Accelerent Phoenix Breakfast Delivers “Becoming Awesome” Mindset to Nearly 700 Business Leaders

Nearly 700 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives gathered this morning at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown for the Accelerent Phoenix Breakfast. Benefit Commerce Group (BCG), the Arizona office of Alera Group, is proud to be the Title Sponsor of Accelerent Phoenix.

The morning opened with remarks from Chris Hogan, EVP & Principal at BCG, who set the stage by addressing the realities employers are facing in 2026. With renewal increases projected in the 20–30% range, benefits strategy is no longer optional. It’s now a critical business decision.

“Employee benefits are often the second or third largest line item in an organization’s budget,” Hogan shared. “In a market as competitive as Arizona, employers need real data to make smart decisions — not guesswork.”

Hogan emphasized the importance of BCG’s “Awesome” Arizona Employee Benefits Benchmarking Survey, now in its 13th year. Last year alone, more than 550 Arizona employers participated, gaining access to exclusive local and national data that helps organizations understand where they’re ahead of the market, where they need to improve, and where meaningful savings and innovation are possible.

BCG also announced the launch of a brief Employer Renewal Experience Survey, designed to capture real-time insights into employer satisfaction, renewal expectations, employee reactions, and top challenges from the 2026 renewal cycle. Participation is complimentary and includes an invitation to BCG’s 13th Annual Employee Benefits Benchmarking, Healthcare & HR Symposium on June 4, 2026.

Keynote: Becoming Awesome

The morning’s keynote speaker, Cam Awesome, delivered a powerful and deeply personal message on resilience, mindset, and leadership.

A 12-time National Champion heavyweight Olympic boxer and former captain of Team USA Boxing, Awesome used boxing as a metaphor for life and leadership, reminding attendees that everyone faces battles and not every round is won.

“The story I tell myself determines if I can continue on or not,” Awesome shared, emphasizing that mindset and self-talk are often the deciding factors between growth and quitting. He noted that while leaders hear many voices along the way, the most important one is internal. “If you can’t get that voice to believe in you,” he said, “it doesn’t matter who else does.”

Awesome challenged leaders to reframe failure, not as a stopping point, but as a necessary part of progress. “If you can fail without being discouraged,” he explained, “success becomes inevitable.”

Among his key takeaways:

• Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of the process.
• Mindset and self-belief are built through daily habits and disciplined thinking.
• Attitude determines what happens next when life knocks you down.
• Leaders grow by telling themselves better stories and staying kind to themselves.
• The journey of “Becoming Awesome” is rooted in resilience, humility, and consistent effort.

Together, the message was clear. Data-driven strategy and resilient leadership go hand in hand. Employers who combine better insight with the discipline to keep moving forward are the ones best positioned to succeed through uncertainty in 2026.

Accelerent Phoenix & BCG: A Powerful Partnership

Benefit Commerce Group is proud to serve as the Title Sponsor of Accelerent Phoenix, the region’s premier business development organization. Throughout the year, Accelerent brings together top decision-makers and nationally recognized speakers to spark meaningful conversation and leadership growth.

With a strong 2025 behind them and momentum building into 2026, the Accelerent Phoenix / BCG Breakfast Series continues to deliver insight, inspiration, and actionable strategies for Arizona’s business community.

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about Accelerent Phoenix/BCG Breakfast Events in 2026.