16th March, 2007: Safety Matters!
Working safely is something you can not do too much of. The Boise plant, which is doing extremely well with safety, has gone 965 days with out a lost time accident which is outstanding for a production facility.
The Bigelow company has taken many steps to help make our people and operation safe, from implementing the Dupont STOP training (a methodology that focuses on improving the conditions vs. focusing on people) to yearly plant inspections to name a couple.
The efforts in safety have been recognized by OSHA (OSHA is Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the government organization that regulates employment conditions to insure they are safe for workers) with their awarding the Boise plant the “SHARP Award”.
“Bigelow Tea has done an excellent job of safety and health management at its Boise facility,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Richard Terrill in Seattle. “The company has adopted safety as a business priority, working with employees and management towards improving their safety and health management system.”
The company, employees, and management take safety very seriously and it shows.
Posted by Dean at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
14th March, 2007: Bigelow Weight Loss Champion Posts on USA TODAY’s Weight-Loss Challenge Forum
USA TODAY has just kicked off its fourth annual Weight-Loss Challenge. This year’s challenge highlights the stories of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off – weight loss champions! – in order to motivate and encourage readers to do the same. Read more about it here.
This year the Weight-Loss Challenge coincides with the launch of USA TODAY’s Network Journalism Initiative which includes an on-line forum where readers and weight loss champions can share experiences and advice with each other. One of the weight loss champions stepping out to encourage others in losing weight and keeping it off is our very own Kathy DePonte.
Look for Kathy’s posts at the USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge Forum
Posted by Liesl at 7:58 am | Comment (0)
13th March, 2007: Relaxing Tea
Working a trade show in California right now and when you add the meetings on top of the show and then driving around doing store checks in between, I am glad I have tea in my life.
I do not know if you ever read the studies on tea and L-Theanine but from everything I have experienced, it has to be 100% on the money. They stated that tea has the highest level of this amino acid called L-Theanine. L-Theanine stimulates the brain waves in a similar way to meditation thus creating a state of relaxation and mental alertness. It also increases the release of dopamine, putting you into a positive state as well.
All I know is it makes me feel good….helps me deal with the stresses of the job, family, life and have a fresh approach each day.
So it is weeks like this that I say I am lucky to have tea in my life!!!!
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
12th March, 2007: A New Beverage in the Yankees’ Clubhouse
The Star Ledger/NJ.com reports that Joe Torre drinks pints of Bigelow Green Tea every day…each morning, a clubhouse assistant brings him a steaming cup of Green Tea which he carries as he wanders the field inspecting players.
The Hartford Courant and The Orlando Sentinel report the same.
Posted by Valorie at 6:02 am | Comments (3)
9th March, 2007: Thank you Bigelow Tea Drinkers!
I want to thank everyone for drinking Bigelow tea these last few months. On March 2nd we set an all time record of shipping 65,000 cases out in one day from our Louisville facility, which is 7,800,000 tea bags, that’s a lot of tea! The top four flavors were Green Tea, Earl Grey, Cozy Chamomile and Constant Comment.
Thanks again for choosing Bigelow tea as your drink.
Posted by Dean at 9:36 am | Comments (5)
7th March, 2007: Let us know what you think about Bigelow!
As much as we learn from our consumers and grow as a company, we still make production mistakes, and for those times our consumer service department is available when we do not meet consumer expectations.
Each box of tea has our corporate address, email address, and our toll free number, (888) 244-3569, so when our consumers want to contact us, there are many ways to do so. You can also reach us through the website.
Each month we sit down and look at each consumer complaint and identify where it occurred and then determine what we can do to eliminate them from happening again. We have reduced our issues but we need to hear from everyone if they are not satisfied with the product so we can make it even better.
Last year we made over 1 billion tea bags and had 772 consumer complaints, not bad but those 772 consumers were not happy so we still have room for improvement. Our goal is to make all our consumers happy and by listening to everyone we are taking steps to make that happen on and off line!
Posted by Dean at 8:35 am | Comments (17)
5th March, 2007: Kathy’s weight loss story!
I was one of the participants in the ABC Primetime Weight Loss Special (Game theory), and this is my story of how I became involved with the weight loss team.
I never had an issue with my weight – I’m 5’10” and my weight was in proportion with my body type. I always ate well balanced meals and I exercised regularly. That is until about 3 years ago. In May 2004 I lost my best friend, my soul mate – my husband. He died suddenly one night from Sudden Cardiac Death. My world was shattered. I completely shut down.
