Quanex team members placed fifth in the large companies division for the Go365 National Step Challenge, securing 30,000 meals to be donated to a food bank in St. Cloud, Minnesota, home to one of Quanex’s manufacturing facilities.
The Go365 Challenge is a health and wellness competition that focuses on improving the fitness of employees from companies across the country. Quanex teams participate each fall. This year, Brian Linn, a product design specialist for Quanex’s cabinetry business, propelled the team to the top as its top stepper. Linn averaged more than 30,000 steps per day throughout the competition and placed 29th of 3,446 total participants around the country.
Linn’s participation was part of a personal wellness goal he had set for himself. “At the beginning of 2021, I weighed over 300 pounds, and I knew I wanted to make a change,” he says. “Participating in the Go365 Challenge was a part of how I motivated myself to achieve a better level of personal fitness. It was a very rewarding experience.” Linn has continued his walking regimen beyond the Go365 Challenge and has lost more than 100 pounds to date.
“Our team’s performance in the challenge ties back to our CREED, part of which is to exemplify safe and healthy living,” says Stephanie Piloto, Quanex benefits manager. “We’re also committed to taking care of our communities, so we’re proud to be the reason 30,000 meals will be donated to help families in St. Cloud.”
All participants competed based on a team average daily step count. The organizations competed by team size, ranging from the “Small” division with two to 10 members, to the “Jumbo” division with over 100 members. Depending on a team’s results, meals were donated in the name of each winning team in sums of either 30,000, 15,000 or 5,000 meals. In total, 60 teams received donations to local food banks serving the communities where they are headquartered.
“It is exciting to see our clients achieve their best health while improving the health of the communities we serve,” says Heather Cox, chief digital health and analytics officer for Humana, the organization that administers Quanex’s wellness program and the national Go365 Challenge. “By joining Go365 digital experiences and movement for a cause, participants of the Step Challenge are helping to address food insecurity. This powerful combination has yielded an astounding 4 million meals provided to Feeding America since the challenge began in 2018.”
