Retrofit In The News

What One Company Learned From Giving Its Product Away For Free 5/12/14 - Testive joins other technology-empowered services that reengineer the service delivery model to make it more efficient via a combination of technology and people. Companies like Retrofit (for personal training) and Bench (for accounting) are great examples of this approach… Read The Story

'A Bigger Impact On the Bottom Line': 10 Startup Employees Recount Early Growth 3/31/14 - What makes a startup a startup?. … For our series, The First 100, we tracked down the first 100 employees at 100 startups and small businesses. #70 Tanya Singer, Retrofit. … The company culture is intense and mission-driven. We are all laser-focused on helping our weight loss clients succeed. We try to walk the talk, which means living an active, healthy lifestyle. As far as the product itself goes, I have never seen such clean software. The product experience is simple and sophisticated… Read The Story

5 tips for choosing the right corporate weight loss programs 3/25/14 - With two-thirds of the American workforce overweight, evidence of a health crisis is mounting. Yet, despite such skyrocketing statistics, employers often lack choices and time to dedicate to finding a corporate weight loss program that fits. … Reuters reports nearly 40% of companies will institute higher insurance premiums or deductibles for employees who don't meet certain health standards associated with obesity. Here are some tips for helping time-crunched clients choose the right corporate weight loss plan. … Read The Story

Pros and Cons of Using Fitness Trackers for Employee Wellness 3/24/14 - VISTA Staffing Solutions employees shed nearly 800 pounds in the Retrofit online weight-loss program, which began in January 2013, according to a Retrofit spokesperson. … VISTA estimates that the exercise and fitness program decreased absenteeism, resulted in a healthier and happier workplace, and is saving the company about $38,035 annually due to decreased medical expenses and increased productivity. … Retrofit "saved my life," says VISTA Staffing Solutions Recruiting Manager Michelle Howa. … She says she lost 47 pounds in nine months and incorporated healthier exercise and eating habits into her daily routine … Read The Story

March 2014 Power Issue - J.B. Pritzker: The Other Mayor of Chicago 3/1/14 - Pritzker admits that thoughts of mortality are always lurking. … Overweight for most of his life, he has struggled to take off the pounds. His wife, he says, came up with the perfect solution: "She jokes that I don't do anything healthy for myself unless I invest in it, and I invested in a company called Retrofit." The Chicago startup works with corporations to help employees lose weight using mobile technology. He says he has lost 50 pounds in the past year and a half on the program. … Pritzker's motivation: "To be around for my kids and for my wife for as long as I can." … Read The Story

Retrofit - Kimberly Williams, MBA’92, isn’t just the COO: She’s Also a Client 1/31/14 - Chicagoans are still wrapped in their ubiquitous puffy black parkas, but it's only a matter of weeks before magazines encouraging women to cultivate their "bikini bodies" hit the shelves. Americans throw a lot of money at weight loss schemes ranging from the draconian (the Master Cleanse) to the ridiculous (the Cookie Diet). Chicago company Retrofit aims to help clients lose weight in a more rational way. … Read The Story

Corporate Fat Fixer 1/29/14 - Jeff Hyman of Retrofit Weight Loss explains how he helps corporate America stay in shape. The company is focused on trimming the fat of CEOs and other executives and business professionals. Jeff highlights how Retrofit helps companies like Salesforce.com and Google improve the health of their employees with Retrofit corporate weight loss programs. … Read The Story

The Secrets You Need To Avoid Sacrificing Your Health For A Startup 1/22/14 - The process of building a startup from the ground-up usually entails significant sacrifice. … Often these constant demands for time force founders to cast aside family, friends, money, and even their own health. … I recently spoke to Jeff Hyman, the founder and CEO of Retrofit and asked him to share three pieces of advice for entrepreneurs looking to improve their health… Read The Story

Jeff Hyman: The Pros and Cons of Leading a Remote Workforce 1/20/14 - I admit it. I was the biggest skeptic when it came to employees who telecommute "work-at-home," or are "remote workers," - whatever progressive-sounding term you’d like to use. … Then, three years ago, everything changed. I decided to create a new data-driven weight-loss company that meets with its clients virtually via videoconferencing. Now was the time to walk the talk. In order to offer remote services for our customers, we’d have to learn how to master this technology internally … Read The Story

Retrofit Group Weighs In With Corporate-focused Interactive Weight-loss Plan 1/20/14 - Retrofit Group, a new product launched Monday by the eponymous Chicago-based company, aims to help gadget-wearing fitness seekers find strength in numbers. Wearable fitness devices are exploding in popularity. But gadgets alone aren't enough to change behaviors, at least according to some experts, while research has shown that social support can boost weight loss efforts. … Read The Story