I stopped eating well and exercising, I was giving up. Because I was not following a healthy lifestyle, I gained about 55 pounds in 2 years. My heart was broken, my spirit was buried (under all that extra weight) and my will for life was gone.
When Bigelow sent out a memo looking for volunteers to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks – I thought – you know this is what I need to start living again because I was only making myself more miserable – and it was then that I finally faced the fact that my husband was never coming back (denial is something that is normal to feel during the grieving process). It was time to see if I still had the spirit to go on and the will to achieve the goals of the weightloss team.
The most defining moment was when I stepped on the scale in front of the Primetime cameras and was told that I weighed in at 212 ( I said you got to be kidding me!) From that point on I was determined to work very hard at changing my eating habits. I joined a gym and a Pilate’s class. I bought an Ab Lounger to work out on at home. Already, I started feeling better emotionally - I finally had something to do to occupy my time and thoughts.
I love competition – so when the men on the team starting dropping weight very quickly, I kicked my energy level up a notch. No way was a guy going to lose more weight than me, I thought. As the pounds started coming off, my spirit and will for life started coming back. As the challenge came to an end on September 19th, the goal was to weigh-in at 197 pounds to achieve the 15 pound weight loss. I weighed in at 181 – I lost 31 pounds, the most between both teams.
I felt good about myself for the first time in a long while. I was speechless and overwhelmed!
I am continuing this new lifestyle and I plan on getting my weight down to 150 pounds.
Check in from time to time to see how I am doing.
By the way, this picture is me before I started to loose weight!
Kat D
Posted by Kathy at 11:55 am | Comment (1)
2nd March, 2007: ABC Primetime Challenge: The Team Who Did It!
In a healthy partnership for healthful living, ABC and Bigelow Tea joined forces this summer. A competition was set to follow two teams testing weight loss moTEAvators. The Bigelow Tea Team was on a quest to become healthy for one’s sake. The Bridgeport Bluefish Corporate Office who took on becoming healthy to avoid humiliation. he The ABC Primetime Challenge Weight Special, which aired December 20th , followed the story and people who took part in the event.
MEET TEAM BIGELOW
- KATHY (-31 pounds)
“Several years ago, I lost my spirit and my true self and I gained at least 55 pounds. Being a member of the TEAm Bigelow gave me the will, moTEAvation and the determination to start a journey to find what I lost and to lose what I gained. With everyone’s support, friendship and caring words and deeds, my spirit is starting to rise again and I am on my way to losing the extra pounds. And watch out – my true self hopefully will be arriving too.”
- MELANIE (-18 pounds)
“I will admit that although being on television was not a goal for me, wanting to prove to all of ‘TV Land’ that I could make the effort and successfully lose the 15 pounds was a huge incentive! But the BEST part for me was actually DOING IT…LOSING the weight! I was beginning to feel that my age and injuries were going to win the ‘battle of the bulge’ but I found out that victory always goes to hard work and perseverance! Cliché or not, I forever count my experience with Bigelow’s weight loss team as a solid foundation for future successes.”
- ED (-22 pounds)
“I have learned through this experience that, “It is not necessarily our individual efforts that make the most difference but it is the support, courage and hard work of others that help individuals accomplish great and challenging things.”
- DON (-22 pounds)
“The challenge was far more than just a weight loss experiment; it was an intimate opportunity to share and support many different facets of teammate life experiences that became appreciated through the shared relationships in achieving our goal.”
- LIZ (-20 pounds)
“This was truly a life style change for me. Getting up at 4:25am was not a problem. I am at the gym by 5:00am each day. I never went to the gym before this. My motto is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Phil 4:13 – I prayed a lot, cried a lot, and drank lots of Green Tea. I have no desire to eat and do the things I did before. I have to thank God, ABC, the ‘TEAM,’ my co-workers, and my family. Everyone was and is very supportive!
- MARYANN (-16 pounds)
Leafy greens are quite okay,
But white and starchy…stay away.
Drink lots of green tea and water every day,
and watch your waistline waste away.
- MIKE (-19 pounds)
“Never go to a weigh-in with wet pants.”
- JEANNETTE (-13 pounds)
“It was a challenge but by faith and hard work, I was able to drop 13 of the 15 pounds required to meet PRIMETIME requirements. Due to getting off to a slow start because of some of the medication I was (and still am) taking, I came up short, but I am still determined to lose a total of 60 pounds and get down at least three more dress sizes by the grace of God. I have already dropped two sizes during the past two months. – My advise to anyone out there who is thinking about loosing weight, “JUST DO IT.” You don’t know what you can accomplish if you first do not try.”
