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Delivering wellness to offices

In the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, one company has taken up the challenge delivering wellness to officesof delivering wellness to offices. As a concept, wellness has become a concern that has found firm footing in the corporate environment.

Businesses are increasingly recognizing the link between healthy lifestyles and productivity. Companies are willing to budget resources to provide everything from smoking cessation materials to aerobic instruction. Weight loss challenges, yoga classes, fruits and vegetables in the break rooms and board rooms all contribute to a healthier bottom line.

A Singular Mission

Richardson-based ORCHARD At The OFFICE has a singular mission. Specifically,  they deliver fresh fruit to the businesses of Texas. By putting together a variety of baskets of top-quality fresh fruit, they allow companies small and large to eat healthy with minimal fuss. But these folks are not mere “grocery-getters.” Their knowledgeable and energetic staff knows their fruit facts. By seeing themselves as partners on a mission to provide health and great taste, ORCHARD At The OFFICE is dedicated to the cause of healthy living.

The Right Mix

“It’s an amazing response,” says Kevin Long, founder, and Chief Banana. delivering wellness to Houston“People welcome the difference.” He should know. He first got the idea when he was employed as a creative director of an advertising firm. Long decided to experiment with bringing in bananas and apples instead of donuts. The result was gratifying. “They attacked the baskets! They were really excited.” So much so that Long got the confidence to take his idea and start his own enterprise in 2010. As the business has expanded, the offerings have increased. Customers can receive the ever-popular bananas, apples, oranges, as well as a variety of pears, citrus, stone fruits, grapes, and berries. “Helping our friends to find the right mix for their office is part of the fun.”

Delivering Wellness

Monday morning sees a flurry of activity at the company’s headquarters, as baskets of fruits are loaded into vehicles. Then, the baskets find their way into offices throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The drivers operate as the primary point of contact and serve to answer questions and note any special accommodations. For the Chief Banana, that’s what it all comes back to. “Fruit is a gift on so many levels. It’s a gift to yourself.”

ORCHARD At The OFFICE can be reached at 972-295-9091 or getfruit@orchardattheoffice.com.

This article originally appeared on the D Magazine website on February 26, 2016.

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Work/Health Balance: Tips for a Fit Office

Create a culture of wellness in the workplace

It is surprising to think now that the concept of work/health balance in the workplace is a 21st-century one. It seems self-evident these days that work environments should be geared toward maintaining the health of its staff. There are still some companies that consider healthy office initiatives as perks to be cut in lean times, instead of means to a more productive end.

work/health balance boosts productivityWhether you’re part of a small business or Fortune 500 company, you can contribute to a culture of wellness in your workplace. It needn’t involve rustling a tribe of yoga-friendly goats or trying to organize team triathlons. Fundamental changes can be made incrementally.

SIMPLE EDUCATION

You don’t have to have the title of Wellness Director in your organization to help share basic fitness tips. Many of our friends-in-wellness, whether they’re part of the International Association of Administrative Professionals or Human Resource professionals, have success with passing along simple e-mails or putting up informational flyers. These can be infographics about nutrition, or shared articles on exercises that can be done in the workplace.

Another effective method is to start a private social media group, where those interested in the concept of work/health balance can share ideas. Whether it’s recipes that can be prepared in a company kitchen, or simple breathing exercises while working at a desk, using the “hive mind” to gather ideas to forward along to colleagues is ultimately rewarding for the company’s bottom line.

The information doesn’t need to be conveyed in an evangelical method – if one is told, in effect, “you’re doing it all wrong” by a work colleague, the message will be lost.  At the end of the day, the enthusiasm you feel from your own success in adopting work/health habits will persuade others to join in.

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

Many studies have documented the correlation between healthy eating and happiness. The concept of “healthy alternatives” can extend far beyond nutritious snacks. Ergonomic office furniture, comfortable work environments, and inclusivity are all fundamental shifts in corporate culture. The money spent to paint an office interior so that it becomes an inviting place to work can imbue employees with a sense of physical and emotional well-being.

THE RIGHT METRICS

Many companies have soured on the phrase “wellness initiatives” because they feel they were promised a bill of goods they never received: a staff with fewer sick days and lower insurance costs. The assumption was that if the company paid for gym memberships or flu shots, all would quite literally be well. So it’s important that when we think of a work/health balance, we understand the goals. Increased productivity and improved office culture are goals worth pursuing!

WORK/HEALTH BALANCE 

 

Does Kenneth, in Accounts Payable, get his reports done with greater accuracy now work/health balance boosts productivitythat he has fresh fruit to snack on, a more comfortable work environment, and is taking part in some fitness challenges with his team members? Now that Audrey in Marketing has a “Wellness Room” for twenty minutes of personal time in the afternoon, is she more productive the rest of the day?  

Quite simply, the link is this: a workplace environment conducive to the physical and mental well-being of the staff creates a positive atmosphere. Employees are willing to work longer and with greater efficiency, because they become task-oriented instead of “watching the clock.” The real key is to see the long-term benefits of incremental nudges.

