COOKEVILLE – At various times throughout the day, Averitt associates can be seen walking all over the company’s corporate campus on Neal Street as a way of staying healthy.
Now, those associates have a newly laid walking trail to help further their efforts to improve their well being.
“We always encourage our associates to make healthy lifestyle choices and find ways to stay active at the workplace,” said Gary Sasser, president and CEO of Averitt. “This walking trail is a direct result of input from our associates about ways to improve our corporate campus and provide more ways to stay healthy.”
The trail extends the length of most of Averitt’s corporate campus, beginning near its National Call Center building on the campus’ south end.
Following the eastern edge of the campus near the Highway 111 on ramp, the trail passes by the main building and then loops around the green space found at the northern end of the campus in front of East Spring Street.
Paved with 2,300 linear fleet of recycled tire rubber, the material making up the trail is an ecologically and environmentally friendly alternative to mulch or concrete. This allows for rain water to seep into the ground instead of creating more runoff. Additionally, the material has less of a physical impact on walkers and runners, since it is considerably softer and has more give than the parking lot associates were accustomed to walking on.
“We also eliminated a safety concern with having associates walk through the parking lot when we have cars coming in and out, delivery vehicles coming through, and so on,” said Randy Dunn, Averitt’s director of purchasing and whose facilities team oversaw the project. “Our primary objectives when developing the walking trail were to provide a safe place to get some exercise, have minimal impact on the environment, and enhance the overall appeal of our corporate campus. I think we accomplished all three.”
The walking trail aligns with Averitt’s vision of enhancing associate health and well being. Averitt provides free health screenings for associates and their spouses covered under its medical insurance, while the corporate campus is also home to an on-site wellness clinic and fitness center.
