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 Congratulations Wellness Challenge participants: Apollonia Fan, Arthur Savage, Bala Raman, Chris Jeffery, Darren Brown, Doris Allen, Feliciana de Leon, Harish Raisinghani, Iman Sharif, Jeff Broster, Larry Sawchyn, Liam Rust, Paul Goddard, Rick Godkin!
Our second Fransen wellness challenge wrapped up on December 8, 2009 with a lunch provided by Fransen. We started out with 28 participants committing themselves to eight weeks of physical, mental, social, and nutritional wellness. The goal of the wellness challenge was to turn simple lifestyle changes into lifelong, healthy habits by increasing your activity level, adhering to a healthier diet, managing stress, and making improved lifestyle choices.
Successful participants earned their choice of a Fransen aluminum water bottle or a Fransen leather portfolio. Arthur Savage earned 10 personal training sessions with Fitness Essentials as the Most Improved” in the fitness assessments, with Rick Godkin and Liam Rust coming in at 2nd and 3rd respectively.
“Most Improved” in the Personal Wellness Logs was Paul Goddard with an award of five personal training sessions with Fitness Essentials. Robert Jackson, RMT of Vancouver Mobile Massage who gives massages on Fridays at Fransen awarded two complimentary massages to Paul Goddard and Rick Godkin for their unfailing attendance during (3 times a week) during the eight week challenge.
Last August was a milestone for rapid transportation in Richmond with the opening of the Canada Line connecting Richmond Centre, Vancouver International Airport, Waterfront and all points in between in 25 minutes or less.
Once the Canada Line began, I started taking it and a connecting bus to get to Fransen Engineering from Downtown Vancouver. Sometimes on nice days I have put my bike on the train and cycled part way as well. This choice has saved me a lot in gas and it has given me a chance to improve my fitness level.
In addition to the environmental & fitness benefits, my commuting life has been enriched by the Canada Line as I have met some interesting characters. One of the more memorable was a man who was able to complete a randomly arranged Rubik’s cube between each stop all the way from Bridgeport to City Centre. As you can imagine, he gained a very substantial audience.
The nearest Canada Line station to the Fransen Richmond office is Bridgeport (next to RiverRock Casino). This station is connected to our office using the 407 (Bridgeport via Vulcan Way) bus which runs during rush hour in the morning and afternoon. During non peak times we are connected by the 407 & 430 buses which drop off at IKEA.
For comparison, when I drive to work around 7:30am, it takes about to 30 minutes to get to Fransen from Downtown depending on traffic. With the Canada Line & Bus connection, it takes 35 minutes. On my way home, it would normally take 40 minutes to drive and it takes about the same time with the Canada Line and bus connection. Why not sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!
Interested? Join me & several other Fransen team members that take transit daily!
This year instead of sending hard copy Christmas cards to our clients, we have decided to try something new. Every year we deliver hundreds of cards, which when done in hard copy through the mail, has a significant impact with respect to paper, ink, transport and carbon emissions. We would much rather have a positive impact on the environment and, as you will see in the card, add the money we save to a holiday contribution fund that we will make to a worthy cause that has a positive impact in people’s lives. We feel that this new approach is a good demonstration of our Think Long Term philosophy.
E-Card: merry-christmas-from-fransen-engineering
On behalf of everyone at Fransen, we would like to wish you and your family the very best this holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
BC will soon have a cell phone ban in place. The ban will take effect on January 1st 2010 and tickets can begin being issues on February 1st 2010.
Read more about what is and is not considered acceptable check out the following resources
Amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act of BC (Bill 15) click here
Global BC Article from October 21, 2009 click here
Our second Fransen wellness challenge kicked off October 6 with 28 participants committing themselves to eight weeks of physical, mental, social, and nutritional wellness. The goal of the wellness challenge is to turn simple lifestyle changes into lifelong, healthy habits by increasing your activity level, adhering to a healthier diet, managing stress, and making improved lifestyle choices.
During these eight weeks participants are expected to:
- Team up with a Health Buddy for accountability
- Perform a fitness assessment before and after the challenge
- Attend lunch n learns on 8 key areas of wellness
- Attend selected weekly seminars on alternative healing practices by various guest speakers
- Use their Personal Wellness Guide to follow along with the program and record their daily progress
- Exercise and/or keep active each day for eight consecutive weeks
On successful completion of the Wellness Challenge, participants will earn their choice of a Fransen aluminum water bottle or a Fransen leather portfolio. The most improved participant will also receive 10 personal training sessions compliments of Fitness Essentials Personal Training Inc.
A note from a Fransen Team Member: The plant is called a Sago Palm and its highly poisonous to both pets and humans. A chemical in the plant called cycasin is toxic and often causes permanent liver damage as well as neurological damage if enough of the poison is absorbed by the body. The seeds are the most poisonous part of the plant and the effects on humans are seizures, coma and death.
Of course you and I wouldn’t just yank off a chunk of this plant and gnaw on it but the seeds are colorful so if you have kids and Sago palm in your yard educate them on the danger or get rid of the plant. Fortunately our dog was one of the lucky ones. I later discovered that our dog vomited the plant in the yard soon after swallowing it, and after 2 days in the vet on IV, and having a ball of charcoal inserted in his stomach, a test revealed that his liver was recovering and he came home. Sadly only few people are aware of how dangerous this plant, many have lost their dogs, and even many veterinarians are unaware. This plant doesn’t carry a warning label and is becoming popular in Walmart and Home Depot so spread the word.
The Board recently decided to purchase an Automatic Defibrillator (AED) for the Richmond office. Last week, 5 Fransen employees were trained in how to use the machine. An AED is used to help the heart return to normal rhythm during a heart attach. An AED would be used in conjunction with CPR.
The permanent location of the defibrillator is at the reception desk and it can only be used by those who have been trained in its operation. The first step if you think you or someone else is having a heart attack is to call ANY first aid attendant. They will assess teh situation and determine if the AED is required.
The four AED trained team members are Kevin Peets, Marie Atienza, Jason Meyer and Apollonia Fan.
Thursday, August 20th marked another successful Fransen Summer BBQ out in the parking lot behind building 3031 of the Richmond office. Fransen team members were greeted with smiling faces, fresh burgers, chips, fruit and drinks.
As always, a big thak you goes out to Maxine and the social committee and the many others who helped put on the festivities.
Even the highest levels of the Canadian Military have a near miss from time to time.
Here is an example of a real life near miss in the skies above Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/08/07/near-miss-flight080709.html
The Fransen Sustainability Group is committed to developing Sustainable work practices at the office. We believe our slogan ‘Think Long Term’, means more than developing deep relationships with our clients, but also ‘thinking long term’ about how we operate our business.
Our clients are starting to expect us to have a Sustainability Plan in place and in most cases, when taking account all the factors, sustainable practices often lead to cost-savings and hence it just makes good business sense.
Our group meets monthly, usually during the last week of the month to discuss initiatives implemented over the past month and to plan out future activities. We encourage you to get involved and even share ideas by emailing sustainability@fransenengineering.com.
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Congratulations Wellness Challenge participants: Apollonia Fan, Arthur Savage, Bala Raman, Chris Jeffery, Darren Brown, Doris Allen, Feliciana de Leon, Harish Raisinghani, Iman Sharif, Jeff Broster, Larry Sawchyn, Liam Rust, Paul Goddard, Rick Godkin!
