Retrofit In The News

Data-driven Weight Loss: Jeff Hyman '95 Harnesses High Tech for a New Data-driven Weight Loss Company 4/25/13 - …Retrofit started with a focus on the individual and has started targeting large corporations like Walgreens, Salesforce.com, Google and Jetblue Airways — currently 70 have signed up to encourage their employees to join Retrofit. After all, if a company can get its overweight workforce to shed weight, productivity could rise and health care costs could fall. People are signing up now on the strength of recommendations from friends and colleagues because Retrofit, unlike fad diets, actually seems to work. … Read The Story

Accretive Health Employees Get Fit with Data-Driven Chicago Firm 4/20/13 - Retrofit, Inc., is an innovative weight loss program that uses wireless devices and provides each client their own expert weight loss team. Not all of us gain weight the same, and not all of us are going to lose it the same. A program that tailors a fitness regimen to the individual, rather than shoehorning an individual into a program makes perfect sense with the way we tailor our technology to our lives. Steven Klopfer, our vice president, human resources here at Accretive Health had this to say. … "Providing our employees with an opportunity to adopt healthy behaviors is reflective of the way we support our clients in their mission to better patient health."… Read The Story

ITA Awards on Tap: More Recognition for Chicago Techies 4/19/13 - The Illinois Technology Association once again is looking to the wisdom of the crowds for its CityLights Awards. Judges get half the say in picking the winners, crowdsourcing takes care of the rest....There's an impressive list of CEO of the year candidates: Hank Adams of Sportvision, Jeff Hyman of Retrofit, Jai Shekhawat of Fieldglass, Michael Small of Gogo, Douglas Waggoner of Echo Global Logistics… Read The Story

A Positive Spin On Fitness Pumps Up Worker Results 4/18/13 - Experts advise lightening up with science-savvy, easy-to-implement approaches to trimming the ranks. Face it. This bottom line keeps expanding: 68% of U.S. workers are overweight or obese, and they're 200% less productive while costing 700% more in health care. … Little wonder companies aim for a firm grip on fitness. "We'll get buried under it economically if we don't," Kimberly Williams, Retrofit chief operating officer, told IBD. Create new routines. Williams' company helps professionals drop pounds with individual mentoring on exercise and nutrition. How to change ingrained habits?Teach new approaches — such as the science of what to eat and when — and cheer small victories. "That lets people feel successful and confident," Williams said … Read The Story

3Qs with...Kimberly Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Retrofit Inc. 4/11/13 - Healthy living, exercise and weight-loss programs have managed to catch the eye of corporate and financial dealmakers alike. Private equity firm LNK Partners, for example, purchased a stake in Beachbody LLC, owner of the P90X workout program, late in 2012 as a way to keep up with the "good-for-you" movement. Consider Retrofit Inc. to be the latest company to attract investors' attention due to its own brand of fitness and growing consumer base. The Skokie, Ill.-based company, which caters mainly to business professionals who may struggle to find time to keep in shape, is currently looking to tap private capital sources to boost growth … Read The Story

People On the Move 3/28/13 - RETROFIT INC., Chicago: Kimberly Williams, 48, to Chief Operating Officer, from president at Restaurant Technology Services LLC and president at Restaurant Application Development International LLC … Read The Story

Kimberly Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Retrofit 3/22/13 - Kimberly Williams has been named the first Chief Operating Officer of Retrofit Inc. Williams, a senior-level executive with management experience in a variety of businesses, will combine her knowledge of the technology and service sectors to drive growth for the Chicago-based weight loss company … Read The Story

Weight-loss Firm to Bulk Up in New Downtown Offices 3/18/13 - Retrofit Inc., a startup that offers a high-tech weight-loss program for busy professionals, is moving its office headquarters from Skokie to downtown Chicago. The company is in the process of moving into about 3,000 square feet at 123 N. Wacker Drive, where it plans to double its full-time staff to 100 within the next year, a Retrofit spokeswoman said. … Retrofit's new offices will include treadmill desks where employees can walk while working, workout equipment, teleconferenced yoga classes and gym accessibility within the building. “We try to practice what we preach and get our steps in while we're working,” the spokeswoman said. The work space also will include Skype stations so registered dieticians, behavior coaches and exercise physiologists can communicate with clients … Read The Story

Mayor Emanuel Announces 'Retrofit Weight Loss' Headquarters to Downtown Chicago 3/18/13 - Another corporation is announcing it will move its operations to downtown Chicago. Today, Mayor Rahm Emanuel in partnership with Retrofit Inc. announced Retrofit will move its national headquarters to downtown Chicago, IL, a move that will lead to the doubling of its staff. “I welcome Retrofit to Chicago and commend the company on its choice of Chicago for its corporate headquarters,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I am committed to bringing new and technologically advanced businesses to Chicago, especially those that want to grow their businesses creating jobs and opportunity for Chicagoans.” … Read The Story

Get Inspired This International Women's Day: Business Women Share Their Best Advice 3/8/13 - Whitney Durbin, Director of Client Wellness at Retrofit: The best advice I ever received was from a mentor: “Ask forgiveness and not permission.” In order to help a new business grow, a company needs to move quickly. When you’re a small business and everyone is wearing many hats, there isn’t always time to wait for approval from the top before you take action… Read The Story