Packer Fastener tightens focus on employee wellness

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

October 20, 2025

GREEN BAY – For years, Founder and CEO Terry Albrecht said Packer Fastener offered a typical employee wellness program.

But as the company grew, Albrecht said he realized they needed something bigger – something that could scale with their expanding workforce and still make an impact.

“I think many wellness programs count steps and have you eat salads, and so forth,” he said, “but we were really looking for something that could impact lives.”

Albrecht said he believes the company’s old program failed because it was trying to appease everyone and became “too vanilla.”

“I don’t believe it was impactful,” he said. “And if something’s not impactful, it’s not going to be sustainable.”

Unconventional program proves to be a better program

A couple of years ago, Albrecht said he met Bryan Schwebke, the founder and owner of Paramount Performance Physical Therapy & Training – and everything began to change, for the better.

Albrecht said he was impressed with Schwebke’s “outside-of-the-box creativity.” 

He said he told Schwebke that Packer Fastener’s past wellness programs mainly attracted the already-healthy employees – those who completed exercises, tracked progress and collected rewards like gift cards.

“But we weren’t really engaging the non-participants in putting them on a course for a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “So, together, Bryan and I came up with this concept of what we term the Industrial Athlete. What we’ve done with Bryan and Paramount is treat every one of our people as an athlete. And athletes need coaches. So, everyone in the organization gets a fitness coach.”

When launching the program, Albrecht said all of the Packer Fastener team members – in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the country – meet with a Paramount coach who is a personal trainer/physical therapist. 

Albrecht said the initial consultation is highly personalized, reflecting each employee’s unique fitness journey and goals.

From there, he said Paramount crafts a tailored workout plan that employees can access through the Bridge Tracker app.

Results from participation alone, Albrecht said, have been tremendous.

Where only about 5% of employees participated in the company’s previous wellness programs, Albrecht said participation in the Paramount program fluctuates between 75-80%.

“Either way, it’s incredibly high for a wellness program,” he said. “I think participation is that high for two reasons. One, it’s impactful, and it works. And two, because of the impactfulness, we end up with program ambassadors within the organization.”

Albrecht said these are the ones who are promoting the program from within the company.

“[They are the ones] getting those who might be a little apprehensive about or possibly intimidated by fitness to give it a shot, because they’re seeing the results and getting positive feedback from their peers,” he said.

Leading by example

Schwebke said he believes Albrecht himself is a big reason for a high level of participation in the program.

“His people know that he wants them to be healthy, and he’s very passionate about his employees,” he said. “I think that maybe gets them in the door, if you will. From there, I think we do a really good job of keeping people engaged.”

Ultimately, Schwebke said the strength of the program lies in the one-on-one relationship, where each individual feels comfortable opening up and being heard.

“They feel better every time they meet with us,” he said. “Whether they’re hurt or not, when they leave at the end of their 30-minute appointment, they’re leaving feeling really, really good.”

In traditional approaches, Schwebke said workplace wellness programs tend to be reactive, offering the same repetitive activities year after year.

“It’s a lot of step programs and ergonomics and things that are not right for everyone,” he said. “It’s one-size-fits-all – one-size-fits-no-one. The people who take advantage of those programs are usually the people in the company who don’t need them. Where we’re different is we’re very good at meeting people where they’re at and getting people to engage who usually aren’t engaged in wellness and taking care of themselves.”

Schwebke said the program’s success can also be attributed to the fact that they provide on-site, hands-on treatment. 

“Everyone at Packer gets 30 minutes with one of our physical therapists every month,” he said. “That’s an ongoing appointment. They can either talk about an injury they’re dealing with or they can say they feel great and want us to keep them feeling great.”

During that time, Schwebke said they are also talking about wellness: what they’re doing for exercise, what they’re doing for nutrition and helping point them in the right direction.

“By spending that 30 minutes with people every month, we really get to build a relationship and get their trust,” he said. “That’s what helps influence the change [in the level of participation]. When they finish one appointment, they’re immediately booked for the next month’s appointment.”

In Green Bay, Schwebke said Paramount is on site at Packer approximately 10 days a month.

