Alex Hoffer

What I Learned at 38,000 Feet

Personal Growth

On the way home from a recent international business trip, I sat next to a politician whose politics I disagree with. I would even go so far as to say that in the past, I’ve thought they’ve stoked the divisiveness in our country. I am quite confident of two other things: 1. they would disagree with my last statement, and 2. I am willing to admit that there are individuals on both sides of the aisle who engage in that kind of behavior. 

Anyhow, just before going through the pre-flight safety announcements, I got up to get one last thing out of the overhead compartment. I made eye contact with this person, and they said, “Can you leave it open so I can put something in there as well?” 

I smiled and said yes. 

The next thing I did was reach out my hand and introduce myself. 

They reached out their hand and let me know what their name was. 

A few hours later, I was reminded that at 38,000 feet, we are all on the same team — people trying to get home. 

Why don’t we remember that on the ground? 

Why don’t we remember that, despite our differences, we are people on the same team trying to get home? 

I cannot speak for this individual…

But I am at my best when I remember that my job is to share the love of Jesus with everyone I come in contact with. 

I did this to the best of my ability on this flight. 

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Things I am Thankful For 

Birthday Post

Every year, as I celebrate my birthday, I also practice thanksgiving for my many blessings. What am I thankful for? 

I am thankful that when I was at my lowest moment in college, a peer aggressively challenged my lifestyle and what it meant to be a Christian. Their tactics were, perhaps, judgmental. But they did what was required to awaken me. 

I am thankful for the youth pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, who challenged me to start attending a local church.  Combined with the experience above, my life went in a different direction. Willow Creek Community Church nudged me into Christian community. 

I am thankful for August 19, 2005, and for God’s providence in having me run into Sarah. It turned out to be one of the most pivotal days of my life. We married on June 30, 2007. 

I am thankful for my parents, sisters, grandparents, and extended family. In many ways, I hit the jackpot on everything — except maybe hair genes.

I am thankful for all the school administrators who failed to call me back in 2007 and 2008, or flat-out told me that I was not good enough to teach at their school. This put a fire in my belly that has not diminished over time. It gifted me the constant reminder that Mondays are “Thank-God-I-have-a-job” days and that work is both dignified and a blessing. Their “no” led me to reconsider my “no” to other options, which turned into the best “yes” of my working life.

I am thankful for the opportunity my dad gave me to come work at Hoffer Plastics in 2008. I am thankful that I spent the first four weeks on the production floor, became lifelong friends with two guys out there, and then spent the rest of the year doing front office jobs that were, quite frankly, gritty, boring, and still necessary. I look at those jobs and the people doing those jobs, and I have a strong appreciation for the work being done. 

I am thankful for all the people I get to work with at our company, our customers, and our suppliers. I meet so many interesting people across the globe. In fact, had you told me in 2008 what a global job this is, I wouldn’t have believed you. I am so thankful for this, as it has grown me in all ways. 

I am thankful for my three kids. They have grown me in ways that I cannot adequately count here. I love them fully. I am thankful that I get to write the birthday letters to them, as that has become a fun tradition. 

I am thankful for my local church and my community there. I have been reminded of it during the past month as I have walked through some tough times with people on our team at Hoffer Plastics. 

I am thankful for another year of life. I am thankful that I am in my mid-forties. 

I am thankful for today. 

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What Coaching Little League Taught Me About Leading a Business

Leadership

Coaching baseball this spring taught me two crucial lessons that apply directly to leading a business. Both are lessons that, quite frankly, I can improve upon. 

Lesson 1: Create a positive environment 

My son, Ben, has had the same coach for several seasons. Coach Mark’s teams always start a little bit slow, and just when you think they will implode, they find a way to play their best. In fact, they always peak when the lights are the brightest. The secret is hardly a secret — it is simply creating a positive environment where kids can have fun. 

