Orland Park firm’s employees take part in ‘Horton Olympics’
By Mike Nolan mnolan@southtownstar.com August 10, 2012 7:38PM
Kelly Kehoe races to fill a jug with water as part of Horton Group's employee olympics that promotes health and fitness. | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media
Updated: September 13, 2012 6:13AM
It was a far cry from London, but Orland Park’s Sportsplex on Friday served as the site for an Olympics-themed competition among employees of The Horton Group.
Orland Park-based Horton, an insurance brokerage, holds the event every four years to coincide with the Olympic Games, and about 150 employees from the company’s two Chicago-area offices took part along with employees from offices in Indiana and Wisconsin.
Events included Wii bowling, basketball, volleyball, compact discus throw (CDs wrapped in duct tape), Xbox dance competition and a tug of war.
While mainly providing a day of fun for employees, the contests also reinforce the company’s long-standing commitment to employee health, Glenn Horton, president and chief executive, said.
“We have built a culture where wellness is extremely important,” he said. “An event like the Horton Olympics reminds us how important it is to take time to appreciate our entire staff.”
The company in 2007 launched a division called Horton Health Initiatives, working with companies to which it supplies insurance coverage in developing wellness programs for workers. The programs can significantly cut a company’s insurance costs as well as reduce illness-related absenteeism among employees, according to The Horton Group.
It said it uses incentives to encourage its employees to maintain good health — offering screenings, including blood pressure, cholesterol and a body analysis that gives a more accurate percentage of body fat and water.
Employees who take part in the program get a 20 percent discount on their medical insurance premiums offered through the company. During the last two years, Horton Group has had 100 percent participation in the screenings.
