For more than a decade, GAI Consultants has made the AdventHealth Corporate 5K a cornerstone of its commitment to employee wellness, community involvement, and team connection. During this year's event, GAI celebrated its 10th year of participation by bringing its largest team since before the pandemic to Lake Eola. The milestone reflected the company's ongoing commitment to fostering meaningful connections among employees while supporting the Central Florida community.
Q: What are some incentives or strategies your team uses to encourage participation in the Corporate 5K?
A: GAI covers employees' race registrations and provides each team member with a company T-shirt. The firm begins promoting the Corporate 5K months in advance through company-wide emails and its intranet, sharing training plans, running safety tips, and encouragement for employees of all fitness levels to get involved.
Participation extends beyond race day, with opportunities to walk, volunteer, cheer on teammates, and support team activities. GAI also hosts a collection drive for nonperishable food items benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank. This year, the company introduced a custom T-shirt design contest, giving employees the opportunity to submit and vote on designs. The contest generated excitement, increased visibility for the event, and helped build team morale leading up to race day.
Q: How do you use the Corporate 5K for strategic business purposes?
A: Community involvement is a core value at GAI, and the AdventHealth Corporate 5K is one of many charitable and community-focused events the company supports throughout the year.
With Lake Eola practically in GAI's backyard, the firm embraced the opportunity to increase its presence with a team tent and its largest post-pandemic team.
Q: Please share some of your company's workplace wellness initiatives and the benefits you've seen from implementing a workplace wellness program.
A: GAI recognizes that its greatest strength is the health and well-being of its employees. The company continually invests in programs that support physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
Recently, GAI added race registration reimbursement to its wellness offerings and launched a company-wide initiative encouraging employees to participate in races near office locations across the country. Employees also have access to wellness-focused Lunch & Learn sessions throughout the year and receive complimentary premium memberships to the Calm app.
In addition, GAI's healthcare provider, Aetna, offers opportunities for employees to earn gift cards through health-related activities, maternity support programs, and wellness discounts. Employees also have access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides up to five free counseling sessions per issue and is available 24 hours a day.
Supporting families is another important part of GAI's wellness culture. The company provides an additional two weeks of paid maternity, paternity, or adoption leave beyond FMLA and state leave requirements.
These efforts earned GAI Aetna's 2025 Gold Workplace Well-Being Award, recognizing the company's dedication to making employee wellness a top priority.
Q: Is there anything you'd like to share about your company's experience at the Corporate 5K?
A: GAI has participated in the AdventHealth Corporate 5K for more than 10 years, and the event continues to be a unique opportunity to bring together employees who work in the office, from home, and in the field.
This year, the company fielded its largest team in several years, welcoming a mix of new hires, longtime employees, friends, and family members. To build excitement, GAI hosted a T-shirt design contest that showcased employee creativity while reflecting the company's culture and values. The firm also introduced a friendly competition among business sectors, with prizes awarded to the group with the highest participation.
The shared experience helps build connections among employees who may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact regularly. GAI will cap off the evening with a post-race tent celebration, creating positive memories and strengthening relationships that extend well beyond race day.
Q: What's one piece of advice you'd give to a first-time Corporate 5K team?
A: Have a strong, motivated team captain.
This year, GAI's team captain, an avid runner and active member of the local running community, was instrumental in growing participation across Central Florida to the largest team the company had fielded in six years.
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About AdventHealth Corporate 5K
Held exclusively for Florida's corporate community; businesses and non-profit organizations form teams and participate in the AdventHealth Corporate 5K for camaraderie, friendly competition and celebrating with co-workers.