ControlTek received the award based on the electronic manufacturer's high participation levels for its new Forward Living program, a company-wide wellness program that includes a Health Risk Assessment, individualized health consultation and planning, and rewards for progress made towards individual employee goals. Measuring the effectiveness of the program is a key component of the program. This year, ControlTek employees who exercise 3 or more days a week increased by 26% while employees who were sedentary or did not exercise at all decreased 14%.

Additional consideration was given to the overall variety of opportunities employees have available to learn about healthy lifestyle choices like nutrition, activity, mental health and personal care.

ControlTek's Forward Living program was created in 2012 with a simple mission: empower employees to live a healthy lifestyle by teaching the skills, strategies, and tools to help them reach their health goals, and to create a wellness-centered culture in the workplace. The main concept behind the program, says ControlTek V.P. of Human Resources Stacey LaFrazia Smith, is to encourage the "small, daily steps that lead towards better health."

Some of these steps include a new indoor track at ControlTek's electronics manufacturing facility in Vancouver, complete with exercise stations and step-by-step exercise instructions. This summer, ControlTek employees were also rewarded with brand-new water bottles for signing a pledge to avoid soda drinks for the summer.

The award also includes a plaque, which ControlTek management presented to employees at a company-wide meeting earlier this month.

The Awards luncheon was part of the larger Portland Business Journal HR Summit that included several workshops covering topics related to health in the workplace and providing new inspiration for the coming year.

About ControlTek (www.controltek.com)Founded in 1971, ControlTek provides electronic manufacturing services for the medical, industrial, semiconductor, Aerospace and Defense (ASD), and consumer products industries. Services offered by ControlTek include circuit assembly, cable assembly, box build, EMS test development and electronic design engineering.