With our innovative field goal net program, we wanted to include an element which we gave back to important causes. The donations to general scholarship funds and hurricane relief were money well-spent, benefiting two charities that we feel strongly about.

Changing the face of insurance for consumers does not happen overnight and it certainly doesn't happen without the highest levels of cooperation and integration within an organization. Mike and I hope that the story of our partnership at Allstate and the results we are driving for the business will serve as inspiration for the next generation of marketing and IT professionals.

There'll probably be some detractors. ... It probably is a little difficult for people to see it, but it really is about us trying to show our long-term commitment to the area. New Orleans is a very important city in America. It's a city that cannot be abandoned by this country.

It's clear to everyone that the world is watching this region, and as it continues to rebuild, a lot of companies have to step up and say they're going to make a long-term commitment to this area.

This is the kind of media placement that will generate a lot of buzz. People will say: Why didn't I think of that?

You can't build your way out of this. We need to start hacking away at the root causes of dependency.