Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation Recognized as a Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite
Blue Zones Project® Dodge County held a ribbon cutting celebration today at Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation in Beaver Dam to recognize the organization as the newest worksite to become Blue Zones Project Approved™. Apache is proud to be the first manufacturing business in Beaver Dam to earn this recognition. This designation demonstrates the commitment of Apache Stainless and its wellness team to improve the well-being of employees by optimizing the physical environment, offering key employee benefits, hosting special events, and being a strong community partner.
Jessica Jacobson, a leader on Apache’s wellness team said, “Apache’s community brand is important to our company and that’s why I was excited to be co-coordinator of the team that worked together to help Apache earn recognition as a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite. This approval shows our commitment to our employee-owners for safety, wellness and happiness at work, at home and in the community.”
Before employees even clock in for the day healthy choices are encouraged. Through an active commuter incentive program, Apache encourages employees to walk, bicycle, or ride share to work. Each month a winner is drawn from participating employees for a $25 gift card. Bicycle racks offer secure storage and showers and changing facilities are available on-site. Sit-to-stand desks are available for employees as well as quiet spaces and outdoor picnic tables which are often used when the weather is favorable.
Employees are encouraged to participate in the annual biometric screenings and to take advantage of employee benefits such as free flu shots, complimentary hearing assessments, employee assistance program, 24/7 nurse online, and nutrition coaching. A variety of onsite development workshops are also available to employees including safety training and retirement and financial planning.
Gallup has found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by fifty percent. Apache hosts several employee gatherings and activities each year. As experts in stainless steel fabrication, Apache had a need for more welders. Through Moraine Park Technical College, experienced welders participated in a train-the-trainer program to provide students with the tools they need to mentor and develop the next generation of employees at Apache.
Employees and their families make up the community in and around Beaver Dam and it is why the company prioritizes community involvement. Apache has been a strong partner with the United Way of Dodge County, having an employee sit on the board for the past seven years. They also encourage employees to volunteer in the community by recognizing volunteers with a free t-shirt during National Volunteer Week. The company also offers material donations, matching funds donations, fundraising sponsorships and prizes to many local organizations. School visits and worksite tours as well as participation in the annual Salvation Army bell-ringing campaign are popular among their employee workforce.
“We are proud to be the first manufacturer in Beaver Dam to be Blue Zones Project Approved and the second in Dodge County! Being a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite communicates a message to our present and future employee-owners that our culture includes connecting, being involved in the community and promoting wellness. Apache provides a full range of benefits that support wellness and we continue to coordinate activities that promote Blue Zones Power 9® principles for a longer, better life,” said Pam Korth, Human Resource Manager at Apache.
Brought to Dodge County by Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, in collaboration with Sharecare, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative—designed to make healthy choices easier through sustainable changes to environment, policy, and social networks.
For details about becoming a Blue Zones Project Approved organization or general information about Blue Zones Project, Dodge County, call 920-253-7099, or visit dodgecounty.bluezonesproject.com
About Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, Inc.
Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, Inc. is a non-profit health care system whose mission is to deliver excellence across a continuum of services to patients in the region of Dodge, Columbia and Fond du Lac counties, Wisconsin. BDCH offers a comprehensive continuum of services to people of all ages, including primary and specialty care, obstetric and inpatient acute care, outpatient surgery and oncology services, emergency services, rehabilitation, independent and assisted living, home care, hospice, long-term care, wound care, urology, orthopedics and sports medicine, interventional radiology, occupational health, pain management, breast health services and women’s health, community education, sleep medicine, pharmaceuticals, and day care for children. For more information, visit www.bdch.com
About Marshfield Clinic Health System
Marshfield Clinic Health System is a $2.4 billion integrated health system serving Wisconsin with about 10,000 employees including over 1,200 providers comprising 86 specialties, health plan, and research and education programs. Primary operations include Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield Medical Center hospitals in Marshfield, Eau Claire, Neillsville, Rice Lake and Ladysmith, Marshfield Children’s Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Security Health Plan and Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation.
About Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project® is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city’s environment, policy, and social networks. Established in 2010, Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures of the world—or blue zones —with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner’s findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Currently, 50 communities across North America have joined Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 3.4 million citizens. The population health solution includes two Health Districts in California; 15 cities in Iowa; Albert Lea, Minnesota; the city of Fort Worth, Texas; Corry, Pennsylvania; Airdrie, Alberta; Brevard, North Carolina; and communities in Southwest Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Blue Zones Project is a partnership between Blue Zones, LLC, and Sharecare, Inc. For more information, visit bluezonesproject.com
About Sharecare
Sharecare is the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place. The Sharecare platform provides each person – no matter where they are in their health journey – with a comprehensive and personalized health profile, where they can dynamically and easily connect to the information, evidence-based programs and health professionals they need to live their healthiest, happiest and most productive life. With award-winning and innovative frictionless technologies, scientifically validated clinical protocols and best-in-class coaching tools, Sharecare helps providers, employers and health plans effectively scale outcomes-based health and wellness solutions across their entire populations. To learn more, visit www.sharecare.com
