TowneBank's new Wellness Program

TOWNEBANK’S NEW WELLNESS PROGRAM

“UP & RUNNING”

            Suffolk, Va. – It’s the time of year when people are contemplating New Year’s resolutions and doing their best to stay on track. Employees at TowneBank are a step ahead thanks to an exciting new menu of wellness options and their wellness director, Christy Rudisill.

            In the fall of 2011, the company hired Rudisill, a registered nurse, to develop programs focused on maintaining and improving employee health. She quickly organized a Wellness Advisory Team and conducted employee surveys to pursue the following “Towne For Life” goals: promote nutrition & healthy weight, encourage physical activity and fitness, encourage individual health management, and manage stress.

            “It makes sense to help people where they spend most of their time – at work,” says Rudisill. “The easier and more fun we make it, the more motivated people are to take part.” The committee is already hard at work -- adding healthy menu items both at the TowneBank Member Service Center cafe and as an option for meetings. They have also coordinated onsite flu shot clinics at multiple locations in the fall and are consulting with Towne’s health insurance carriers to find ways for employees to be better health care consumers and to utilize their wellness benefits more effectively. At the end of 2011, a Weight Watchers at Work program was launched.           

Over the holiday season, “Towne for Life” launched the “Maintain, No Gain” program, encouraging participants to sustain their weight (or gain no more than two pounds) from mid-November through the New Year.  With the help of team leaders at each location, 550 employees took part in the program, and 93.6% met the challenge. Many actually lost weight over the six-week holiday period! Each employee donated $5 to participate and all proceeds went to the American Diabetes Association.  In addition, The Arc of the Virginia Peninsula also benefitted when they were selected by the winning team for a matching donation from TowneBank.

            “We are extremely excited about all the new Towne initiatives related to health and wellness, says Bob Aston, Chairman and CEO. “Our family members have been very enthusiastic, and are embracing the changes. With this top-of-the mind awareness, employees are also being pro-active in many ways…looking for healthy options in their daily lives, and offering suggestions for new activities.  I expect ‘Towne for Life’ to continue to grow and flourish.”

            As one of the top community banks in Virginia and North Carolina, TowneBank operates 26 banking offices serving Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, James City County and York County in Virginia along with Moyock, Grandy, Camden, Southern Shores, Corolla and Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina.  Towne also offers a full range of financial services through its controlled divisions and subsidiaries that include Towne Investment Group, Towne Insurance Agency, TFA Benefits, TowneBank Mortgage, TowneBank Commercial Mortgage, Prudential Towne Realty, Towne 1031 Exchange, LLC, and Corolla Classic Vacations.  Through its strategic partnership with William E. Wood and Associates, the bank also offers mortgage services in all of their offices in Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina. Local decision-making is a hallmark of its hometown banking strategy that is delivered through the leadership of each group’s President and Board of Directors.

With total assets of $4.08 billion as of December 31, 2011, TowneBank is one of the largest banks headquartered in Virginia.