In an environment where travel baseball is the norm, and parents are in denial about living their dreams through their kids (sorry to be so harsh), fun has become a competitive advantage. Coach Mark stays positive even when the second baseman makes his fortieth error of the season. And every kid on his team knows that if they put three wins together in a row, Coach Mark is paying for everyone to go to Dairy Queen. Coach Mark will even lead the charge of kids getting cars to honk in the drive-through. He just personifies fun, which is why my son loves playing for him. 

My leadership style doesn’t personify fun. I struggle to maintain positivity when I/we make the fortieth error of the season. I need to own this lesson. Thank you to Coach Mark for your reminder. 

Lesson 2: A question is better than a rebuke 

I helped coach my other son, Will’s, team this year. Learning from past seasons, I started the year off with a relentless focus on the type of positivity Coach Mark practiced. With the buy-in of Will’s head coach, I outlined to the kids what our success statements were:
 

  1. We always hustle 
  2. We are always prepared for every play
  3. We always compete till the game is over 
  4. We always conduct ourselves with good sportsmanship   


Then the coaches held the kids accountable to these standards. We explained that errors were okay on our team as long as the kid was in a “ready position” and was “hustling” on the play. In fact, “we do not expect perfection” became a mantra as the season went on. 

This led me to a leadership insight: I should ask someone a question rather than issue a rebuke. My go-to question this season became, “What will you do differently next time?” 

Answers: 

“Be ready for the ball to be hit to me.” 

“Swing the bat when I have two strikes.” 

“Pick up the third base coach when I am rounding second.” 

You get the idea. 

The kids reminded me of a lesson I learned two decades ago while studying for my master’s in Education: Learning happens when students change their behavior. To that end, I am proud of how our team improved throughout the season. Interestingly, the kid I most frequently asked, “What will you do differently next time?” played their best game in our season finale. Seeing him come through in the clutch despite our team’s defeat was cool. 

Creating a positive environment and asking good questions is not rocket science — I humbly admit that I can easily apply these things to our business. I realize that doing so will create a better environment for everyone, starting with me. 

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A Note to Will

Birthday Post

Dear Will, 

One of my fondest memories of Grandpa Hoffer has nothing to do with Hoffer Plastics. Instead, it has to do with playing nine holes of golf with him regularly when he was in his early 80s. 

The deal was that we would play with his good friend, Al, and the three of us would typically play nine holes before having lunch and talking about golf. I always left those days with a little bit of Grandpa’s wisdom about golf and life. Playing a round of golf with Al, a Masters Tournament season ticket holder for decades, would be like getting a lesson in golf history. If only I could play nine more holes with those two! 

Similarly, I have enjoyed watching you play golf with your grandpa. You have the fortune of playing with him while he can still play well, despite what he tells you when the two of you are on the course. My advice is to suck up every lesson and enjoy it. I also advise you to soak up the time with your Papa when he is in town or you are in Dayton. You are blessed to have both of your grandpas and your two grandmothers in your life. 

I point this out as you celebrate birthday number 14, because you are now bearing witness to the speed — and, quite frankly, brevity — of life. To quote the philosopher Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

Therefore, I advise you to rip up your to-do list every once in a while and go to that 1:20 p.m. start at Clark and Addison. 

I entirely understand and appreciate your discipline and attention to your plan. Having said that, hear this warning from an uptight 43-year-old: you need to be flexible. Not every day is going to go the way you planned, and leaving room for some spontaneity keeps life fresh and fun. One of my all-time favorite Cubs games came about when a friend called me at 1 p.m. on a Sunday in 2005, interrupting my graduate studies. By 1:20 p.m. I was sitting 24 rows back in the shallow left outfield. I had time to study later — and I did — but I would not have had another time with those guys at that game. 

Similarly, this advice will serve you well as you start to play more competitive golf. Another famous quote, this time by Mike Tyson, also applies to golf: “Everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face.” Playing competitive golf is a lot like signing up for getting punched in the face. Golf, after all, is a game of recovery. The best can take the body blows to their plan, recover, and stick with it despite the challenges. Golf prepares you well for life because it teaches you to confront obstacles, embrace challenges, and keep going despite setbacks. 99.99% of golf rounds are that. 

