palletcentral

32 PalletCentral • November-December 2022 palletcentral.com rough healthy eating and exercise, Cohen lost over 80 pounds less than a year after his diagnosis. He documented his journey on social media, where people were sending him encouraging messages, and how Cohen motivated them to take control of their mental health and overall health. Cohen said, "When I heard those kinds of messages, it fueled me to push myself further. I was getting to the point where I could do 50 miles a day, then 100 miles a day." He saw a change in his mental well-being with biking and began promoting mental health awareness through his rides. He calls this his transformation, with his friends, family, and coworkers cheering him on. ey even surprised him with a Moots bike which helped shatter his goals. When Mike Huggins asked Watson and Cohen if we were interested in this race, Cohen said he would do 500 miles, quickly changing it to 600 miles. Huggins challenged him, "Why not go for 700 or 750 miles?" at is when this virtual race became a challenge. ey could all lean on each other as the team they are at Conner. Mike Huggins beat his 100-mile running challenge, clocking in 140.6 miles, Mike Watson's pledge to walk 50 miles turned into 61.4 miles, and JR Cohen hit 1,085 miles, and won the overall race in bike. When I saw the announcement for the virtual race, I thought it would be a good way for our small team to each take on one of the challenges (ride, run, and walk) and enjoy some fun in the sun. —Mike Huggins, Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Conner Industries. JR Cohen, business development at Conner Industries, celebrates his health journey through cycling.

• Cover