Newsletter Excerpt: Driving Innovation at Cornerstone Defense
Written By: Patrick Palmer
Excerpted from our Q3 2025 Newsletter
This quarter’s newsletter is about resilience and how we use resilience or stories of resilience to guide and motivate us as people, as teams, and in relation to Cornerstone Defense, as a company. As everyone knows, this has most certainly been a year in which our entire industry has needed resilience to continue to service our customer base in the face of trying times and challenging environments. Rumors, innuendo, and social media made it difficult to understand what exactly was happening and when it might happen. Our team certainly was resilient through this process and remains focused on our mission, and for that, we all appreciate your efforts and professionalism.
One story I have always thought showed incredible resilience is the story of a young man named Warrick Dunn. Warrick Dunn is a former NFL running back that lived through incredibly difficult times and still made amazing achievements in life, family, and philanthropy. Warrick was born on January 5th, 1975 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During his Senior year of high school Warwick lost his mother, Betty Smothers, a dedicated Baton Rouge police officer, to a shooting in a failed robbery while working a second job to support her family. At the age of 18, Warrick took on the unimaginable task of raising his 5 brothers and sisters. He did this while continuing to attend school, running track, and playing football all at an extremely high level.
Despite overwhelming odds and an extremely difficult home life, Dunn didn’t give up on his dreams. He graduated high school and was awarded a scholarship to Florida State University, where he excelled in academics, track and field, and football. Balancing college, parenting, and the grief of losing his hero at a young age, he showed remarkable resilience to be the best he could be in all facets of his life. After graduation, Dunn was drafted into the NFL, where he played for 12-seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. His work ethic and generous nature made him a fan, coach, and player favorite.
What truly sets Warrick Dunn apart is what he did off the field and after his NFL career. Deeply moved by his mother’s struggles and resilience as a single parent, Dunn created Warrick Dunn Charities and Homes for the Holidays program in 1997. Through this not for profit, he has built and paid for over 233 homes for single mothers and their families, helping them achieve the dream of homeownership. Dunn has personally contributed millions of dollars to make this vision possible, often furnishing the homes himself.
I hope you enjoyed this great story that reminds us of what we can do when we are focused on a goal, collaborate with our team, and resiliently push through the finish line for the good of others. Read on for more stories of resilience throughout this quarter’s newsletter!