Manuel Amezcua is a dreamer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and executive in the wealth management and insurance industry who is obsessed with adding value and solving problems in every room he enters.

He currently serves as CEO for MassMutual Great Lakes and is also the founder of the Podium Group which has a concentrated focus on serving professional athletes, business owners, and CEOs.

Within Manuel’s six-year span leading MassMutual Great Lakes, the firm and his family have sponsored and supported over 60 nonprofit organizations and been recognized on Metro Detroit’s Best & Brightest Companies to Work For’ list annually since 2018, as well as Crain’s Detroit Business ‘Cool Places to Work in Michigan’ list in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Manuel has been recognized each year since 2019 as one of Detroit’s 500 ‘Most Powerful Business Leaders in Metro Detroit’ by DBusiness Magazine, received the 2019 Huebner Service Award from the Society of Financial Services Professionals Detroit Chapter, and MassMutual’s national Community Service Award in 2015, 2019, and 2022.

During his professional career, he has spoken at more than 50 conferences and companies across the country. His conversations focus on servant leadership, being a great teammate, and doing the things most will not, to achieve the greatness that most will never experience. He attributes some of his success to dreaming big, developing a clear brand and value proposition, working intentionally from a written plan, and having relentless hustle and volcanic grit. He believes the genius is in the simplicity of being kind and polite, remember and using a person’s name, asking for permission, and adding value in the life of other.

At the forefront of Manuel’s personal life are his wife, Samantha, and two children, Ava and Atlas. Manuel is the host of At the Podium Podcast. He serves on the Board of Governors at the Skyline Club, the Executive Committee for the Game on Cancer, and the DePauw Centers Co-Curricular Advisory Board. He also served as Chair of the Chicago Melanoma Research Foundation’s Wings of Hope Gala for three years. He has provided previous board service to the Melanoma Research Foundation, NAIFA Chicago, POSSE Chicago’s Leadership Council, the Center for Economic Progress, and the Reilly C. Bush Foundation.

Manuel Amezcua is a registered representative of and offers securities, investment advisory and financial planning services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. 3000 Town Center, Suite 3100 Southfield, MI 48075 Tel: 248-357-7600. MassMutual is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies. Agency officers are not officers of MassMutual. Financial Services representatives are independent contractors and are not employees of MassMutual, its subsidiaries, or of general agents with whom they contract. CRN202410-1032157

Paul Davis is a former professional and college basketball player with a winner mindset, a competitive spirit and a strong desire to make a positive impact on the world. He serves as a partner with Podium Risk Management, providing vision and strategy for the firm as it helps active and retired athletes, entertainers, c-suite executives, and business owners create long-term financial security, stability and success. Paul was promoted to partner in 2020 by Podium’s founding partner Manuel Amezcua, CEO for MassMutual Great Lakes.

His basketball career started at Rochester High School, where Paul was ranked one of the top players in the nation and named Michigan’s Mr. Basketball in 2002. He was recruited to Michigan State University by legendary coach Tom Izzo and was instrumental in leading MSU to the Elite Eight and Final Four during his college years. Paul went on to the NBA where he played for the L.A. Clippers and the Washington Wizards. He also played professional basketball overseas in Russia and Spain. He retired in 2016 after undergoing seven knee surgeries.

Paul grew up in Rochester, MI and is a graduate of Michigan State University. Locally, he serves on the board of Fleece & Thank You, which provides handmade fleece blankets to children staying overnight in Michigan hospitals, and heads the nonprofit organization’s development and fundraising efforts.

Bennie Warren Fowler, III, the founder and president of Infinite Potential LTD, is an eight-year veteran of the National Football League. He began his career as an undrafted free agent signed by the Denver Broncos in 2014. Bennie was a member of the 2016 Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 Championship Team and may best be remembered for having hauled in the final pass of Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Bennie was most recently a member of the San Francisco 49ers organization.

