Medical Definition: The condition of good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise, and habits.

It was the middle of the winter when a group of us Tocci folk got together to form the first-ever Tocci Wellness Committee. We met to discuss how we could create an office that would be more than just a place to come to work – how we could create an environment that would offer stress relief, activity, and overall happiness.

After conducting anonymous surveys within the office it was determined that people wanted healthy options in the snack cabinet (and non-healthy ones as well), a gym in the building peaked a lot of interest, and an organic vegetable garden seemed like an awesome idea.

What makes this story amazing is that it all happened.

Here we are, just a few months from our first meeting and the snack closet contains healthy and decadent options depending on your mood. Two rooms on the first floor of the building have been transformed into an employee gym, complete with brand new treadmills, elliptical and biking machines; and for those who want to “lift things up and put them down” we have free weights and universal machines to work on building those beach muscles. A side room has been dedicated to yoga, meditation, and quiet stretching, a real oasis in the middle of the busy workday, and of course, locker rooms are available.

We’ve got a few green thumbs in the office and with the help of Environic (a company that donated the work and dirt). We have set up 6 raised beds – all planted with the most amazing assortment of vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, eggplant, kale, chard, carrots, the list goes on and on and is topped off with the biggest herb garden containing one of the best basil patches I have ever seen.

What do we do with all this produce you ask? We eat it. Together. Every week we create some culinary delight from the garden and the entire office gets to enjoy what they helped grow.

I would be remiss as the writer of this post if I didn’t give big huge thanks to John Tocci, for agreeing to take our ideas and make them happen. It is ultimately his building and his land and he helped transform it for us, in order to foster wellness! Thanks, John.