Accelerent Breakfast Featured Merril Hoge: Excellence is not an act, but a habit

Three words have guided Merril Hoge’s successes in life since he was 8 years old: FIND A WAY!

As an exceptional professional football player, an ESPN analyst, a successful author, a cancer survivor, and so much more, Merril always sets goals, puts them into words and focuses on finding a way to achieve them.

The Accelerent Breakfast Event drew nearly 400 area business leaders this morning at Chateau Luxe to learn his success story and to connect with others.

Accelerent is the area’s leading business development organization. Benefit Commerce Group is the Title Sponsor of this organization. Tiffany & Bosco, P.A., was the sponsor of today’s event.

Persevering in the face of adversity is the story of Merril Hoge’s life.

When he was told as a young boy that his dream of becoming a professional football player was unrealistic, he found a way.

• He idolized and studied Walter Payton: “He’s not the biggest, not the strongest, not even the fastest. He’s the best.” 
• Merril played in the NFL for 8 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears.

When he was forced to retire early from the Chicago Bears in 1994 due to post-concussion syndrome, he found a way.

• He became a football analyst and sideline reporter at ESPN.

When he was diagnosed in 2003 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, he found a way.

• He started chemotherapy on Feb. 14th and was cancer-free within 5 months.

When he wanted to devote time and energy to helping others, he found a way.

• As Board Chairman of the Highmark Caring Foundation and Caring Place Centers, he helps grieving children, adolescents and their families to cope with the loss of a parent or loved one.
• For the last 12 years, alongside Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Merril has hosted the Hoge Ward Celebrity Golf Classic for Children to raise money for the Foundation.

Walter Payton to Aristotle…

In his early years, he went to the library to learn more about Walter Payton, but Merril also happened upon the writings of the philosopher Aristotle. One of Aristotle’s teachings that Merril has carried with him his whole life:

              “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

At each step in his career and his personal life, Merril Hoge made excellence his habit, and he found a way to achieve his goals. That’s what he taught us at the Accelerent Breakfast event.

For more information, go to: https://merrilhoge.com/.

Scott Wood: Employee benefits can be the tie-breaker in filling job openings      

In introductory remarks at the event, Scott Wood, Managing Partner and Principal of Benefit Commerce Group (BCG), announced the launch of the 9th Annual Arizona Employee Benefits Benchmarking Survey.

This Benchmarking Survey is expected to have 400+ employer participants across the state this year.

“Most benefits benchmarking surveys that HR managers can look to are based on large national employers,” Scott said. “That data is not really relevant to the Arizona marketplace. This Benefits Benchmarking Survey is the largest, most comprehensive for mid-size employers—50 employees up to 5,000.”

During this time when most employers are having problems filling open positions, this Benchmarking Survey will show where your benefits are strong and where they could be enhanced to make your organization more competitive.

“Benefits Benchmarking has become part of our brand, one of our best practices,” Scott added. “We have over 500 employer clients. They place their trust and confidence in us to help guide them. One of the ways we do that is with our annual Arizona Benefits Benchmarking Survey.”

The survey and individual results reports are provided at no cost to Arizona employers. And, those who complete the survey or provide data to complete the survey by February 28th will earn an Early Bird incentive: $25 Amazon gift card.

For more information on the Benchmarking Survey, go to the Benchmarking page of our website: https://benefitcommerce.aleragroup.com/az-benchmarking-survey/