U.S. Venture, Inc. hosts 4th annual wellness fair
The company invites USA Luge athletes and 40 community businesses and nonprofits to share resources with its team members
Appleton, WI (June 15, 2017) – On Thursday, June 15, U.S. Venture, Inc. hosted its annual wellness fair for team members and their families as a way to celebrate healthy living. The company invited 40 community businesses and nonprofits to share tips and resources.
Jen Sabee, wellness specialist at U.S. Venture, Inc. who organized the fair, manages the company-wide “HealthSmart” wellness program. U.S. Venture uses Virgin Pulse, a wellness technology provider helping team members cultivate good lifestyle habits and offering competitions and prize incentives.
After the first year of using Virgin Pulse, results showed participants’ claims were about 42 percent lower than non-participants; and in year over year health screenings, U.S. Venture’s high risk group for BMI dropped from 47.3 to 39 percent; those with high glucose dropped 1.4 percent; the high risk group for good cholesterol dropped from 19.3 to 14.6 percent.
“This past year, team members were asked in an engagement survey if they believe U.S. Venture provides for and supports a culture of health and wellness,” Sabee said. “Results revealed 90 percent of team members agreed with the statement. Owning an activity tracker and comparing step counts throughout the day have become the new norm! We continuously hear team members want more challenges, and now we’ve found they are more open-minded to the introduction of new wellness programs.”
From skin cancer screenings and massage to self-defense demos, dog-walking and bike tune-ups, there is a variety of opportunities for team members to learn and participate in throughout the day. Some vendors include: Cryotherapy of Wisconsin, Alo Health, Catalpa Health, Fit Moms on the Move, Center for Suicide Awareness, Crunch Fitness, Riverview Gardens, Forefront Dermatology, Northeast Wisconsin Consortium on Adult Education, Fleet Feet Sports, T.Rowe Price and ThedaCare.
“The wellness fair is a celebration of our values and investment in the health of our team members,” Sabee added.
Three USA Luge athletes—Emily Sweeney, Matt Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman, who are preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympic trials—will also be present at the wellness fair. As a major sponsor of USA Luge since 2015, U.S. Venture, Inc. is proud to support a team committed to winning at all levels of competition.
Luge, which takes its name from the French word for sled, is the fastest Olympic sliding sport where an athlete known as a slider lies face-up on a sled and races down an icy track feet first at speeds exceeding 90 mph. Sliders primarily use their feet and shoulders to steer the sled. There are four luge disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, doubles and team relay. Sweeney competes in women’s singles, and Mortensen and Terdiman compete together in doubles. Click here to read their full bios.
Sweeney, Mortensen and Terdiman visited with team members throughout the day, talked about summer training, and answered questions about healthy habits.