To be sure, you have an incredible amount of talent for golf. Your potential is vast. I will be cheering you on along the way, even when you begin to regularly beat me. And to be certain, that day is coming quickly. 

Having said that, let’s get a few things straight once again. 

I will not love you more if you make the PGA tour. 

I will not love you less if you quit golf today. 

I am not banking on you getting a golf scholarship; there is no pressure to play golf in college. 

I care most about the kind of person you are, your work ethic, and whether you stick to your commitments to others. 

I pray most for you to know Jesus, follow Him, and live a life that glorifies Him. 

The lesson I have learned most in leadership (and parenting) is how much I need to repeat messages like this. So, forgive me as you will continue to hear this a lot. 

You will also hear this: I love you. I cannot imagine life without you. I am extremely proud of you, and that has nothing to do with anything you do. 

This next year, I invite you to be an encourager of your brother Ben and sister Sadie. Imagine a few years down the road when they are telling people how much encouragement they receive from their older brother Will. Isn’t that the kind of man you want to be? 

Your mother and I are incredibly proud of you and love you more than we can share here. 

Love, 

Dad  

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A Letter to Sadie

Birthday Post

Dear Sadie, 

Just hours before your mom and I learned you were a girl at her doctor’s appointment, my grandmother, Jean Rue, passed away. JJ, as she liked to be called, was 98 years old. She believed your mother was having a girl, and she was correct. Hence, you were named Sadie Jean Hoffer.  

I often call you “Jean,” and you wonder why. There are countless reasons. One is that you often remind me of JJ, and another is that I will always miss her. She made me promise I would never forget her, and that is about the easiest promise I have ever made. 

As I think about your 9th birthday, the passage of time, and the joy of having you as my only daughter, I think another easy promise to make is that I will never stop loving you. My love for you is like the deepest well this side of heaven. 

If there is anything better than cuddling next to you on the couch, I have not found it. I know those experiences are fleeting, and I suspect they won’t happen as much (or possibly at all) in the coming years. I just hope the future you realizes how much they meant to me. 

Watching you dance this year has brought unexpected joy into my heart. I say it was unexpected because I did not think seeing my daughter dance around the house could have that impact. But, it does. 

To that end, the song that came to mind when I was thinking about your birthday this year is Lee Ann Womack’s, “I Hope You Dance.” 

So much of the song stands out to me. For example, 

“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder.” 

My prayer for you is that you will always find wonder in the smallest of things, like the flowers in our garden or the sun shining on a beautiful summer morning.  

“Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance.” 

Nothing is more important than this. Hearing you sing worship songs in the shower makes my heart dance! 

“Never settle for the path of least resistance.” 

Life is about choosing the hard path. Continue to do the hard things well! 

“Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance.” 

This advice is for us all. God’s creation is all around us. Let us not miss it! 

“And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance…I hope you dance.” 

May your dancing continue now, and may it last through eternity. 

I am so grateful to have you as my daughter. JJ would be proud of the woman you are growing into. I am definitely proud. More than proud, however, I am in love. My love for you will never waver. 

Love, 

Dad

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Summer Shorts: Addressing Problems

Summer Shorts

Welcome to summer, where the days are long, and my blog posts are short. My goal this summer is to provide you with one insight so that you can take one action in your life and leadership. Here we go: 

Yesterday’s “no big deal” often turns into today’s problem, or tomorrow’s emergency. 

What I am referring to is that problem you can spend a short amount of time on today. If you do not address it, especially if it is a people problem, it will grow.

Think right now about that situation you want to deny is happening. It might be at work, home, or elsewhere. We almost always have one of those situations going on in our lives. 

My invitation is for you to take action. 

Have the conversation now because it will be less painful and less messy today. It always seems like this is not the case, that it will “go away” if we ignore it, and that it is “not that big of a deal.” Over time, however, the stakes become “too high,” and we are paralyzed by inaction. 

So act today. 

Seek to understand. 

A conversation does not have to involve a fight. 

A resolution can happen. 

But only if you act. 

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Summer Shorts: What Do You Love About Your Job?

Summer Shorts

Someone asked me the other night at dinner what I loved about my job. 

My answer: 

There was a moment on an assembly line at a customer where a worker pulled me aside. She said to me that the quality of our plastic parts was everything to her. “How so?” I asked.  

“If the quality of your parts is bad, the boss shuts down the line. If the boss shuts down the line, they send me home. If they send me home, I won’t get paid for today. If I don’t get paid, I struggle to put food on the table for my two kids.” 

I realized in that moment that we were in the business of making plastic parts that enhance people’s lives and livelihoods. 

That’s what I love about my job.

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Summer Shorts: My Keys to Success

Summer Shorts

Welcome to summer, where the days are long, and my blog posts are short. This summer, I aim to provide you with one insight so that you can take one action in your life and leadership. Here we go:

My Keys To Success

I recently met someone who asked me my keys to success.

Newsflash, I do not have any keys. What I have, I told them, is the following:

A commitment to read the Bible and apply it to my life
An energetic prayer life
An amazing wife

That’s it.

Anything that can be considered “good” is a testimony to God’s generosity to me. Unashamedly, I stand by this statement.

I dare you to lean into a deeper relationship with Him. Maybe start by reading the book of Mark in July? One chapter per day is a 10-minute commitment.

Today’s application: Whether you agree with my “keys” or not, I challenge you to write down your “keys.” Invest in what matters most this summer. You won’t regret it.

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Mid-Year Leadership Check: Are You Worth Following?

Personal Growth

As I’ve said before, leadership is the process of doing things with and through other people. Therefore, a leader needs to be someone worth following. 

In other words, if no one follows you, you are not a leader. 

I’ve found June a good time to do some inventory on my personal development. After all, if you are not growing, learning, changing, and improving, are you worth following? 

Here are some personal development fundamentals I’ve practiced in the first half of 2025. The list is not exhaustive, nor is it in any kind of order. 

  • Success statements: I began the year focusing on success statements, and they’ve become a recurring theme in my planning. I now use them to prepare for business and personal trips. For example, before attending the Plastics Industry Fly-In meetings, I shared three success statements with my Executive Coach to clarify my goals. I apply the same approach when planning family trips.
  • Making small tweaks rather than large changes: In February, I started taking notes while reading the Bible to refresh my study routine. This simple change freed me from over-analyzing my reading plan and allowed me to focus on the actual text. Similarly, I have discovered that small tweaks to the org chart are often more effective than large changes. Why? There is less disruption and often the tweaks make the organization flow with greater clarity. 
  • Reexamine inputs weekly: While listening to a Founders podcast one Monday morning in April, I realized that my mental energy — whether positive or negative — might be the most important thing I bring to our Monday morning meetings. This insight reminded me to be intentional about how I prepare my mindset.
  • Say it all, preferably in person: This year I’ve focused on asking direct, challenging questions face-to-face. The key breakthrough has been learning to ask from genuine curiosity rather than judgment. I now check my motivation: Am I asking out of concern? Or am I asking out of pride, anger, or frustration? People respond better, and I’m more effective as a leader when my questions come from genuine concern.
  • Make time for positive relationships: In April, I had dinner with my friend Tony — and it truly uplifted my soul. Often, I don’t feel like I have time for that sort of thing. I am wrong.
  • Confess daily: I screw up all the time, and spend a lot of time in confession. I do not know how leaders go through their journey without confession and repentance.
  • Focus is now a separator: I am at my best when I intently focus on something and do deep work. So are you. But I struggle with doing this. I imagine you do as well. To be someone worth following, we need to grow the focus muscle. Success statements help us focus on the few things that lead to our success. 
  • Go 3D on what matters: A customer who has become both mentor and friend gave me valuable advice about reading. They said the trend is to go 2D on many, many books. “But,” they advised, “you need to go 3D on what matters.”
  • Reread books that make you think, smile, and cry: Yes, you need an outlet for your emotions. I am human enough to admit that. Re-listening to Unbroken in the first half of the year was one of my favorite moments.
  • Use words: Tell your spouse, kids, and coworkers how much they matter. Positive affirmation is rare these days. They crave it.
     
