BusinessTN

Filling out a March Madness bracket sheet does not count as group participation in sports, according to RM Technologies' CEO Paul Sponcia. Though its Third Annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit East Tennessee Children's Hospital Pediatric ICU will take place this year on September 20 at River Islands Golf Club, his company goes beyond an occasional sporting event to keep his workforce active and motivated. BusinessTN asks Sponcia, a lifelong athlete, about his own routine to stay a healthy while creating a healthy organization.

Has physical activity always been a part of your life? I have participated in sporting/recreational activities for my whole life. I grew up captivated by baseball and especially skating. As I moved through high school and into college, I also became very interested in BMX racing, snowboarding and basketball.

You were a baseball player in college. Are there lessons you've taken from that time and applied to your business? In baseball, there are nine people from your team on the field, and it's absolutely important that you work together, not only to achieve the basic goals of the game but to work hard, train together and perfect each other's skills so that the team can excel beyond those basic goals. Team building is an important key in differentiating between mediocrity and excellence. We invest in each of our employees and work as a team each day to bring innovative solutions to the table that will not only meet our clients' needs but also surpass their expectations.

If as a business leader you surround yourself with people who are highly intelligent and considered experts in a particular niche of your industry, and you invest in them, ask them to buy into the team concept, you have a winning combination.

Why is it important for a company executive to be physically fit? As CEOs, we set a daily example for our employees. As executives, we have to take chances, we have to be the first to step out on the limb. Physical fitness is important not only to the physical well-being of our employees, but it also serves to improve the general well-being of your workforce.

Employees who are active in sporting activities, even if it's walking around a track a couple of times a week, benefit from increased fitness, which in turn improves mental health and productivity, lowers general health care/insurance costs and encourages those around them to have the same frame of mind.

What is your fitness routine? I regularly diet—meaning that I eat smart, not that I stop eating. Being active is only one step in being physically fit. It's the careful dance of balancing the foods you eat with exercise that will lead you down the right path toward physical fitness. I play basketball weekly with employees from our company, as well as skateboard at a local park in Knoxville with other employees.
Skateboarding? It takes me back to the 1990s... Skateboarding was popular when I was growing up, and it's just something that I enjoy so much that it's stuck with me. I think it's the thrill of being challenged every time that you try to pull off a trick that interests me. It's also a great way to spend some quality time alone and away from the world.

You already have a passion for baseball, skateboarding and basketball. Any new sports you'd like to pick up? I enjoy playing golf but I'm not the typical executive golfer. I like the game, but it's by no means my forte. I leave the serious golfing up to our account executives. I love to snowboard. It's a demanding sport.

Tell us about the RMT fitness program. We'll be introducing our employees to the RMT Fitness Program in October 2007. It's an idea that originated from our employee's interest in physical activity. The Fitness Program will incorporate our new fitness facility and gym located in our new building in Knoxville. The program will guide employees with the assistance of a personal trainer to first take a fitness test, set their goals and work toward achieving them. The program will consist of not only working out in the gym, but also a basketball league, golf league, tennis and other outdoor activities like paintball, etc.

Any current programs? I've asked our sales and marketing team to join in a "Strong Man" contest where we choose 10 activities to compete in and lose weight while training. The contest will take two months. By the end, everyone will have trained for the events and lost weight at the same time.

Any advice for executives who are constantly working? As leaders we set an example, and an active workforce is a true reflection of its leadership. Encouraging employees to stay fit and providing them with avenues to achieve their fitness goals go hand in hand with the CEO mindset.

Being a hard worker isn't a bad attribute as long as your drive to succeed is balanced by other factors. Working hard without working out is a recipe for mediocrity. Taking the time to care for yourself and your body is worth the effort. Physical activity is proven to stimulate your mind and will give you more energy and focus to accomplish company goals.