Bennie is a fervent advocate of the neuroscience technique of brain-mapping, which, as a professional athlete, assisted him in localizing the immediate recall skills associated with multifaceted play structure in an intense and fast-paced aggressive environment. He has successfully transferred his acumen and experience in improving his longevity in the NFL into the development of transformational habits that will generate durability for long-term success in any industry.

Infinite Potential LTD offers one-on-one coaching, as well as corporate team intentional performance development. Since 2019, Bennie has worked with over 150 small business owners and CEOs to assist in their discovery and use of specific skills, habits and approaches key to success for high achievement and the elevation of performance consistently over time. Some of the same methodologies instituted by the most successful coaches in the NFL, as well as many of the most successful athletes in the game, are uniquely crafted for clients to optimize peak performance for better decision making, building resilience, and navigating challenges. Bennie has twelve plus years of experience working with high performing teams and individuals. He lives and teaches this motto, “The only way to win the footrace is to expect to win the footrace. Little or much will be given you, according to your expectation for little or much.”

Bennie earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Michigan State University in 2013. He obtained his professional coaching certification through Co-Active Training Institute and has completed over 400 hours of coaching using his MVP framework (Mindset, Vision & Performance). The framework and tools used, including the Quantum Endeavors coaching model, have a 100% client/company re-engagement rate and a 100% client assessed growth rate.

At Michigan State, Bennie was a member of the 2014 100th Rose Bowl Championship Team, ending a twenty-six year Big Ten and Rose Bowl appearance drought for the Spartans. As such, Bennie has the distinction of having played in and won both the 100th Rose Bowl and 50th Super Bowl.

Bennie attended high school at the acclaimed Detroit Country Day School where he earned additional athletic notoriety as a member of the 2007 Class B Basketball State Championship Team and as a member of that years’ State Champions in Track in Field. Bennie also holds an individual State Championship for long jump in 2008.

Bennie helps provide vision and strategy for the Podium Risk Management organization, utilizing his skills as a personal coach.

Infinite Potential LTD is not an affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC or its affiliated companies.

Professional Career

During his 12-year tenure in the NFL, he played with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and 8 years with the Chicago Bears, retiring as the second leading Tight End in Bears history for catches, yards, and touchdowns behind only Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. Before entering into the NFL, Desmond set Wake Forest University receiving records and finished his college career as the all-time leading receiver in Atlantic Coast Conference history and a degree in communications. Since retiring from football, Desmond has blazed an impressive path as a Partner, inspirational speaker, and business coach. Desmond is now leading his own company, The Insurance People. Through his work in the financial arena, Desmond is firmly dedicated helping people live better lives by making good financial decisions.

As a professional speaker, Desmond has spoken and consulted for companies, associations, and schools across the nation including Fortune 500 health care company Baxter, Chicago United, IL Diversity Council, BOMA-Building Owners, and Managers Association, Avon Farms Boarding school, First Institute Medical School, American Cancer Society, to name a few.

He has appeared on ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC, WGN, ESPN, Comcast News Makers, and other network TV and radio stations as a thought leader, author, speaker, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and coach.

Desmond is the author of Before and Beyond the Game and was named 2012 Mentor of the Year by Congressman Danny Davis for his work in the Chicago and Polk County Florida Communities.

Philanthropy

Desmond served as President of NFL Alumni Chicago for 3 years. Before stepping away, Desmond increased fundraising by 600%, formed relationships, provided financial support, and integrated player involvement with Ronald McDonald House, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and Holiday Heroes. After leaving as President of NFL Alumni Desmond, started The Desmond Clark Foundation which helps under-served youth access resources to attend college and cancer patients without means of transportation receive transportation back and forth to medical facilities to receive the treatment they desperately need through American Cancer Society’s program Road to Recovery.

Desmond serves on the Illinois Board for the American Cancer Society and Party for a Cure.

Education

Desmond graduated with a BA Degree in Communications from Wake Forest University in 2008.

Demond helps provide vision and strategy for the Podium Risk Management organization.

The Insurance People are not affiliated with MML Investors Services, LLC or its affiliated companies.