July 16, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by MarketBeat.

As someone who loves to dance and meet new people, there’s one place you can always find Rebecca McKeever each summer.

“We go as much as we possibly can as long as we’re not out of town; last year, I made it to 40 concerts,” McKeever said.

Rebecca McKeever and her daughter dance at a Levitt at the Falls concert.

The MarketBeat vice president of product fell in love with the free outdoor concerts at Levitt at the Falls during the nonprofit’s first season in 2019.

“It’s been fun to watch my daughter grow up there,” McKeever said. “She was just 6 during the first season, and she’d dance in the front or play in the back.”

Now, McKeever and her daughter are helping with teardown Saturday nights and doing everything they can to pitch in and ensure the concerts continue. Her employer shares this sentiment, becoming the presenting sponsor for the entire Levitt season over the next four years.

“We, as a company, love Sioux Falls and are always looking to find ways to make it a better place. Our sponsorship of the Levitt is one more way to make Sioux Falls a better place to live, work and play,” MarketBeat founder and CEO Matt Paulson said.

MarketBeat not only invests in the community but also encourages employees to do the same. When one or all its employees are passionate about a cause, the company also comes alongside them in that support. It’s one of the reasons MarketBeat has made such a big investment into Levitt at the Falls, both financially and with time.

“Again and again, our company gets behind initiatives that our staff cares about, and I find that really touching,” director of community relations Maureen Ohm said.

“Employee involvement and demonstrated personal support do impact giving decisions at MarketBeat, and I think it’s really impactful for a company to get behind its staff in this way.”

Maureen Ohm and her sons volunteer at the Levitt at the Falls.

After becoming the primary sponsor of the Levitt this year, MarketBeat has been a big presence at many of the season’s concerts. From welcoming people on stage to passing out popcorn balls and helping pass the donation buckets around the audience, MarketBeat team members have committed fully to supporting the nonprofit in any way they can.

MarketBeat team members welcome concertgoers at the Levitt’s season opening.

“We were absolutely hooked after going to concerts the first year on the lawn. We love that Levitt concerts are free and open to the public and act as a gathering place for people of all kinds,” Paulson said.

It’s also why Ohm became a member of the Levitt at the Falls board of directors, recognizing the powerful connections this new nonprofit organization is helping create across the Sioux Falls community.

“The mission of Levitt at the Falls is to build community through music, and it is really cool to see that play out. Multiple times, I have been elsewhere in the community – for example, playing pickleball at my gym or attending a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the Old Courthouse Museum – and I encountered someone I previously sat next to on the Levitt lawn,” Ohm said.

“Our shared time at the Levitt transforms us into immediate conversation and camaraderie in these other settings.”

Paulson said community-building is what MarketBeat’s investment is all about. MarketBeat’s philanthropy philosophy isn’t to invest in something to get the company’s name out there but rather in organizations it can see directly impacting the community and its employees.

Levitt executive director Nancy Halverson and Rebecca McKeever on stage at the Levitt

“MarketBeat does exceptionally well financially, but my wife, Karine, and I also recognize that money is no good to you after you’re gone,” Paulson said.

“So we have decided to do as much of our philanthropy as possible while we are still alive to see the impact that it is making.”

This impact is easy to see on the smiling faces of the crowd on summer evenings at the Levitt and in the faces of MarketBeat staff like McKeever, who say a weekend filled with music helps in every aspect of life.

“I can just relax and groove to the music or catch up with a friend or walk around,” McKeever said. “Music is therapy for so many people, and we’re all healthier by spending summer evenings outdoors listening to music and connecting with other people.”

For a deeper look at the incredible partnership between MarketBeat and Levitt at the Falls and how this collaboration enriches the community, check out this video: