Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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LEFT: Participates enjoy a Zumba fi tness session at Premier's Family Fun Wellness Day. BELOW: Wellness event brought about smiles and lots of fun. high-quality, cost-effective health care. A prime example is the corporate decision to let a committee of employees drive the company's wellness effort. "The heart of our program is our 'Live Well, Be Premier' volunteer committee of 40 employees who share a personal passion and connection to health and wellness, and do this on top of their regular job, " says Allison Golding, senior director of Total Rewards, Premier's corporate benefits and compensation program. Last year the group staged a "Well.I.Am" contest, creating a mascot that resembled a bumblebee. Employees were asked to travel four wellness paths, and snap a photo of themselves carrying the mascot. The contest included "Buzz Around Town," which involved getting to know city landmarks and parks, and "Get Drenched in Activity," which encouraged exercise in the water. Pictures were posted online so employees could vote. The winner for the water event was an employee riding a wave on a wakeboard. WINTER 2010-2011 "Competition was hilarious, but also fierce," says Golding, explaining that employees took to coaching fellow employees and campaigning for their favorite pictures. Last May the committee sponsored a "Biggest Loser" campaign, which resulted in 200 employees losing 1,200 pounds over 11 weeks. The committee also held "Family Fun Wellness Day" in Ballantyne Corporate Park. In anticipation of the company's move here, the event featured vendors such as restaurants and health-care providers so employees making the transition could see the relocation area and learn about resources in Ballantyne. "Carolinas Medical Center and the Morrison Family YMCA bent over backwards to help us," Golding says. Companies wouldn't be engaged in all these inventive wellness programs if they didn't provide some form of competitive advantage and/or payback to the bottom line. All of which goes to show that living well truly is the best revenge. CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 77 Benjamin Eppes/Blackbox Studios