[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    150TH ANNIVERSARY OF PHOENIX HOME LIFE MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY

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                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2001

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, 1851 was an extraordinary 
year. Our country was 75 years old and on the brink of Civil War. In 
the midst of all the chaos, a small group of Hartford, Connecticut's 
leading businessmen, religious leaders, cultural and civic leaders, 
applied for a charter for the formation of The American Temperance Life 
Insurance Company, which would become Phoenix Home Life Mutual 
Insurance Company.
  On Thursday, Phoenix celebrates its 150th anniversary. It has 
survived the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression, two World 
Wars and the societal upheaval of the late 20th century. Phoenix has 
endured because the company has always met the needs of its 
policyholders and customers while upholding its standards of integrity, 
and industry and community leadership.
  Phoenix has through the years been a leader in product innovations: 
it was the first to insure the temperate, the first to lower rates for 
women (based on actuarial science), the first to offer policies that 
covered total families, not just individuals, and the first to lower 
rates for nonsmokers.
  Phoenix has been a leader in business practice innovations: Phoenix 
was the first to require full-time dedicated agents and led the drive 
to make the sale of insurance a profession. Phoenix was also the first 
to develop a publication for its field force and the first company to 
use direct mail marketing.
  Phoenix has been recognized ten times by Working Mother magazine as 
one of the Top 100 companies for working mothers. It was recognized for 
its efforts in providing childcare, workplace flexibility, leave for 
new parents, and advancement of women.
  But perhaps most importantly, Phoenix's Chief Executive Officer, 
Robert W. Fiondella, has proven that the values of community and 
citizenship made good business sense. Phoenix encourages its employees 
to volunteer through a policy that allows them to devote 40 hours of 
company time per year to community activities, provided it is matched 
by the same amount of personal time. The company also rewards its top 
20 professional advisors through its Donor's Award, a program that 
enables them to designate up to $2,000 to a local charity. Since its 
inception, the award has benefited many organizations, including the 
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Lou Gehrig Baseball and the Make A Wish 
Foundation.
  Phoenix has spearheaded a $3 million ``Legacy Campaign'' to sustain 
and grow the Doc Hurley Foundation, the creation of Walter J. ``Doc'' 
Hurley, who has worked tirelessly for Hartford's youth. Phoenix 
contributed $250,000 at the start of the campaign and will contribute 
another $250,000 at the end of it. The campaigns endowment will help 
high school students go on to college through a scholarships and other 
support, such and help with purchasing books and completing paperwork. 
Foundation Trustees will help with mentoring and helping to complete 
necessary paperwork pertaining to college applications.
  Student attendance and mastery test scores have improved at 
Hartford's Fred D. Wish Elementary School as a result of Phoenix's 
partnership with the school. For 15 years, employees have worked one-
on-one with students in grades three through six to sharpen math and 
language skills. Phoenix provides transportation each week for students 
to travel to their Hartford office for tutoring.
  Mr. Speaker, at a time when some businesses are scaling back their 
corporate giving programs, Phoenix is sustaining and even enhancing its 
involvement. In 1995, Phoenix made an eight-year commitment to Special 
Olympics International as its first Official Worldwide Partner, setting 
a standard for volunteerism and civic responsibility few companies can 
match.
  Please join me in offering congratulations on their 150th anniversary 
and in recognition of Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance Company.

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