SCOTT CITY DIVISION OF WETTERAU JOINS RUN TO PROMOTE HEALTH, FITENSS ON JOB

SCOTT CITY -- Some employees at Wetterau Inc. arrived at their Scott City work site early Wednesday. Others lingered after work to "work out."

"People could be found jogging and running from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m." said Bonita Van Gennip, the team captain for Wetterau employees who participated in National Employee Health and Fitness Day activities Wednesday. "We hope this is the start of a regular fitness program for employees."

Wetterau employees from the Scott City Division, which provides grocery items to retail grocers in parts of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, are competing with six other Wetterau divisions in a running/jogging program, for total miles walked.

"We have established a half-mile route near our building here," said Van Gennip, who works as a secretary in the marketing department and enjoys walking "for health and relaxation."

This marks the first year that the Scott City Division has joined in the Wetterau program.

But fitness and health is old hat to Wetterau Inc., headquartered at St. Louis.

"Wetterau has its own physical fitness center at St. Louis," said Van Gennip.

The center, housed in an empty warehouse, includes basketball and tennis courts, a walking and jogging track, a weight room, and 10 to 15 other exercise devices.

Wetterau officials say more than a fourth of their St. Louis workers utilize the fitness center, which was opened in 1984 and remains open 75 hours a week.

"It (center) gets heavy use," said a Wetterau spokesman. "During a typical lunch hour, the basketball and a tennis courts are occupied, several workers are walking, and others are working out with the exercise equipment.

"Another big advantage of the center is that it allows workers from various departments to get to know each other," added the official.

The center, which has more than 400 employee members, is not a profit-making operation, but officials say it is near the break-even point.

Wetterau is one of many employers nationwide to have invested in on-site fitness centers.

According to the Association for Fitness Business, headquartered at Indianapolis, about 12,000 companies throughout the U.S. have exercise equipment or some form of health awareness program.

Twenty years ago, only 30 companies nationwide offered fitness facilities.

Some smaller companies, which can't afford or justify their own fitness centers, urge their employees to participate in fitness programs and often help workers pay for memberships at commercial fitness centers.