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The Best of Big D…on Instagram

orchard at the office logos

Appreciating the Uniqueness of Dallas via Social Media

ORCHARD At The OFFICE, the largest office fruit delivery service in Texas, offers these accounts as “online guides”: windows to the stately, colorful world of Dallas.

  1. @kevinhannphoto. This is a fairly obvious, and popular, choice. Kevin Hann is a professional, so his images of downtown (with emphasis on light and motion) are a great visual ambassador to the city.
  2. @stagethyme. A local man with an eye for urban art in Dallas with an account that blends the objective and subjective. He’ll nearly always complement his posts with folk lyrics or stanzas of classic poetry.
  3. @dallaspublicartfund. A focus on the sculptures throughout Dallas we may at times take for granted.
  4. @patientguitar. While somewhat varied, this account often focuses on the outer layers – and inner workings – of DFW.
  5. @d_magazine. Of course, it’s only fair to mention this one! If this account were merely for promotion we’d have left it off the list. There’s a real aesthetic at play, so whether the pictures are for an upcoming event, the latest trendy bistro, or the newest publication, it’s a great addition to any feed.
  6. @downtown_dallas. Run in an office on the top floor of the iconic Bank of America building. While it sometimes gets lost in the weeds of trying to be an influencer account, the fact that it shares a lot of “best of” content from average citizens utilizing the #mydtd take makes this a worthwhile follow.
  7. @lovesdfw. Professional photographer Ben Zavala has the ability to find drama in the play of light on our skyline. Annual calendars of his work are available.
  8. @djjoec. Another photographer with professional chops, Joe Cartia often – but not exclusively – uses the Bank of America Building as a point of focus or reference, bringing a sense of continuity to visions of downtown Dallas.
  9. @visit_dallas. It stands to reason that the official Instagram account for our city’s tourism board would be loaded with fantastic images of our fine land!
  10. @orchardattheoffice. We focus, not just on images of the fresh fruit we supply to Dallas offices, but capturing a sense of our city and what makes it great. As always, we keep it fun!

ORCHARD At The OFFICE can be contacted at 972.295.9091 or at getfruit@orchardattheoffice.com

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Lessons from the Farm

The Agricultural Approach to Small Business Management.

This article was originally published on the D Magazine website on 2019.05.30.

Anyone who works for a small business knows they must be prepared to wear many hats, sometimes in unison. As the Operations Wiseapple for ORCHARD At The OFFICE, I am at times required to take charge of logistics, customer service, marketing, vendor management, and accounts receivable – all in the same phone call.

Much of the practical experience I can share in business management I’ve gleaned from those who operate the original small business: the farmers throughout the world. Whether it’s “sixty acres up on the Caprock” James McMurtry sang of or a massive, county-sized ranch near the Rio Grande, there are certain basic principles a successful agrarian must adhere to. I have found that adhering to those principles has helped shape our success and make ORCHARD At The OFFICE the largest office fruit delivery service in Texas.

Here are some of the basic principles I can share:

KNOW THE “SHELF LIFE”

In our business, we deal with fresh fruit: bananas, clementines, JAZZ apples, avocados and more. Fresh fruit is, of course, perishable. It’s not going to maintain its freshness, or indeed the ability to be eaten, beyond a few days. This means our business processes are geared around purchase and distribution of fruit within the parameters of perishability – which means we can only be as “flexible” as our product allows.

This idea has broad applicability. A wedding photographer has a very specific window – the actual event – in which they absolutely must get their work done, regardless of time allotted for pre- and post-production. A restauranteur must keep careful track of the ingredients that comprise the items on their menu. “Use It or Lose It” – this is the understanding that nature creates deadlines. As a result…

NO EXCUSES

When the cotton is ready, it doesn’t care if the harvester is broken down, or if the farm is shorthanded or the landowner doesn’t really feel like “adulting”. Either the work gets done or the crop gets lost, which means a successful farmer, even one bereft of mechanical acumen or a line of credit, must devise creative solutions on the spot.

I cannot overstate how important this principle has been in practical application. Whether it’s being aroused from a lethargic moment with the thought of “those bananas need delivered by tomorrow!” or taking the time to work out how to get fruit delivered to Fort Worth in a timely fashion, it has helped me immensely to picture a farmer with a broken tractor part, looking at a field demanding urgent attention, and think “I’d better come up with something”. Necessity truly is the mother of invention and creative problem-solving is a source of self-confidence at any age.

YOU CAN’T FORCE THE CORN.

Genetic modification notwithstanding, crops will grow at their own pace. All the self-will, teeth-clenched determination, or plucky “can-do” attitude on earth won’t turn an apple seed into an apple tree overnight.

A billion dollars in funding will not turn a first-time entrepreneur into a success without a commensurate amount of experience.

