Former Dolphin to speak at Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Tuesday

The Fifth Annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast will take place from 7 to 8 a.m. Tuesday at Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Hartsville.

Featured speaker for this year's event is Glenn A. Blackwood, former player for the Miami Dolphins and Christian motivational speaker.

Tickets for the breakfast are available at Hartsville City Hall, Wesley United Methodist church and Brown-Pennington-Atkins Funeral Home for a $5 donation.

Mayor Mel Pennington said the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast has gained in popularity over its five years. Former Mayor Michael Holt initiated the breakfast, held each year in early December.

"We're trying to grow this event," Pennington said. "It's a great event, and we've got a really strong committee this year. It's a good opportunity for people to come together and get focused on a good message."

Organizers are even considering adding a second prayer breakfast in about six months, he said.

Blackwood, whose NFL career spanned 10 years, tells a compelling account of how he came to have a personal relationship with Christ and how that has changed and guided his life.

"He'll share his testimony. It's a good, positive message," Pennington said.

Blackwood transitioned into the financial services industry from a professional football career that spanned 10 years with the Miami Dolphins. Blackwood leads a team of consultants in the southeastern United States in the design and implementation of compensation and nonqualified benefit plans for officers and directors of financial institutions.

In addition, he has frequently conducted educational seminars for the accounting community, banker groups, bank regulators and law firms. Prior to being drafted by the Miami Dolphins, Blackwood attended the University of Texas.

Blackwood joined Clark Consulting in 1991, bringing with him valuable experience in financial planning that he gained while working with a Miami-based investment banking firm.

He works with banks to develop an understanding of current and long-term needs; provides an analysis of existing compensation and benefit practices; and then prepares recommendations that address impact on cash flows, earnings, shareholder value and other bank objectives to facilitate board approval.

Blackwood also works with bank accountants, attorneys and consultants to provide a coordinated financial strategy utilizing bank owned life insurance (BOLI) to minimize the impact of plan costs on earnings. Moreover, he serves as a primary liaison between bankers and industry trade organizations in the

Southeast.

Blackwood has published articles on executive and director benefit programs in the Florida Banking Journal and The Palmetto Banker. He has also spoken at various conferences and seminars on a variety of topics, such as long-term incentives for senior management, director compensation, retaining and rewarding senior management, and benefit strategies for executives and directors.

His audiences have included the ABA National Conference for Community Bankers, the Florida Bankers Association's Annual Convention, the South Carolina Bankers Association Annual Convention, the Independent Bankers of South Carolina, the Bank Administrative Institute -- Florida, and the Financial Managers Society in both central Florida and South Carolina.