2021 Finalists
October 1, 2021
Each year, the Healthiest Employers® awards program honors the best and brightest in workplace wellness. Over the past year and a half, it has become apparent that when it comes to employees’ overall well-being, employers have an incredible opportunity to offer benefits that fit an employee’s unique needs – regardless of where they are in their health journey.
The Healthiest Employers assessment is scored Rubric style on a 1-100 scale. The assessment is made up of six categories with yes/no, multiple choice, and short answer questions, with each question totaling .25-3 points. A Healthiest Employers Index (HEI) is assigned to each applicant to help rank among companies of similar size.
The 6 categories evaluated:
- Culture and Leadership Commitment
- Foundational Components
- Strategic Planning
- Communications and Marketing
- Programming and Interventions
- Reporting and Analytics
The following organizations were named to the Healthiest Employers of Minnesota for the 2021 nomination period. Congratulations to our finalists!
Small (2-99 Employees)
1st Minnesota Air, Inc. – Bloomington
Minnesota Air, Inc. is a family-owned HVAC business and the longest-tenured HVAC distributorship in the state of Minnesota. 64% of employees scored above a 70 this past year on their biometric screenings. Employees credit their health to free onsite healthy snack options, tuition reimbursement programs, diabetes management, and onsite vegetable gardens. While nationwide medical costs tend to increase, Minnesota Air has has only increased their premium costs once in the last 6 years.
“Our passion at Minnesota Air is to make a positive difference every day. The best way to do this is to make ourselves better. By taking care of ourselves and living our best life, we will naturally be more engaged and energized at work. The health of our employees means caring for our most precious asset – our team.” – Heike Harvey, Director of Human Resources
2nd Pivot Strategies – Minneapolis
3rd IntePros Consulting – Lexington, Massachusetts (Local Office: Bloomington)
Midsize (100-1,499 Employees)
1st Great River Energy – Maple Grove
Great River Energy is a not-for-profit wholesale electric power cooperative which provides electricity to 28 member-owner distribution cooperatives to serve 700,000 families, farms, and businesses. They believe it is important to keep their program fresh an exciting in order to keep up engagement. For employees who complete the program, they are rewarded a $1,000 cash incentive and even during a global pandemic, 76% of employees earned the bonus in 2020. Over 75% have earned this cash incentive for the past 15 years, a testament to the culture of health and wellbeing within.
“Whether it is taking up a new hobby, trying new recipes, or going on walks, we have found different ways to be actively engaged with our health and well-being. Great River Energy supports employees and their families in those efforts by providing tools, resources, and educational materials.” – Mark Fagen, Vice President and Chief Corporate and member Services Officer
2nd Mate Precision Technologies – Anoka
Large (1,500-4,999 Employees)
1st Syngenta – Greensboro, South Carolina (Local Office: Minneapolis)
Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Employees who complete wellness tasks receive points for establishing a positive work/life balance, receiving a physical, quitting smoking, or even exercising regularly. Employees can then cash in their points for a cash reward. Not only does Syngenta care about the wellbeing of their employees, they work to give back to their communities by assisting in COVID-19 relief through the donation of a vaccination freezer and personal protective equipment to local hospitals.
“Syngenta does a wonderful job of integrating health and wellbeing into the lives of every employee on a daily basis. On our RTP site we have access to yoga, walking trails, medical onsite, and healthy food; however, the thing that truly captures the essence of wellness, for me, is flexibility in both schedule and work styles. I love that employees never have to worry about going to their kid’s soccer game during work hours or choosing to work through a project at night because their minds ‘work better’ at that time of day. Employees integrate their personal lives into their schedules and operate in a way that matches their needs.” – Jenny Heaton, Global HR Business Partner
2nd TJE Dunn Construction – Kansas City, Missouri (Local Office: Minneapolis)
3rd CBIZ – Cleveland, Ohio (Local Office: Minneapolis)
4th Prime Therapeutics – Eagan
Extra Large (5,000+ Employees)
1st U-Haul – Phoenix, Arizona (Multiple Local Offices)
U-Haul serves as the largest “do-it-yourself” moving and self-storage company, with trucks, trailers, towing devices, and storage units across North America. Their increased focus on data has allowed them to measure the impact of their programs and adjust offerings using factual information. Their communications vary depending on the employee’s location and risk factors to ensure their population receives the necessary information specific to them.
“I am excited when I see numbers indicating lower gaps in care, higher utilization of wellness programs, and lower at-risk populations within U-Haul. But it is the phone calls and emails from genuinely appreciative team members about how their lives have changed, or how a program helped them reach a goal, that gives me the most gratification. Whether a team member paid off a financial debt, lost 20 pounds, or utilized a successful counseling service, it all brings me joy to know that we are making a positive impact. It is these results within the framework of our team approach – knowing our wellness program can assist others on their journey – that I will continue to find rewarding.” – Monique Wantland, Wellness Program Manager
2nd SpartanNash – Byron Center, Michigan (Local Office: Edina)
The Healthiest Employers® survey is scored and powered by Springbuk, a health intelligence platform that simplifies data-driven decision-making with an intuitive user experience, predictive modeling, and curated action steps. Since 2009, Healthiest Employers has been the leading recognition program for employee wellness. Today, we currently host award ceremonies in over 45 regions across the country and applicants are not only eligible for local recognition, but also have the chance to earn a spot on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. This national award takes the highest scoring applicants from all locations, company sizes, and industries. To sign up for the Healthiest Employers newsletter and get more information on our events, join our mailing list today!
To see more of our 2021 winners and finalists in the Healthiest Employers program, click here!