At other Packer locations in Wisconsin, he said Paramount is on site every other month, and at locations outside of Wisconsin, Paramount staff fly to those places once every quarter. 

“Terry is very purposeful and intentional about making sure all his people get the same service,” he said. “So, they’re still engaging with us for those 30-minute sessions, [some are] just doing it over the internet. But, we still get to talk to them about what’s going on, and we can still give them things to do or work on. And every single employee has their own personal workout plan.” 

Albrecht said when team members meet with Paramount, they can also update their personal workout program, based on how they’re progressing with their wellness and fitness journey.

“They can also use that opportunity to work on any aches and pains or needs they have, to get better from a physical standpoint because Paramount’s people are all certified physical therapists,” he said.

Setting a new standard

More than just unconventional, Albrecht said he considers Packer Fastener’s partnership with Paramount a new gold standard in fitness programs, moving past the usual checkbox approach.

“I applaud any company that is putting some level of effort toward employee wellness, but we were looking to change lives, not check boxes,” he said.

Schwebke said though most companies provide healthcare plans, employees often use them reactively, not proactively.

What Paramount offers Packer Fastener employees, he said, is more than just standard healthcare coverage.

“Many times, people don’t want to deal with co-pays or the insurance company, long waits for appointments, you name it,” he said. “So, people don’t always use their health care. But when they’re seeing us, it’s something their employer is providing for them above and beyond their health insurance.”

Schwebke said he meets regularly with Albrecht to review and refine the program – continuously assessing employee engagement and support and making adjustments whenever needed.

Initial challenges, looking ahead

Schwebke said one of the biggest challenges early on with a program like the one offered at Packer Fastener is helping employees understand their role because they are physical therapists and people often think of seeing a therapist only when they’re hurt. 

“We had to help them understand our role in helping them move better and feel better,” he said. “Then if there’s an injury, we can take care of it, but that wasn’t the primary focus of what we do or why we were there. So, helping people understand how to utilize us was a big issue right away. But after our initial appointment with people, they understood it.”

Schwebke said Paramount began working with Packer Fastener in July 2024, and now, after their first full year, they’re already exploring what’s next.

“When we first rolled this out, our goal was to have about 50% of employees utilizing the evaluation to see if they liked the program,” he said. “We are well above 75%. So, we had a great response right away. But, we want to continue looking at how we can engage those people who are not using the program and what’s going to happen in the second year. We’re really trying to make this a lifestyle change for all of the employees.”

Albrecht said encouraging team members to adopt a healthy lifestyle benefits both the individuals as they age and the organization overall, as healthier employees are better able to perform at their best on the job.

“They’re also going to be at their best for their families and their communities when they’re not at work,” he said. “If I can prevent anyone from [dying] from a heart attack at 50 years old because they were engaged in a fitness journey at 30 years old, that’s good for the individual, but also for the organization. That’s a win-win.” 

Albrecht said his short- and long-term goals in working with Paramount are similar: to improve the lives of his team members. 

“By improving the lives of our team, we’re also going to improve the lives of those who depend on our team – their co-workers and team at work, but also their families and their communities outside of work,” he said. “So, we want to improve people’s lives in the short-term, and we can all have some short-term quick-win goals. But ultimately, we want to engage them in a fitness journey for the rest of their lives. Paramount is giving us the expertise and the platform to do that.”

Albrecht said Packer Fastener aims to be an employer of choice, believing that winning the battle for top talent is key to winning in business.

“So, building out this type of benefit, I think, continues to separate us from a truly business strategic standpoint,” he said. “But ultimately, we’re also a purpose-driven company and our purpose is to increase value and opportunity for our team, our customers, our vendors and our communities.”

Albrecht said the partnership with Paramount not only supports the company’s mission and purpose but also serves as a strategic move to set Packer Fastener apart from its competitors.

“I don’t know of any other organization that’s doing this,” he said. “I’m hoping that we can set the gold standard that other businesses try to follow. Anybody who’s in a leadership position has the responsibility and the ability to impact lives, and I take that responsibility very seriously and do my best to provide as much value to those who give me so much value.”