies prove that regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes. That’s why the American Heart Association promotes an active lifestyle via the Start! Heart Walk program.

Since 2007, J.D. Byrider has been involved as a Cause Sponsor of the Indianapolis Start! Heart Walk for the American Heart Association, with the goal of becoming a national sponsor of the American Heart Association.

In 2009, The American Heart Association Start! Program has created a new online community of “Sole-Mates” looking to walk their way towards better health. It’s called “MyStart! Community,” and it’s an online hub for people to find “virtual” or real walking buddies, teams, clubs, etc. They can share success stories, encouragement, tips, even photos.

To promote the launch of this new social media site, the American Heart Association conducted a media event in New York City’s Grand Central Station on Tuesday, January 6. The event featured two treadmills, placed side by side and “walking buddies” who exercised on the treadmills in 30 minute intervals, the amount of time the American Heart Association recommends for daily physical activity.

Jim DeVoe, Jr., J.D. Byrider CEO, and Jim England, president of The J.D. Byrider Advertising Group, walked on the treadmills as sole-mates representing the Indianapolis community and J.D. Byrider dealers across the country. Both men also became members of the MyStart! Community, and encourage all of their associates, franchise partners, families and friends to do so as well.

“This is a great day for J.D. Byrider and the American Heart Association,“ said Jim DeVoe, Jr. “I’m ecstatic that my first trip to New York could be for such an exciting and worthwhile cause. On behalf of our management team and our board of directors I just want to encourage everyone to think hard about being more heart-healthy. We’re a great family and we owe it to one another to take care of ourselves.” DeVoe also added, “I also want to thank my dad for getting us started (no pun intended) with the heart association. He was always a generous, caring man, and I plan to continue that tradition.”

“I’ve had the privilege of working with some great people during my career,” said England, who also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association/Indianapolis as well as a member of the Executive Leadership Team for the Indianapolis Start! Heart Walk. “I joined Byrider 10 years ago because of the people I met there. Every day I get to work with some of the smartest, most caring people I’ve ever known. It’s been an honor for me to have taken over Jim DeVoe, Sr.’s vision of working with the American Heart Association. I care a great deal about our brand, our associates, our franchisees and our customers. The Start! program is one of the most perfect ways for me to help each of those groups. We need healthy customers, associates and families!”

J.D. Byrider has a history of giving back to the community. In fact, the J.D. Byrider business model is based on providing services to an underserved market. That helping attitude has expanded outside the confines of the business environment. From Make-A-Wish to the Salvation Army to the Sunshine Kids to Habitat for Humanity to the American Cancer Society to the Leukemia Society to the Tony Stewart Foundation and many more, J.D. Byrider, its franchisees and associates have been involved with helping in communities all across the country.

J.D. Byrider participated in the Heart Walk in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2007, when the Start! movement was launched, Byrider got on board as a Cause Sponsor, and is signed up in the same capacity for 2009. We look forward to continuing our relationship with this incredible organization for many years to come.

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