As someone involved in marketing, I must always remember that no matter how determined I am to grow the business, I cannot convince, force, manipulate or cajole a person into eating more fresh fruit than they’re hungry for. When I remember that, instead of trying to squeeze water from a stone, I can focus my energy on spreading the word – in our case, Workplace Wellness Through Fresh Fruit. People who run businesses in the service industry understand: a person only wants so many haircuts, or guitar lessons, or high-bandwidth multi-channel digital receivers. Give your customers as much as they want, but don’t spend 50% of your time trying to get another 5% out of them…because you can’t force the corn. It will be ready in its own time.

MEMORIES OF THE ELEPHANT AND THE GOLDFISH

This could be as accurately described as needing the memory of the football coach and the kicker, or a hundred other analogies. Simply put, the idea is this: learn the long-term patterns and see trial-and-error as your most valuable instructor…but put mistakes immediately out of mind rather than dwell on them.

Fruit basket in rural areaThe hospitality industry has been known for being on the leading edge of the former for decades. Since the early 1980s, some hotel chains have been maintaining records of guest preferences, so that when that person checks into a hotel in Albany, there’s already an extra comforter and two hand towels in their room because that’s what they requested last time in Albuquerque. Medical and automotive centers will send out reminders of when service appointments might be made. Identifying patterns beyond the day-to-day, and taking action on them, requires the memory of an elephant.

SUGGESTED READING: "PROVIDING SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE"

Yet at the same time, the operator of a lawn service may mess up on a hedge trimming. If they decide that they “suck at life” and need to go home and nurse their self-pity with large quantities of wine, they won’t operate a lawn service very long. They need to accept responsibility, make appropriate amends with the property owner immediately – and move on. Self-doubt will sabotage their ability to be effective with their other jobs, so they need the memory of a goldfish. The moment has passed; focus on the present.

While I could enumerate other examples, I don’t want to run the risk of drifting into Poor Richard’s territory. There is no doubt operating a small business in any sector is demanding, difficult, and not for the faint of heart. However, the rewards that come with it – the fruits of our labor – are as enjoyable as an apple orchard…and we are proud to put agrarian effort into bringing that orchard to your office.

ORCHARD At The OFFICE can be contacted at 972.295.9091 or at getfruit@orchardattheoffice.com

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Singleness of Purpose

specialize in office fruit deliveryIt is very easy for me to explain my job.

“We deliver fresh fruit to offices,” I say when asked by friends and family about ORCHARD At The OFFICE. The key to our success, the idea which has made us the largest office fruit delivery service in Texas since our 2010 inception, is that we focus on doing one thing in a manner that exceeds expectations. We provide fresh fruit for offices. Do we also provide pretzels, coffee, nuts? No. Fresh fruit is what we do and it’s all we do – so we do it better than anyone else.

This idea is, of course, not without precedent: most businesses start off in a particular niche, and many flourish if they can function at an expert level. In fact, one of the main perils of business is to stagger off into “similar territory”, only to find the Core Competency they’d identified requires a bit more effort than they’d imagined.

An example with local ties: a restaurant franchise built around a single food item – chicken fingers – might leave Shark Tank bigwigs rolling their eyes. Yet Raising Cane’s has taken this business model of a simplified menu and parlayed it into a billion-dollar concept with over 400 locations and three headquarters (including one in Plano). That’s right: two guys had a billion-dollar idea involving serving, not chicken, but a very specific cut of chicken. Doing one thing well can pay off.

ORCHARD At The OFFICE, while not in the “three comma club” (yet!), has also learned there are details involved in supplying fresh fruit to hundreds of offices throughout Texas that one can’t merely bluff their way through by chucking cheap (or imperfect) produce at. For instance, a company that provides vending services including all manner of snacks and beverages to businesses is liable to think “well, we’re in the building anyway – we may as well sell bananas and apples”, not realizing there are basic quality, perishability, and presentation issues that are going to be problematic. Many times we’ve heard from the unfortunate office which got locked into a contract with such a service provider, only to receive mealy, cafeteria-grade Red Delicious apples instead of crisp and flavorful JAZZ, and by the time the employee dissatisfaction with the low-grade bananas becomes apparent, the kitchen area is starting to see a small swarm of fruit flies, ironically infesting the area where the offending vendor proffers their other snacks.

We source the best possible produce and prices that will match our customer’s bottom line, and we’re glad to make accommodations for display, order customization, and payment terms. One of the reasons we decided from the start to never lock our clients into contracts is that we firmly believe fresh fruit sells itself. Superior customer service is only possible if one truly cares, and at ORCHARD At The OFFICE, we’ve found the best way to care is to try to be one thing to all businesses.

If you have an office anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, whether it’s a staff of five to five thousand, we’ve got a package that’s right for you. Feel free to check out our newly-revamped webpage, https://orchardattheoffice.com , and get signed up for the best fruit delivery near you! We’ll talk to you soon, and we thank you for the opportunity to be of service.