Colleagues, Clients and Communities:

In this time of crisis, the visibility of need in our communities is heightened. Yet, we know that human need is a reality in our society. When ABD launched in 2012 with a vision of a better path forward for our colleagues, clients, and communities, we emphasized the importance of supporting “causes we care about.” The American Cancer Society is one such cause. ABD has supported ACS through our annual Golf Tournament and Fundraiser for eleven years. COVID-19 and Shelter-in-Place forced us to cancel the golf tournament this year. In adherence to our COVID-19 guiding principle of “adjusting expectations and planning accordingly,” we are reimagining how we might still support this cause we care about. In just one week, our new fundraising campaign for ACS has raised nearly 0,000 of our 0,000 goal. Thank you to our partners and friends who have stepped up so generously! Follow ABD on social to watch how you can engage in the fun.

Adjusting expectations is not about having to cancel a golf tournament. It’s about being nimble. It’s about learning. It’s about flexing our values in the face of change. Looking closely at this pivot, you will see all of ABD’s five core values at work. Committed, Accountable, Expert, Forward-Looking, and In This Together.

This week, In This Together rises to the top, particularly because it is a phrase that we hear and see so much today in the face of crisis. So many have embraced the rallying cry, “We are in this together.” In This Together has been an ABD core value since we launched nearly eight years ago and I couldn’t be more proud of how our team lives this value, today and every day.

This would have been our 12 annual ABD Golf Tournament for ACS. The Relay for Life event originated with Andrea Trudeau and our San Jose team before we formed ABD. For eleven years, we put on a tremendous event. ABD colleagues came together and all contributed on a day when Work, Love and Play all intersected at once. Our carrier partners came to support a cause we Love and Play with their key Work partners. A unique expression of ABD as a team. Going forward, we will re-imagine how we support ACS. Golf tournaments will come back, but we have an opportunity to innovate in how we engage our partner and client community in support of a cause, in a manner that is relevant to them and delivers value to them while participating in the just cause of freeing the world from cancer.

As we slowly transition to what will be a new normal, together, we will re-imagine everything about our business. We will re-imagine our services as we re-assess what our clients need. We have some of the best minds in the business. When we put together our collective minds to innovate and deliver new solutions that continue to meet and exceed the mark with clients, we will ensure that ABD stays in the game for years to come. The work never ends. Guided by our WorkLovePlay ethos, we will continue to thrive as One ABD, because we are in this together. Because together is the only way forward.