Pilot CEO takes on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

It seems that everyone in the world has been challenged to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in the past month, and now it's my turn to step up. ALS research is a cause near and dear to my heart, so I was happy to let our president, Lou Cortese, soak me with icy water.

In turn, I've challenged my mother, Ellen Phillips, chairman of the board of Pilot, to take the challenge herself. I'll also be donating to the ALS Foundation.

Pilot lends a hand to the Best Buddies Challenge

Over the past five years, Pilot has been involved with a charity called Best Buddies, an organization working to establish a global volunteer movement that “creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).”

Best Buddies holds an annual “Best Buddies Challenge”, a fundraiser where participants can select from a 100, 50 or 20-mile bike ride, a 3K walk, or a 5K run. This year, we used our resources to transport bicycles to Boston for the latest event held on June 4th and 5th in Hyannis Port, Mass. In the past, Pilot has helped Best Buddies move equipment as far as Ireland and Qatar. This fall, we’ll be handling the cross-country delivery for fundraisers in California and Washington, D.C.

In addition to the commitment that Pilot has made as a company, CEO Richard Phillips (who has been personally involved with the charity since 2002) participates in the Challenge, coming in at an impressive 7th place in the 100-mile cycling challenge this year! Richard, along with his team, raised $10,000 for the charity this year as well.

Congratulations to everyone involved on a successful event!