Teams compete in Corporate Challenge
Applied Companies LLC, the winning team in the seventh annual City of Westlake Corporate Challenge celebrate their first place award with Mayor Dennis Clough.
This year’s winner of the seventh annual City of Westlake Corporate Challenge was Applied Companies LLC, located on Ranney Parkway in Westlake. The Corporate Challenge featured 16 events, held in the evenings from August 5-9. Most Challenge events were held throughout the city of Westlake at various locations. The locations included: Westlake Recreation Center, Meadowood Golf Course and the Center for Community Services. Bowling, eight-ball pool and trivia were held at Buckeye Lanes in neighboring North Olmsted.
According to Victoria Marquard-Shultz, general counsel for Applied Companies, this year’s champion, “We participate because everyone in the entire company looks forward to it. It gives all our people the opportunity to see each other out of work, and to meet each other’s spouses, kids and dogs! What we gain is a sense of camaraderie that extends into our work culture and gives us a boost for the entire year.”
The winner is presented with a champion plaque, T-shirts for the company and the Corporate Cup, which stays with the winning company for the year, similar to hockey’s Stanley Cup. Awards were presented on Friday, Aug. 9, by Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough. Clough also participated in the timed walk event for the City of Westlake team.
Corporate Challenge provides the opportunity for employees of Westlake-based companies to compete against each other in a variety of events. The challenge offers a great team-building chance for companies and their employees. The events this year included bocce ball, sand volleyball, cornhole, blood drive, food drive, cardboard boat races, Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament, golf, spirit banner, timed walk, table tennis, puzzle mania and a cupcake baking contest. New events this year included billiards, trivia contest and a "closest to the pin" golf competition.
Each team size varies, depending on the size of the company, but around 200 employees participated in the various events. Two of the events directly give back to the Westlake community, with over 2,400 items donated to the Westlake food cupboard and 49 pints of blood donated via the American Red Cross and LifeShare community blood services.
The event is planned and run by members of the staff at the Westlake Recreation Center. During the week, companies can also earn points by supplying volunteers for the various events. Members of the community also help with the event. Our cupcake baking contest was judged by Nancy Kristy, owner of Sweet Utopia Bakery; Bob Trapp of North Olmsted and Denny Wendell of the Westlake | Bay Village Observer. Former Recreation Center employee Rosie Debre and her husband, Bill, ran the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.
This year’s participants were Alego Health, Applied Companies LLC, City of Westlake, Corsaro & Associates, Echo Health, Rock Point Church, Scott Fetzer, Western Enterprises and Westlake Village Retirement Community.
Past winners of the Corporate Challenge were Alego Health (2012), Western Enterprises (2011), Lake Erie Electric (2010), Five Seasons-Westlake (2009), Rae-Ann Nursing (2008) and Western Enterprises (2007).