This Month in Club Insider: May 2019
Stevenson Fitness
Where Everyone Leaves Feeling Better Than When They Arrived
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesGo, Go Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers! Growing up in the 1990s, I can still remember the refrain from this classic kid's television show, and at my then young age, this group of world savers was as big as it got. Well, maybe with the exception of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and now, the Avengers. As I prepared for this month's cover story on Stevenson Fitness and my interview with Owner, Chris Stevenson, I learned he was a stunt performer for the internationally touring Power Rangers Live Show, eventually becoming the Red Power Ranger himself. The flood gates of nostalgia opened wide, and later, our talk on the subject was a lot of fun. Don't worry, though, I will spare you from those details to focus on the more important topic at hand: the story of Chris Stevenson and Stevenson Fitness. Read More...
Exercise IS Medicine!
By: Mike Alpert
Mike AlpertExercise is a very powerful tool for both the treatment and prevention of chronic disease, for mitigating the harmful effects of obesity and for lowering mortality rates. In fact, there is a linear relationship between activity level and health status. People who maintain an active and fit way of life live longer, happier lives. In contrast, physical inactivity has an astonishing array of harmful health effects. People who are sedentary and unfit very predictably begin to suffer prematurely from chronic disease and die at a younger age. This association between disease and an inactive and unfit way of life exists in every age group: children, adults and the elderly. The results of studies consistently show that those who are active and fit are healthier. For this reason, many have suggested that physical inactivity is the major public health problem of our time. Read More...
A Letter to The Claremont Club
Publisher's Note: Mike Alpert, the President and CEO of The Claremont Club in Claremont, California, shared the following letter from one of his associates, and it truly is a sincere and moving account of one person's survival battle with cancer. May God Bless Ruth and her daughters! Here's what Mike wrote to our good friend, John McCarthy and me... Read More...
Selling in a Hyper-Competitive Market
By: Casey Conrad
Casey Conrad"With no discernible difference in product, consumers will always buy on price." You hear some version of this quote all the time in sales and marketing books, and it's true! For example, walk into a retail store to buy some electronics. There are ten versions of what seemingly appears to be the "same" product. Upon further inspection, and perhaps education, you discover the differences that help you justify buying something more than the least expensive. Read More...
Casey Conrad Releases New Fitness Sales Book Targeted at Helping Clubs Compete
WAKEFIELD, R.I. - Casey Conrad, long-time health and fitness industry consultant, has just released a new book entitled, Selling Against the Low-Cost Club. The 172-page book focuses on providing advanced, very specific strategies and skills for fitness salespeople who have a low-cost competitor in their market. Read More...
How Can Edmund Burke Help You Grow Your Small Group and/or Team Training Programs?
By: Ron Alterio
Ron AlterioFirst of all, you might be asking..." who the heck is Edmund Burke?" According to www.goodreads.com, "Edmund Burke was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. He is remembered for his support of the American colonies in the dispute with King George III and Great Britain that led to the American Revolution and for his strong opposition to the French Revolution." However, statesmen Burke is probably most well-known for coining a very popular quote which purports, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." Read More...
Lawsuit Involving Transgender Locker Room Policy Can Go to Trial
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire
Paul R. Bedard, EsquireThe lawsuit against Planet Fitness involving their transgender locker room policy has been given the green light to go to trial. As part of what has been a lengthy matter of litigation spanning all levels of Michigan's courts, Planet Fitness went to the Michigan Supreme Court and applied for leave to appeal from the July of 2018 Court of Appeals Order allowing the case to be tried. On April 2nd, Michigan's highest court declared that it would not intervene. The decision of the Court of Appeals will stand. Read More...
Follow These Six Critical Steps Before Designing a New Club or Renovation
By: Bruce Carter
Bruce CarterWhether you are opening a new higher-price club, a low-price model, a specialty/boutique club or plan to renovate an existing club, design is more important than ever in contributing to a club's success. Most clubs are costing more per square foot to build than ever. The days of a mid-level club costing $40 - $60 per square foot are being replaced by $50 - $80 and more per square foot. Many boutique clubs are in the $100 - $250 square foot range to build, and renovations follow this upward pattern. As a result of these trends, it is imperative to take key steps before designing a new club or renovating an existing club. Read More...
IRS Highlights Expanded Tax Benefits For Depreciation and Expensing
By: Kristen Deazeley
Kristen DeazeleyIn recognition of National Small Business Week happening this month, the Internal Revenue Service is highlighting tax reform changes that impact depreciation and expensing for nearly every business. In some cases, these changes allow small business owners and the self-employed to write off the cost of machinery, equipment and other property more quickly. Here is some key information to keep in mind... Read More...
2019, A Year of Significant Disruption:
Divergent Prognostications for the Remainder of 2019
By: Stephen Tharrett
Stephen TharrettOn the eve of each New Year, industry experts and fortune tellers hunker down over their computers, or in some instances, smart phones, studying fitness industry trends, such as those produced by ACE, ACSM and ClubIntel, along with cultural and socioeconomic disruptions. Using the information they glean from these various sources, the proclaimed experts proceed to forecast, or at least predict, what may happen in the upcoming calendar year. For these experts, the goal is to be the voice of the future, an industry prophet of hope, and to provide a degree of clarity on what might be expected in the upcoming year, or as T.S. Eliot so eloquently said, "For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice." Read More...
Life Fitness to Be Acquired by KPS Capital Partners for $490 Million
ROSEMONT, IL - Life Fitness, a global leader in commercial fitness equipment, announced that its parent company, Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has entered into a definitive agreement with KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") under which KPS will acquire Brunswick's Fitness business and related brands, including Life Fitness. KPS is a leading investment firm focused on manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries. Read More...
Tips and Strategies For Increasing Member Retention
It's that time of year again. The time where you notice that your gym, which was once bustling with motivated new faces, has begun to revert back to its state of mostly "the regulars." The New Year likely brought with it a surge of new memberships, and while your regular members may be grateful they aren't having to fight over machines anymore, you are getting nervous about all the new additions that have been jumping ship. Read More...
Synergy Capital Investments Makes Growth-Oriented Investment in Fitness Holdings Northeast, One of Crunch Fitness' Largest Franchisee Groups
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Fitness Holdings Northeast, LLC ("FHNE" or "the Company"), a leading franchisee group in the Crunch Fitness network in the Northeast region, announced that Synergy Capital Investments, LLC ("Synergy" or "the Firm"), a diversified private equity firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, has completed a growth-oriented investment in the Company. Read More...
Norm's Notes for May 2019
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 305th monthly edition! Can you believe it's already May? WOW! I don't know about you, but I'm amazed at how FAST TIME'S FLYING BY! Next thing you know it'll be Christmas time... again! Read More...