Emmet County Businesses Compete to Lose Most Weight

Emmet County businesses are competing to see whose employees can lose the most weight in the next three months.

The Win By Losing competition is a local spin on a statewide Blue Cross Blue Shield contest for businesses to promote a healthy work place.

Nineteen Emmet County businesses like Tip of the Mitt Watershed and Chemical Bank are participating.

The biggest losers will win gift cards to Boyne Resorts.

The Petoskey Chamber says the contest is about more than losing weight.

"Businesses need to look for ways to keep their workforce happy and healthy and these team building kind of things promote camaraderie and make it kind of fun place to work and it also shows the employees their employer cares about them," Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce president Carlin Smith said.

The challenge ends April 29.

Last year local businesses lost a combined 1,600 pounds.