Reduce waist, raise revenue

ABC News' "20/20" recently featured Salo LLC, a Minneapolis-based staffing firm, that took part in a Mayo Clinic study replacing some traditional work stations with treadmills.

In addition, the 18 Salo workers taking part were encouraged to have walking meetings, offered nutritional and exercise advice and traditional phones were replaced with headsets. Walking tracks were also introduced and games were expanded in the workplace.

The study lasted from September 2007 to March 2008 at the company, which provides finance and accounting and human resources staffing.

What was the light at the end of the treadmill?

The 18 taking part lost a total of 156 pounds. In addition, the participants experienced a reduction in cholesterol.

But what about business? Salo said its revenue increased nearly 10% during the three months the study took place. In addition, it posted its highest-revenue month ever in the midpoint of the survey.

Salo also ranked No. 8 on Staffing Industry Analysts' list of fastest-growing privately held staffing firms. For more, click here.

For Salo, taking an innovative approach to its workspace appears to have been a step in the right direction. Treadmills may or may not be the answer for other staffing companies, but taking a chance on new ideas is one of the common themes we observed among faster-growing companies.

For more on ABC News' "20/20" segment, go to http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5488356&page=1