When You Drink From The Well…

“When you drink from the well, remember the well digger.”

The evening of October 25, 2006 marked a significant event for the Wellness Councils of America. In amoving and meaningful ceremony, William Kizer, the founder of WELCOA and Board Chairman, Glendon Johnson, transitioned to Emeritus status after 25 years of leadership.

The reigns of leadership were elegantly and emotionally handed to incoming Chairman Stephen LaCagninof Jackson Kelly Law Firm and incoming Vice Chairman Steven Martin, President and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska. Both are nationally recognized for their leadership and expertise in workplace wellness.

During their 25 years of leadershipin theWELCOA movement, bothBill and Glendonhavegiven generouslyof their time and resources to advance the cause of workplace wellness in the U.S. Indeed, both were among the first CEO’s in the country to implement comprehensive workplace wellness programs in their companies.

“When I first thought about wellness programs at the worksite, I felt like I had been knocked off my mule on theroad to Damascus,” remarked Bill Kizer. “I knew in my heart that working people could benefit greatly fromwellness kinds of programs.The problem was, 25 years ago, no one really knew what constituted a good program.”

That cathartic moment for Mr. Kizer set in motion a chain of events that led to the development ofa “Wellness Council” in Omaha and later to the establishment of the Wellness Councils of America.

“I knew that if employers had a resource that could help them better understand wellness, they wouldn’t have to wrestle with the process as hard I had to,”said Kizer.

It was during his quest to establishthe national organization that he met fellow CEO and kindred spirit, Glendon Johnson.

“I was presenting the concept to a working committee of the Health Insurance Association of America and I was flaming out–I just couldn’t get anyone to buy in,” remembers Kizer.

Enter Glendon Johnson.

Glendon stepped up and said, “I think we should fund this project, it’s really one of the most important things thatwe asthe insurance industrycan do.”

Since that time over two decades ago, Bill and Glendon have established a devoted friendshipthat has resulted ina national movement where workplace wellness programshave becomepart of the common business vernacular.

“As a CEO, I believe that I have a moral and an ethical responsibility to protect and care for the men and women in my organization. I can tell you from first hand experience that company wellness programssave lives. I know because I have had my employees tell me so,” shares Johnson.

“Whenpeople ask me about the cost/benefit ratio of a company wellness program, I ask them to give me the value of human life. When you think of it in those terms, the return on investment is more than justwhat’s reflected on an income statement.”

“Bill and I aremoved to see how many corporate leaders have stepped up to the plate and implemented great programs.”

“Looking back, we are very pleased at what WELCOA has been able to accomplish but there is still much work to be done. That’s why we’ve tapped a new generation of leadership and talent. We will continue to work with WELCOA and especially Steve LaCagnin and Steve Martin. We couldn’t have found two better people to lead the Board of Directors,” remarked Johnson.

Having had the opportunity to work side-by-side Bill and Glendon for more than 10 years, I can assure you that these two men have worked hard to diga well that manypeople can drink from. Because of their efforts, the world is a better place and I know I am a better person.

Moreover, I know a lot of people will remember the well diggers when they drink from it.

If you’d like to email Bill or Glendon, they can be reached at the following email addresses:

wkizer@csi-omaha.com

glendonjohnson@msn.com

To view photographs of the event, simply visit this link.

Yours in good health,

David Hunnicutt

Copyright 2006, David Hunnicutt.com

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The views and perspectives presented by Dr. Hunnicutt do not necessarily represent those of WELCOA.