Mr. Rocky Bleier is a guest speaker for our business meeting at the conference on Saturday, 20 Feb 2010.

THE HARD LESSONS ROCKY BLEIER LEARNED EARLY IN LIFE HELPED HIM TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY AND REACH HIS GOALS BOTH ON AND OFF THE FOOTBALL FIELD . . . A MESSAGE THAT IS BOTH TIMELY AND RELEVANT IN TODAY’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.

ROCKY BLEIER PLAYED FOOTBALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME. WITH A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER HIS BELT AND CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM HIS SENIOR YEAR, HE WAS A GOOD BUT NOT NECESSARILY A GIFTED ATHLETE. HE WAS NOT PICKED IN THE NFL DRAFT UNTIL THE LATER ROUNDS, AND SOMEHOW MADE THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS TEAM. TOWARD THE END OF HIS ROOKIE SEASON, HE WAS DRAFTED AGAIN, HIS TIME BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY AND SENT TO VIETNAM LIFE THOUSANDS OF OTHER YOUNG MEN. WHEN HIS PLATOON RAN INTO AN AMBUSH, HE SUFFERED SEVERE RIFLE AND GRENADE WOUNDS THAT DAMAGED HIS LEGS AND FEET.

DOCTORS WERE CERTAIN THAT ROCKY BLEIER WOULD NEVER PLAY FOOTBALL AGAIN, BUT ROCKY HAD A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. BELIEVING IN HIMSELF, HE OVERCAME HIS INJURIES THROUGH A RELENTLESS THERAPY PROGRAM, HE REJOINED THE STEELERS AND WENT ON TO STAR IN THE NFL. AFTER 12 SEASONS AND 4 SUPER BOWLS, HE RETIRED FROM FOOTBALL AND TODAY SUPPLIES HIS EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES TOWARD MEETING CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVING GOALS IN TODAY’S BUSINESS.

ROCKY BLEIER SEES PARALLELS BETWEEN THE CHALLENGES HE FACED IN THE PAST AND THE CHALLENGES ALL BUSINESS PEOPLE FACE IN TODAY’S CROWDED, COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE. HE IS CONFIDENT THAT THE TYPES OF GOALS WE HAVE ARE MORE THAN ATTAINABLE FOR EVERY ONE OF US WHO APPROACHES CHALLENGE WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.

SO I AM VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME ROCKY BLEIER HERE TO SHARE WITH US SONE OF HIS EXPERIENCES, SOME OF HIS ATTITUDES, SOME OF HIS DETERMINATION, EVEN SOME OF THE HUMOR HE WAS ABLE TO SEE IN THE CHALLENGES THAT CONFRONTED HIM IN THE PAST. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – MR. ROCKY BLEIER.