Accelerent Breakfast: Go ‘All In’ on What’s Important to You – Gian Paul Gonzalez

Gian Paul Gonzalez is widely recognized for inspiring the New York Giants to their most recent Super Bowl victory with the phrase “All In.” He brought that concept to life at this morning’s Accelerent/BCG Breakfast Event, held at Ability360. 

He was an NCAA First Team All-American forward from Montclair State University scoring nearly 1,400 points in his 3-year career. He was offered professional basketball contracts, yet he turned them down in order to continue his work with at-risk youth and as a public school teacher.

Gian is the founder & executive director of Hope & Future, an organization dedicated to using athletics & physical fitness to share a message of hope and striving for excellence in inner-city public schools and juvenile jails.

Accelerent—Phoenix

The Phoenix division of Accelerent is the area’s leading business development organization, and Benefit Commerce Group is proud to be the Title Sponsor of this division. At breakfast events throughout the year, guests invited by members of Accelerent hear from nationally-recognized speakers and experts like Gian Paul Gonzalez.

Lessons Learned from Gian

When Gian gave his historic motivational talk to the New York Giants on a Friday before a Saturday game in 2011, he gave each of the football players a poker chip. He told them to write their number on one side of the chip and what they were committed to on the other side. Then he told them to go “All In,” put all their chips on the table to fully commit.

“All In” quickly became a catchphrase not just for the Giants, but for many other teams and organizations. They were powerful words for the Giants.  The team won every game that season after Gian’s first talk with them, going all the way to winning the 2012 Super Bowl.

• “All In” is about giving your best when you can’t guarantee a future.
• It’s staying committed when society and everything else tells you to quit.
• You need to be willing to try, win or lose…willing to care.
• Fame fades quickly. History teaches us that fame is what people do for themselves; greatness is what they do for others.
• Sometimes being “All In” is just showing up. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being committed and consistent.
• Don’t let the atmosphere determine our ability. You need to make a choice, a commitment.
• You need to also go “All In” for yourself, too.  You cannot pour from an empty cup.  Don’t neglect yourself along the way.  “All In” is not just a slogan, it’s a lifestyle.

For more information about Gian, you can go to his website: https://www.gianpaulgonzalez.com/.

Chris Hogan Explained BCG’s ‘All In’ Strategy

In line with the keynote speaker’s theme, Chris Hogan, BCG’s Executive Vice President and Principal, took a few minutes at this morning’s Accelerent meeting to explain to the hundreds of attendees how BCG is “All In” on our mission to help employers improve their employee benefits and save money.

He talked about the important data provided in BCG’s recent Employee Benefits Benchmarking, to help employers develop strategies to become or remain an “Employer of Choice.”

With a focus on both quality of healthcare and cost, BCG has implemented programs that provide access to top quality doctors, with an incentive to employees to use these doctors, resulting in better care and lower costs for the employer and employees and families.

Watch for Our Next Accelerent Phoenix/BCG Breakfast Event—Sept. 27th

We have an amazing year of quality speakers and motivating topics at the Accelerent/BCG Breakfast Events in 2024!! Our next Breakfast Event is scheduled for Friday, September 27, with our speaker, Noelle Pikus Pace, 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics skeleton silver medalist, 26-time world cup medalist, 2-time world champion.