Campbell Soup Co. recognized the achievements of five North American employees Friday with the company’s “Healthy Lifestyle Award.” Presented annually for the past five years, the award celebrates employees who live healthy lifestyles.
Award criteria include practicing balanced and healthful eating habits, leading an active lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in stress management and living tobacco free. The award not only recognizes the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, but the way the recipients inspire others to do the same.
Selected from 13 Campbell sites in North America, the “Healthy Lifestyle Award” winners include: Nigel DeSouza, from Campbell Co. of Canada sales; Steven McKinney, of Campbell’s world headquarters in Camden; Nana DeWitt, of Pepperidge Farm's Denver, Penn. facility; Laura Newman, from Campbell North America food service sales division, and Dale Bates of Campbell’s manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash.
“These employees are dedicated to healthy living,” said Nancy Reardon, Campbell’s chief human resources and communications officer in a prepared statement. “They are taking actions to improve their health and motivating their peers to be healthy too. These are essential tenants of the ‘Healthy Lifestyle Award’ and underscore Campbell’s commitment to encourage people to nourish their health.”
Each winner received a $500 cash award, company-wide recognition and a gift basket of Campbell’s healthy products, including Campbell’s Healthy Request soups, V8 juices and Pepperidge Farm whole grain breads.
Details on Winners:
Nigel DeSouza, of Campbell Co. of Canada’s sales customer insights team, works out three-to-five times a week, and even coaches indoor soccer for young children. Following a sports injury, DeSouza stuck to a lengthy rehab regimen, ultimately achieving a personal goal to return to his favorite activities.
An active member of Campbell Canada’s wellness council which promotes wellness activities at work, DeSouza also gives back to the community as a motivational speaker for elementary school students on “Positive Life Learning.” He says his top lessons are: “Express your feelings instead of bottling them up; be willing to compromise; be more confident than assertive and strive for effective time management.”
Steven McKinney provides knowledge and inspiration to all around him. The senior research technician in Campbell’s research and development group made a complete lifestyle change after his doctor told him that he would follow his family history of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
McKinney began practicing portion control, started a vegan diet and introduced exercise into his regimen. Now 130 pounds lighter, he said, “I feel that I have taken control of my future by living a healthy lifestyle now to avoid health risks from being overweight later in life -- and I am better for it.”
At age 55, Nana DeWitt of Pepperidge Farm’s Denver, Penn. location just completed her first marathon, finishing 21st in her age group. After losing 50 pounds, the biscuit packager started an active training regimen including changes to her diet and strength training. Her goal was to build upon her love of running to make her lifestyle even healthier.
DeWitt credits her new exercise routine with keeping her blood pressure, cholesterol and stress under control. And she’s not finished. "I want to do more marathons -- this was not my one and only," said DeWitt. "I'd like to complete another when I turn 60."
Like DeWitt, Boston native Laura Newman achieved a life-long goal by running a marathon -- in this case, the Boston Marathon. After four marathons in a year, the training manager for Campbell North America food service quickly realized that she could be healthy without being a marathon runner.
Newman began to focus on balance by taking up new activities such as hiking and Zumba classes. She also started coaching a nonprofit group that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and adopt a healthy lifestyle through running, while also inspiring others at work through her participation in employee wellness programs.
Newman said, "You always have to tweak and reinvent your exercise regimen. I go through phases of different energy levels. But you can't get discouraged. You just have to find a new activity."
Dale Bates, production supervisor at Campbell’s manufacturing facility in Washington is described by his coworkers as "a living, breathing example of what you can do if you set your mind to it." He lost more than 150 pounds and has kept it off for three years -- and not without a lot of hard work.
Bates made significant changes to his lifestyle after his wife asked him to become healthier. Bates recalled, "With her encouragement and my faith, I started going to the gym five times a week, stopped smoking and revamped my eating habits."
Once at risk for following in a family history of diabetes, Bates has reduced his disease risk and is proud of his cholesterol and blood pressure numbers. He participates in 5K's and fitness challenges and no longer hesitates to take the stairs at work.
Campbell’s Employee Wellness Programs
Campbell is committed to cultivating a culture of health in the workplace and supporting employees’ health and well-being. The company has a portfolio of healthy products in the marketplace, and innovative programs to improve the well-being of employees in the workplace.
Campbell employs an integrated approach to promote healthy lifestyles through benefit design and worksite wellness programs. Campbell’s health programs have received national recognition for five consecutive years by the American Heart Association as a “Fit Friendly Company” and for the past six years by the National Business Group on Health as one of the nation’s leading corporations for innovative programs to promote a healthy workplace.
