Building Community, Meet Our New Partners, Sims Metals

As we welcome our newest partner, Sims Metal, as a title sponsor to several of our events and an impactful supporter of our mission, we have to take a moment to revel in the incredible community that outdoor adventure creates. We met Colin, the Environmental and Regulatory Community Engagement Manager at Sims Metal, through Alek and our work with the Department of Wildlife Resources. An avid angler, new climber, and adventurous outdoorsman, Colin has become a dedicated supporter of Beyond Boundaries, and his company, Sims Metal, has as well.

This new partnership creates an incredible opportunity for accessible adventure and for Beyond Boundaries to continue expanding our reach and mission. Sims Metal was the title sponsor of R.I.M.B.Y. 2025 and plans to continue offering support through the year, allowing us to facilitate new adventures and purchase much-needed equipment.

“Colin is one of those people who truly understands the power of community, and sees outdoor adventure as a meaningful way to bring people together. Every time I run into him, he’s got a smile on his face and a new idea to share. Our conversations always seem to turn into exciting collaborations focused on making a stronger, more connected community,” says Shep.

The power of community is evident in Sims Metal’s involvement, as seen in how they initially met us. “Sims created RVA Earth Day in Bryan Park in 2022, and we had met DWR to see if we could have them participate, and they provided us a list of people to meet and get to participate in the event. I hit it off with Alek, and we are an environmental and sustainability company, and if you look at what we do, it aligns,” Colin states.

Members of the Sims team began joining us on adventures in 2022 and have continued to support us since then. Over time, our relationship has flourished thanks to the hard work of Colin and Alek, who have become integral to our efforts to build and foster relationships within the community.

“Our partnership with Sims Metal has flourished over the past few years—from collaborating on Earth Day events to hosting Disability Inclusion Trainings for their staff, and receiving generous sponsorship for our programs and events. Partners like Sims make it possible for us to run safe, fun, and accessible adventures for everyone,” says Alek.

For Colin, our mission isn’t just a way to promote his company; however, it has a personal driver behind it. 

“For me, I came from a very rural part of NC and we were the poorest county in the state and once I made it to a university I started to realize my opportunities and childhood were not the same as other individuals between able bodied people and others for example and me working with an organization like beyond boundaries gives me a real sense of pride and joy because we’ve leveled that playing field, it doesn’t matter what your status or ability is, it just matters if you’re interested and curious and then Beyond Boundaries can make it happen,” he explains.

We love seeing relationships flourish within our community and witnessing people experience firsthand the power of our adventures. Recently, Colin went on a climbing trip and had a magical moment with a participant.

“There was an individual on my climbing trip, and he was super stoked until he got halfway up the tall wall and just froze, and you could see his panic and the encouragement that came from Beyond Boundaries of hey you can hang there or you can come off the wall and it was pretty cool to see,” Colin Says.

We’d love to thank Sims again for their incredible partnership and for helping to ensure that Adventure is for everyone!