Meat + Poultry - January 2006 - 34

C.M.A. fitness

C.M.A. President Jordan Dorfman has added a fitness facility as part of the firm's latest
renovation. "I want to provide a place where the best employees work," he says.

gyms in the Chicago area. He says becoming more physically fit has made
him happier and more productive in his
personal life and at work. It's a benefit he wants to pass on to his workers,
knowing it will ultimately strengthen
his company.
"I want to provide a place where the
best employees work," he says.
A processor of pork and beef products for customers in the foodservice
industry, C.M.A. has undergone seven
plant expansions since 1991, its first
year in business, when sales were about
$6 million. Sales for 2005 were expected to top $80 million. The company
now employs 300, operates three shifts
each day and produces up to 350,000
pounds of product daily. Before 2004,
the company's renovations focused on
the processing part of the plant. Now
the company is realizing the value of
investing in its workers.
Knowing not everyone is going to
embrace the fitness-focused facilities,
Dorfman has made a point of making
the workplace more comfortable and
livable for them too. "Some don't
workout, so for them there is a beautiful kitchen. And everyone sits at nice
desks and nice chairs-the kinds of
34

I

MEAT&POULTRY

I

January 2006

I

things people deserve," Dorfman says.
Within the fitness facility there is also
an area where Dorfman has added
a foosball table, pool table and a TV
viewing area with a family room-like
atmosphere. He says the workout area
is a "wellness option," not
a fitness push. No one with
C.M.A. is force-fed the fitness lifestyle just like no
one at the company is required to watch TV or play
foosball at work. "It's all
there if they want to use it,"
Dorfman says.
Investing in a workplace
where people like to be is a
competitive advantage in many cases.
Little touches, like giving workers
nicely appointed, private restrooms and
showers are other ways Dorfman pays
back the people that make his business
successful.
"It's not in lieu of compensation;
it's in addition to compensation," he
says. As a boss, "I feel entitled to ask
of my people if I give first." And the
additional amenities have helped the
company recruit and retain workers
as C.M.A. adopts and implements a
corporate culture change. Prior to ex-

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

panding and improving the workplace,
which included adding offices and cubicles, Dorfman says it was easy to see
how C.M.A. couldn't hire or house the
people necessary to get the company
where it needed to be in the future.
"After adding the space, we then
hired the right people," he says. "It is
working."
As for the approval of C.M.A.'s
wellness program, it appears to be going over well. Some employees come
in before work to fit in their workout,
while others opt for getting their burn
on during the lunch hour or after work.
For them, there are private showers
and dressing areas. During these windows of opportunity, there are usually
several employees in the gym area.
Also, during the two days each week
the personal trainers spend at C.M.A.,
appointment times with them are usually booked up well ahead of time.
Currently the gym is available to
the company's 50 salaried employees.
Hourly employees working in the processing plant don't have access to the
facilities now, but Dorfman says he is
considering offering access to the gym
as part of an incentive program for the plant workers,
which are unionized.
From a management
standpoint, there is a certain amount of assumed
liability by having workers exercising at the
workplace. Dorfman says
he's been warned by lawyers and others about the
"what-ifs" of a perk many employers
aren't willing to offer. Anyone working out at the facility is asked to fill
out a waiver to protect C.M.A. from
would-be lawsuits. Dorfman says it's
a precaution he hopes would help in
the unlikely event of an injury, but not
something he obsesses about.
"I'm not going to be afraid to make
decisions," he says. "We have a responsibility to do what's right and just."

"I feel
entitled to
ask of my
people if I
give first"

We would like to hear from you- your comments
and questions about this article are welcome.
E-mail the author at: jcrews@sosland.com
http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com
Meat + Poultry - January 2006

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - January 2006
