Fiona Gathright’s company needed space to grow. It also needed a space that better reflected what her company was selling.
Gathright’s Wellness Corporate Solutions, one of the country’s 500 fastest growing companies, moved from Cabin John to the office space at 7617 Arlington Rd. in September. The new downtown Bethesda headquarters allows more space (about 10,000 square feet compared to 4,500 square feet) and a Metro commute for her employees.
It also allowed the company, which provides cholesterol screenings, blood pressure screenings, health coaching and other services to corporate clients, to retrofit the space with adjustable stand-sit desks and even a desk connected to a walking treadmill.
“A lot of businesses have recognized the health of your employees has a lot to do with your healthcare costs and has lots to do with productivity,” Gathright said. “If we can help educate and engage and empower people to lead healthier lifestyles, then the employers’ healthcare costs are going to go down and you’re going to have a more productive, healthier workforce.”
Gathright cited the oft-used statistic: 70 percent of healthcare spending in the U.S. is due to lifestyle, a category that includes obesity.
“For example, once we find someone is pre-diabetic or diabetic, we help employers reach out to that employee and help them manage their weight or their cholesterol,” Gathright said.
Workdays at Wellness Corporate include five-minute cardio workouts. The staff is at about 70 employees, up from about 50 last year. According to Inc. Magazine, which ranked Wellness Corporate as the No. 357 fastest growing, the firm posted $9.3 million in revenue in 2012.
The company’s clients include Marriott, Discovery Communications, Hilton and National Public Radio. Gathright co-founded the company with Juliet Rodman in 2004 and it now has offices in Atlanta and Chicago.
On Tuesday, she joined with representatives from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon cutting.
“We’re very excited to be here,” Gathright said. “It has made it a lot easier for our employees and we also wanted to be closer to our clients. We had really outgrown our space.”
