Ottawa Dental Laboratory: Award-Winning Healthy Workplace
Posted Mar 28, 2014 in Labs & Profiles
Gene Teegardin, a driver at Ottawa Dental Laboratory, participates in an onsite health screening as part of the laboratory’s wellness program. Teegardin says he enjoys the camaraderie of the program and is currently participating in the newest Actiped activity challenge, “Beat the Clock.”
Headquartered in Ottawa, IL
Owners: Luke Caruso Sr., Luke Caruso Jr. and Jim Caruso
130 employees across three locations
If you’re at an industry meeting and meet a group of people with blinking lights on their shoes, chances are they work at Ottawa Dental Laboratory (ODL).
That blinking light would be an Actiped pedometer, a component of the laboratory’s comprehensive wellness program, which earned ODL recognition as one of the 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America for 2014, as well as the Healthiest Employer in Illinois for 2012 and 2013.
In 2004—after a string of double-digit increases in health insurance premiums—the laboratory developed a wellness program, which now includes on-site voluntary health screenings and incentive points for making healthy choices like exercise or annual physicals. The points can then be redeemed for a variety of items including movie tickets, hotel...
