Wanting to add some muscle to its package of employee perks, outsourcing
center CallTech Communications brought former Dublin-based private
exercise studio Body Designs into its West Side corporate office as an
added benefit for its 1, 200 employees.
"We wanted to provide on-site exercise facilities for our employees,"
said C.J. Petitti, CallTech chief executive officer. "We do forums every
quarter, and this was something they wanted."
But instead of throwing a few stationary bikes into an empty room and
calling it an exercise center, Petitti said CallTech wanted to "do
things right" with a professional.
CallTech built a $150, 000 addition to its corporate office at 4335
Equity Drive and entered into a shared agreement with Body Designs owner
Deb Fry.
The result is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both companies.
CallTech provides the space and client base, and Body Designs provides
the service.
"It's been a win-win arrangement for both sides," Petitti said.
Body Designs employs fitness trainers who are experienced in
rehabilitation aftercare, exercise and fitness, Spinning, massage
therapy, and chiropractic care.
In addition to CallTech employees, Body Designs also has the option of
taking on clients outside the corporate family.
"I've seen a 30-percent increase in business, at least," Fry said.
Fry, a 1983 Miss Teenage America in natural bodybuilding, was operating
her studio out of the Village Square shopping center on Riverside Drive
in Dublin.
When Petitti, a client, presented her with the idea of relocating into a
corporate office, she said the idea made sense.
"CallTech wanted a facility as part of its expansion, but they didn't
have the expertise to set it up," said Fry, who opened her private
studio in 1992. "They wanted me to take away their worries."
Petitti said employees like th3 private showers, the Spinning classes,
and the one-on-one personal fitness training.
On-site fitness centers are a trend among large employers, with more
than 36 percent offering some sort of wellness program to its work
force, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM), an international membership organization for 140, 000 human
resource managers, based in Alexandria, VA.
"There is a growing interest among employers for keeping employees
healthy, as well as keeping them happy," SHRM spokesperson Kristin
Accipitor said.
