Feedback: April 2014

Question: What wellness programs have you had the greatest success with among your employees?
Dodge Earnhardt
Owner
Earnhardt Auto Centers
Sector: Automobile Dealer

Earnhardt Auto Centers has offered its employees onsite healthcare through an onsite healthcare program since October 2007. The decision to offer this benefit to our employees has proven to be one of the wisest business decisions we have ever made.

We are particularly impressed with the convenience this offers to our employees. The service provider we use, Healthcare Solutions Centers, offers same-day appointments, quick diagnoses, no co-pay and medication onsite. The ability of our employees to get timely, inexpensive medical treatment has increased not only morale but also productivity. All of the nurse practitioners at our clinics are highly respected by our employees for their medical knowledge and caring attitude. The company also helps coordinate our wellness programs that include flu shot clinics, onsite mammograms and a health fair that offers free biometric screenings, health risk assessments and follow-up appointments with the nurse practitioners. Employees who participate can receive bonuses that include gift cards and monthly reductions in their insurance premiums. It’s a very cost-effective healthcare program for companies like ours and is a benefit that is greatly appreciated by our employees.

Dodge Earnhardt is in the third generation of the Earnhardt family automobile business, founded in 1951 by his grandfather, Tex Earnhardt. Expanded under Dodge’s leadership, the Earnhardt Auto group now includes 17 dealerships in Metro Phoenix and Prescott Valley, offering 15 brands of vehicles. Dodge’s education and experience in all aspects of auto dealership management have resulted in the implementation of many cost-cutting efficiencies and strategies for increasing sales and profitability. 

Dan King
Chief Operations Officer
Harmon Electric, Inc.
Sector: Commercial Electrical/Solar Contractor, Residential Solar Contractor

Year over year, Harmon’s healthcare costs were rising at an unsustainable rate. It seemed to me kind of ridiculous how expensive it was becoming to take care of our employees. Two years ago, we chose a healthcare management company (Redirect Health), and, with its help, we lowered our costs a lot — and managed to have virtually no increase last year. The parts of the program that seem to have contributed the most toward keeping our work force healthy and keeping our costs from rising are very easy access to a provider network with many health center locations, including allowing our employees to have their doctors’ visits over the phone so they don’t have to miss work, and special attention and focus given to our sickest employees, so that they don’t get sicker and end up in the hospital.

I think that just making healthcare less complex and easier to get when it is needed has led to the greatest success toward keeping our employees and their families well.

A 1992 Northern Arizona University graduate with Bachelor of Science in Hotel Restaurant Management, Dan King had a successful career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car through 2005 when he and his wife decided to purchase her parents’ business, Harmon Electric, Inc. In 2008, realizing the growth potential in the solar industry, Dan began developing Harmon Electric’s solar division, Harmon Solar. In less than three years, the organization went from an idea to the catalyst for the company’s tremendous growth.

Billy Malkovich
Chief Executive Officer
Mountainside Fitness
Sector: Fitness

Much like the success of an exercise routine, a successful internal wellness program requires a full commitment to the goal. What has proven to be successful for us at Mountainside Fitness is a real, corporate-level commitment that includes being supportive financially and from a time standpoint. We cover the cost of membership for our employees, with the expectation that they use our facilities. We encourage them to use their memberships by offering flexible schedules that allow for the time they need to work out — whether it be in the early morning, at lunch time or in the evening. They are also given access to our nutritionists.

Aligning a healthy lifestyle with team-building by setting up a group fitness class or having the registered dietician come onsite to do a series of nutrition workshops is simple to do and proves to be beneficial — both internally and for our corporate partners. I believe if you give your team time away from work for themselves, you will see their level of productivity increase while at work.

Billy Malkovich is CEO of Mountainside Fitness. Over the course of 12 years, he has worked his way up from front desk attendant and personal trainer to his current role, and has led the company through the economic downturn to where it stands today at $30 million in revenue, 10 locations and nearly 1,000 people employed in Arizona.