Cue the Drake music. Henderson has gone back-to-back as champions of the Kansas City Corporate Challenge. In the closest race in recent memory, our talented squad edged NAIC/NIPR by 3½ points to claim the Division D title. The championship was clinched on Saturday during the tug of war, where we were fittingly pitted against NAIC/NIPR.

“Congratulations to our whole team of participants for winning this year’s Corporate Challenge. We are incredibly proud that our group here strives for excellence in all areas of life,” President and CEO Rich Smith said. “It is fitting that the championship was clinched with teamwork in the tug of war. We place great importance on employee fitness and strengthening relationships, which is a trademark of this competition. By participating in this annual event, we also help support Special Olympics in the Kansas City area. Excellent job showcasing the way we work hard, play hard, and give back, as this is yet another example of our team living the Henderson vision and purpose and showing what makes us unique.”

In Division D, our Henderson standouts finished with 752.5 points. NAIC/NIPR finished with 749 points followed by third place Swiss Re with a total of 625. HNTB Corporation and the US Army Corps of Engineers rounded out the top five with 572 and 520.5 points, respectively.

“Our major highlight came in the tug of war, the final event,” said Nick Schultz, electrical designer and wellness director at the Lenexa headquarters who is deeply involved in organizing Henderson’s involvement in the competition. “We had a very small lead in the overall standings and needed to place one spot ahead of the second-place team. As fate would have it, the two of us got matched up in the quarterfinals for a winner-take-all. Eleven amazing Henderson pullers dug in, gave it all they had and literally pulled us to victory!”

“This year we had new competitors to various events and that was exciting to see,” said Casandra Peters, who is a refrigeration engineer and assists Schultz in company wellness activities, including the KCCC. “We started off a little slow in the beginning, but we kept our heads up and kept fighting. It wasn’t until the final weeks where we nudged into first overall and were able to hang on to that lead. It was exciting to see it come down to the final event, pushing us to bring our A-game.”

The KC Corporate Challenge is an Olympic-type event that allows companies throughout Kansas City to interact with each other through a variety of sporting events. The 2017 season included more than 240 companies and 30,000 individual participants. The KCCC games feature more than twice as many competitors as the Olympic Games themselves. Some of the locations for the competition included the Truman Sports Complex (Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums), Kansas Speedway, and Shawnee Mission Park. KCCC is a program of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

“A lot of hard work went into winning this title. The events take place at night and on the weekends so many have to make sacrifices for the greater good of the team,” Schultz said. “We have an exercise room and group fitness classes that many competitors take advantage of on a daily basis. Corporate Challenge is an awesome tool to use to increase employee health, promote teamwork, and boost company morale.

“Participation is the key component to winning KCCC. Each year we have an increasing number of people who are fit, confident, and willing and able to come out and be part of the team. Every person makes a difference.”

Schultz also notes that company victories in consecutive years shows that last year wasn’t a fluke.

“The camaraderie built by the teamwork in Corporate Challenge is invaluable,” Schultz described. “People are continuing to focus on their health and contribute to our team victory. Each week, we post updates that highlight each event and lists the participants. This allows others to know and congratulate the deserving competitors. High-fives and fist bumps have become routine around the office and we don’t plan to stop!”

“My favorite part about KCCC is seeing how it connects people who wouldn’t typically know each other,” Peters said. “When you get to cheer on your coworkers and watch them accomplish new feats, it brings a level of community that goes beyond just working together, it becomes the Henderson family. At every event, you work hard together, sweat together, and celebrate together. Winning it all just makes it a little sweeter. Just one person can’t win KCCC for us. So many employees sacrificed time to commit to helping out the team. With such a close win, it’s clear that every person who participated contributed to our success, and that is worth celebrating!”

“KC Corporate Challenge is one of my favorite events to be a part of,” said Marketing Coordinator Monica Francis, who is a member of the KCCC committee. “It’s awesome to see how many people come together during these events and how much people are willing to get out of their comfort zones to benefit the company as a whole.”

Keep those well-deserved high-fives and fist bumps coming. In the coming days, we’ll have more details on a victory party. We are certainly #HendersonProud of this major collective accomplishment. Let’s make it a 3-peat next year!