- CHERYL (-19 pounds)
“Although this weight loss exercise was ultimately individual goals we each had to attain, utilizing teamwork to achieve its success was equally important. For me, the interest, support and coaching from family and co-workers were vital elements that geared me towards accomplishing my goal through a change of lifestyle that includes a better balance of both diet and exercise.”
- RICHARD (-20 pounds)
“To lose weight, eat everything and anything you desire, but beware, you are what you eat, so eat less and you will see less….of yourself.”
- CINDI (Team’s General Manager)
“This has been one of the most enjoyable journeys as I watched a group of people pull together and work so hard to help each other achieve their goal. It was a very moTEAvational experience that one could take a lesson from in every chapter of life.”
“Several years ago, I lost my spirit and my true self and I gained at least 55 pounds. Being a member of the TEAm Bigelow gave me the will, moTEAvation and the determination to start a journey to find what I lost and to lose what I gained. With everyone’s support, friendship and caring words and deeds, my spirit is starting to rise again and I am on my way to losing the extra pounds. And watch out – my true self hopefully will be arriving too.”
“I will admit that although being on television was not a goal for me, wanting to prove to all of ‘TV Land’ that I could make the effort and successfully lose the 15 pounds was a huge incentive! But the BEST part for me was actually DOING IT…LOSING the weight! I was beginning to feel that my age and injuries were going to win the ‘battle of the bulge’ but I found out that victory always goes to hard work and perseverance! Cliché or not, I forever count my experience with Bigelow’s weight loss team as a solid foundation for future successes.”
“I have learned through this experience that, “It is not necessarily our individual efforts that make the most difference but it is the support, courage and hard work of others that help individuals accomplish great and challenging things.”
“The challenge was far more than just a weight loss experiment; it was an intimate opportunity to share and support many different facets of teammate life experiences that became appreciated through the shared relationships in achieving our goal.”
“This was truly a life style change for me. Getting up at 4:25am was not a problem. I am at the gym by 5:00am each day. I never went to the gym before this. My motto is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Phil 4:13 – I prayed a lot, cried a lot, and drank lots of Green Tea. I have no desire to eat and do the things I did before. I have to thank God, ABC, the ‘TEAM,’ my co-workers, and my family. Everyone was and is very supportive!
Leafy greens are quite okay,
But white and starchy…stay away.
Drink lots of green tea and water every day,
and watch your waistline waste away.
“Never go to a weigh-in with wet pants.”
“It was a challenge but by faith and hard work, I was able to drop 13 of the 15 pounds required to meet PRIMETIME requirements. Due to getting off to a slow start because of some of the medication I was (and still am) taking, I came up short, but I am still determined to lose a total of 60 pounds and get down at least three more dress sizes by the grace of God. I have already dropped two sizes during the past two months. – My advise to anyone out there who is thinking about loosing weight, “JUST DO IT.” You don’t know what you can accomplish if you first do not try.”
“Although this weight loss exercise was ultimately individual goals we each had to attain, utilizing teamwork to achieve its success was equally important. For me, the interest, support and coaching from family and co-workers were vital elements that geared me towards accomplishing my goal through a change of lifestyle that includes a better balance of both diet and exercise.”
“To lose weight, eat everything and anything you desire, but beware, you are what you eat, so eat less and you will see less….of yourself.”
“This has been one of the most enjoyable journeys as I watched a group of people pull together and work so hard to help each other achieve their goal. It was a very moTEAvational experience that one could take a lesson from in every chapter of life.”
The ABC Primetime Challenge Weight Loss Special aired on local ABC channels on Wednesday, December 20th, at 10pm, EST. ABC News also covered the story. ABC News Primetime also detailed the science at their site.
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:47 am | Comment (0)
1st March, 2007: Nampa (Idaho) Red Hat Society
Recently the Boise facility was visited by a group of ladies from the Nampa Red Hat Society. As avid tea drinkers they wanted to see how Bigelow made Constant Comment and other teas. The groups watched a DVD showcasing the Charleston Tea Plantation growing and harvesting tea and then were able to follow tea through the production process.
The Red Hat Society philosophy is to have fun and this group sure promoted that idea to all those around them. It is refreshing to see people who enjoy life and take the extra time to find out about products they care about.
Posted by Dean at 6:25 pm | Comment (0)
