McCarthy Raises the Bar on Employee Health Builder is recognized as Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association

ST. LOUIS, MO. — McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of the nation’s largest employee-owned construction companies, was recently recognized as a Platinum-level Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association, improved from the firm’s Gold-level recognition in 2011.

McCarthy was recognized recently during the Association’s 2012 Metro St. Louis Heart Walk opening festivities at Busch Stadium, and the award was personally presented on June 26 in McCarthy’s St. Louis headquarters.

Fit-Friendly Companies are recognized by the Association as employers who go above and beyond when it comes to employee health.

“McCarthy recognizes the importance of a healthy workplace for its employees and has taken important steps to create a culture of physical activity in the workplace,” explained Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “Promoting a wellness culture by providing support to employees and implementing physical, nutritional and sculptural changes are extraordinary efforts and we commend McCarthy and its employees.”

McCarthy Chairman/CEO and American Heart Association Western States Board Member Michael Bolen noted, “As an employee-owned company, encouraging the health and wellness of our owners and their families goes to the heart of every decision we make. Achieving Platinum Fit-Friendly recognition indicates our comprehensive Build for Life program is among the best in America – across all industries.”

Developed and launched in 2010, McCarthy Build for Life is designed to encourage all employees and their families to strive toward optimal mental, physical, financial and emotional well-being, while at the same time controlling healthcare costs over the long term. The program focuses on four key areas: awareness, prevention, activity, and lifestyle & stress.

Designed as a grassroots program, McCarthy Build for Life is supported by Wellness Champions in each McCarthy office who communicate to employees in their region. Key McCarthy Build for Life program features include :

• Opportunities for employees and their spouse/partner to earn points for completing proactive, health-related activities that will be directly applied toward reduced medical insurance premium.
• Annual Activity Challenge that promotes healthy competition across all company division offices.
• Quarterly wellness newsletter delivered to homes of all employees, in partnership with the Mayo Clinic, and discount subscriptions to other health-related publications.
• Complimentary health screenings for McCarthy employees and spouses/partners, including blood pressure screening, BMI/waist circumference checks, cholesterol/HDL/Glucose screenings, and Prostate Specific Antigen screenings.
• Wellness areas in all main office locations and at all-employee biannual meetings featuring material on health, nutrition, activity, and stress/lifestyle management.
• Regular educational wellness webinars available to employees and their families.
• Wide array of company-sponsored wellness employee events.

“The program has been very well-received with more than 75 percent of employees participating, well above the national average of 61 percent, according to our healthcare provider,” said Al Berardi, vice president Human Resources at McCarthy.

McCarthy President and COO Derek Glanvill added, “Safety and prevention are cornerstones of our construction process at McCarthy, and we have carried those ideals over to the health and well-being of our employees through our Build for Life wellness program. We continue to expand and improve our program in response to employee feedback and are honored to receive this Platinum award in recognition of these ongoing efforts.”