>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

FAMILY AFFAIR: Debi Davis joined the Boise employee and family fitness program and performs the weighted decline sit-up under the guidance of her trainer, James "Slim" Thomas. (The Observer/TRISH YERGES).

- Trish Yerges

- For The Observer

Here's one way to keep costs down and productivity up: get your employees into the gym.

It works.

Boise Cascade is one of 24 employers in Union County currently offering a fitness program as an employment benefit.

According to JoJean Nelson, office manager for Grande Ronde Fitness Club in

La Grande, Boise has had a co-pay fitness program since 1989, paying $10 a month toward membership dues for each participating employee.

However, on July 1, Boise management revamped its fitness program to entice greater employee participation.

Under the new program, an employee receives free club membership if he or she attends the club at least eight times a month, explained Tiffany Vaughn, accounting tech at the Boise Cascade regional office in La Grande.

"With the old program we had about 50 employees participating, but with the new program, memberships have risen to about 80," said Vaughn. "We're trying to encourage healthy lifestyles. People I talk to about it say they like it."

Not only employees benefit, but financially prudent organizations do too as productivity and employee morale increase and absenteeism and medical claims decrease among participating employees.

"That's right," said Vaughn, "There are not as many soft tissue injuries."

One Boise Cascade employee who is taking advantage of the new fitness program is lathe operator Jeff Davis.

Davis has been employed at the Elgin plywood and studmill plant for the past 34 years. Fourteen of those years he has held the lathe operator's position on the graveyard shift — a very sedentary job.

His circumstances made him a prime beneficiary of the corporation's fitness program.

Although trainers are not part of the corporate benefit package, Davis learned that hiring a trainer helped him design a work-out that met his unique physical goals.

"Every muscle group works together, and you need to know how to work out," said Thomas.

Davis, who uses the treadmill and stair-stepper in his routine, noticed good results since July.

"I lost 10 pounds, have more energy and I sleep better,'' he said. "Even my co-workers have noticed that I'm shaping up.''

Under the new program, an employee's family member can join the fitness club for $15 a month, so Davis's wife, Debi, joined with him.

"It's hard work, but I have fun doing it. It relieves stress, builds energy, gets you in shape, and gives you an attitude adjustment. I've lost about 15 pounds," she said.

The Davises have both benefitted physically.

"Our trainer has helped us quite a bit, and now we know what to do. Working out is a great family activity," Davis said.

Nelson, the fitness club's office manager, said that "most of our corporates find that people keeping physically healthy make better employees."