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The Innsbrook Rotary Club recently recognized Equity Concepts co-founder Michael Thaler as the 2018 recipient of its Business Leader Award.
With more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner, Thaler has been at the forefront of industry best practice. His expertise is in teaching wealth management strategies, focusing on tax and alternative investment concepts for accredited investors.
The award is presented annually to the club member who personifies Rotary’s ideal of “Service Above Self.” Recipients have made a significant contribution to the Innsbrook area through their business leadership and civic involvement.
In 2003, Thaler founded Effective Ministries, Inc. (EMI), a nonprofit that partners with other nonprofits to empower them to fulfill their missions. Prior to founding EMI, Thaler participated in several mission trips to Central America, the Caribbean and Africa, where he gained the insight and perspective that led him to create EMI.
EMI currently manages LINK Missions, LiveTen24, and Schools for Niger – all of which focus their efforts on projects and needs in Niger, Africa. LINK Missions organizes mission trips, and has four trips to Niger planned for 2018. Working with partners in-country, LiveTen24 addresses clean water, health care, orphan care, education and micro-business while Schools for Niger is devoted to building Christ-centered schools for the children of Niger.
Thaler and his family also have invested in the region in other ways. One of his proudest accomplishments is the renovation of the historic Robinson Theater in Church Hill, for which he worked to raise the necessary funding to restore the 1937-built structure to its original appearance. Named for the legendary Richmond native Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the center now serves as a multi-purpose facility designed to inspire, encourage and restore a healthy community life to the residents of Church Hill.
