Alongside CEOs from companies including Clif Bar, Anytime Fitness, and the American Cancer Society, Richards is pledging to promote a culture of physical activity within Appvion. NCPPA believes executive leadership is critical to employee engagement, and believes that by making physical activity an executive priority, employee health and wellness will increase.
"Signing the CEO Pledge is a natural fit given Appvion's long-standing focus on employee health," Richards said. "Healthy employees have a better quality of life, are more engaged, and work more safely. Improved health and wellness can help lower health care costs for employees and our company – a scenario where we win together."
Appvion's dedication to employee health began in the 1950s, when a groundbreaking partnership with the local YMCA offered subsidized memberships for employees. Over the years it has grown in to much more. The company's wellness center offers employees access to health coaches, personalized fitness and nutrition plans, an onsite fitness center, and health education programs.
In January Appvion opened the first of its kind workplace medical clinic in the Fox Valley on the company's Appleton campus. The Appvion Workplace Clinic is managed by ThedaCare and staffed with a primary care physician, registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a nurse practioner, and two health coaches. Preventive care, disease and wellness management, and basic first aid services are provided to Appvion employees, their spouses or domestic partners, and dependents age 18 or older at no charge.
Appvion was awarded the gold-level workplace wellness award from the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) in 2012 for its facility at the company's headquarters in Appleton, Wis. The award recognizes the company's ongoing wellness initiatives and its success in protecting and enhancing the health and well-being of its employees.
Appvion produces thermal, carbonless, and security papers, and Encapsys products. The company has production facilities in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and employs some 1,700 people. It is 100% employee-owned.
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