I was trying to think how I could best say thank you. Thank the three wonderful people pictured above and the great members of their team who made last Wednesday afternoon so special for me.

Handwritten notes? If I had a month, I couldn’t write ‘em all.
Phone calls maybe? But they would leave no record to refer back to.
A personal visit? Just too many to get to.

So, I decided to thank the wonderful people at The Benefit Company (TBC) by writing this blogpost. Record thoughts that would reside, be memorialized here.

The care and effort on display last Wednesday honoring me with for my recently published book CONNECTIONS. … Over the Top! Let’s just leave it at that. The event was simply… over the top.
But let me get to this wonderful company, TBC; and the people who created it, have grown it so successfully. These guys are still going strong after fifty (going on sixty!) years! The Small Business Administration estimates the number of companies today lasting fifty years? Below 2%

Can you believe it? TBC’s been with us for … fifty plus years! Fueled by the values driven culture it’s principals above have nurtured over all this time.
Yep! And how cool is this! Last Wednesday they honored me!

When I walked into the lobby that afternoon, I thought,

“Bobby, think how many lobbies you’ve walked into over your five decades working with small businesses. Slogans, sayings on a wall. Pictures of leading producers. Even a portrait or two of the CEO.” All the ‘look at us’ stuff. But not here. Not at The Benefit Company. Nope. Nada. Just people greeting me warmly as I walked in the door. All that was needed. TBC doesn’t need slogans or ego boosters on the walls. They let their behaviors, their values and the results of their labors define who they are.

John Hearn, Faye McCorkle and Carey Brown. Faye and Carey have been at TBC from the beginning. Were the founders, really. John joined the company fourteen years ago and magically lead a very good, solid business to becoming arguably the premier employee benefits provider in the city of Atlanta. TBC is a brand that peers and competitors alike continue to try to emulate.

Are these guys and their team of pros good at what they do. Obviously.
But in the twenty or so years I’ve been honored to serve this bunch. I’ve more marveled learning who they are. What they stand for. More than what they do, what they’ve accomplished.
The adage I’ve used often … “Culture trumps Strategy” every time.
This so applies here. Was vividly on display Wednesday. So, as the most recent recipient of what I’ve come to know as the “TBC way.” Professionalism, with a caring attention to detail … and a love for one another that sets them apart.

I simply say thank you. Thank you.

Lastly, those there Wednesday will remember my mentioning the “diamonds” we all experience in our lives? Special moments that make a huge difference.

After I finished delivering the message introing my book … my two grandchildren, Jake and Payson came up to me. With books in hand for me to sign. And a little teary, eyes wide open, they simply said, “PopPop, we never knew you did all that.”

Unforgettable! 🙏

A “diamond” for me … for sure.