Editor’s note: Each issue of the Influential Women enewsletter will feature profiles of the Business Journal’s reigning 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan. The profile first appeared in the event program.

For more than 25 years, Peaches McCahill has demonstrated leadership in the field of sports, fitness and wellness.

Having founded The McCahill Group in 1986, she has a proven track record of designing, developing and operating profitable health and fitness programs and spas in both corporate and private environments. The McCahill Group's services are effective in creating a culture of health within companies that result in healthier people and health care savings for employers.

At age 26, McCahill designed, created and managed her first wellness center for Steelcase. Now, her East Grand Rapids-based company employs more than 65 talented professionals, many of whom are women. McCahill said she sees her role as a business owner to help her employees reach their full potential, and she particularly hopes to inspire women.

Besides being an entrepreneur, McCahill considers herself a philanthropist and health and fitness activist. Last fall, she was elected the first female board chair for the Michigan Fitness Foundation. She is serving her third term on the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, an organization that aims to increase physical activity among Michigan’s residents.

McCahill was previously involved in the early days of Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society and was a founding member of Gilda’s Club. Today, she co-chairs the capital campaign for Boys & Girls Club of Grand Rapids, chairs the scholarship fund in honor of her late husband Ray, and promotes entrepreneurial mentorship among the Jandernoa Ambassadors.