  • Call your mom: Yes, this is on a list of personal development because it is still important. The first half of this year was a reminder that life continues to move quickly. I caught myself, sometime in the middle of winter, going through my to-do list so rigidly that too much time had gone by without calling my mom in Florida. I fixed that immediately. 

These fundamentals aren’t complicated or revolutionary — they’re simple practices that, when consistently applied, make the difference between managing tasks and truly leading people.

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Beyond the Barbecue: Remembering What Memorial Day Truly Represents

Special Post

This Memorial Day, I’m thinking about the values that make our country great. While there’s a lot of chatter about America and a growing political divide, I believe there is still much to celebrate. 

I am writing this post not so much to convert you to my point of view, but rather to get you thinking about the cost paid by the men and women who died for our freedom. All the comforts of this Memorial Day weekend came at the cost of their human life. 

No Other Place I’d Want to Live

To be absolutely clear, there is no other place in the world that I would want to live but the United States. I also pray that my friends in other countries would think the same about their home country. I believe that no place is perfect. Again, having said that, here are some of the values that make America a different (and in my humble opinion, better) kind of place. 

While this list of core American values isn’t intended to be exhaustive, I think of these principles most when reflecting on what our fallen heroes fought to protect. Remembering these fundamental values and those who gave their lives defending them is what Memorial Day is truly about.

Sacrificial Service

America is at its best when we live out our sacrificial service value. The most striking example of this, in my opinion, is the Omaha Beach landing in World War II. Twice, I have stood on that beach pondering the courage of the men who came ashore on June 6, 1944. The only possible explanation for being willing to do what they did is that of sacrificial service. While exact numbers are difficult to come by, approximately 2,400 casualties occurred out of 34,000 troop landings. Yet, these sacrifices led to the end of the European War less than a year later. 

Both times I visited Omaha Beach, I also visited the American Cemetery at Normandy. Words cannot describe the emotion that came with those visits — it’s where the idea of sacrificial service moves from the head to the heart. Want to know what it means to be an American? Walk those graves and you will know. 

Patriotism

Patriotism is the love and devotion one has to their country. It is the feeling that most of us get on July 3 or 4th when we hear traditional music while watching a fireworks show. It is a healthy view, similar to the healthy view one has of their family. 

When I think of our servicemen and women and their patriotism, I often think of the Tuskegee Airmen who served even though they often faced racial discrimination at home. Their heroic service led to President Harry Truman issuing Executive Order 9981 desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces and mandating equality of opportunity and treatment on July 26, 1948. Their sacrificial service and love of (an imperfect) country are instructive to us all. 

Freedom

My favorite thing about our country, and what makes it great, is its pursuit of freedom. As the example above of the Tuskegee Airmen indicates, this pursuit is always a work in progress. It is never something one arrives at. 

One of the most striking aspects of contemporary American culture is its political divisiveness. 

Quite frankly, it tires me out. Yet, simultaneously, I realize that the ability to express one’s political differences is part of what makes America great in the first place! So while I would prefer we dampen down the political stuff in pop culture, sports, and even the business world, I also recognize that in America, it is part of what makes us free. In fact, I can use my freedom by turning off movies, sporting events, and media that over-politicize things. Feel free to turn me off as well. 

That is your freedom! 

A Reminder

I will end with a recommendation and a reminder: 

Ken Burns has done remarkable work on a variety of documentaries. As the examples above indicate, I am a student of World War II. Burns’ documentary The War is absolutely breathtaking, convicting, and inspiring. I give it my full recommendation. 

And one last reminder. 

Those of us who follow Jesus are to remember that our love of country cannot become an ultimate thing. We can have love and devotion to our country so long as we bow to Jesus and God’s word. 

While we love our temporary home in our home country, our heart’s truest longing is for the eternal Kingdom of God, where sickness, death, and evil will be forever defeated. And where there will no longer be any political divisions, war, or death. 

Until then, let us live, love, and remember what is good. And let us give thanks this Memorial Day to the families that have paid the price for us to do everything we do. 

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