Club Industry to Honor Annbeth Eschbach With Its 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award
Posted: April 25, 2016 in Other News
Club Industry
BOULDER, CO – Club Industry, a Penton brand, will give its 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award to Annbeth Eschbach, Founder of Exhale Enterprises Inc., New York City. Eschbach will receive the award on October 13 at the Club Industry Show, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Eschbach is being honored for being a pioneer in the following ways:
- Founding a wellbeing brand that revolutionized the industry with a new business model that integrates boutique fitness and spa under one roof.
- Being first to market 14 years ago with a concept that addresses both mind + body—something that everyone in the industry today is working so hard to do.
- Looking beyond the traditional fitness space to expand the exhale brand into the hospitality space with prestigious partners, and thus creating one of the few national lifestyle brands that can play in three industries: spa, fitness and hospitality.
- Being the first female president of commercial club trade association IHRSA, opening the door for two more female presidents in an industry that is still male dominated.
- Contributing to the health and wellness industry by working in all segments of the industry: traditional health clubs, corporate fitness, spas, athletic clubs and then mind/body through exhale.
“Annbeth is a pioneer who saw the potential to create a new category in the health and wellness space and who had the expertise and drive to build a successful business out of that idea, a particularly difficult accomplishment in the crowded and competitive New York City market where the brand started,” said Pamela Kufahl, director of content for Club Industry. “She is a great example to men and women in this male-dominated industry who want to create a business of their own. We are pleased to honor her accomplishments with this award.”
Each year, Club Industry gives its Lifetime Achievement Award to someone who has positively affected the health and wellness industry or their community.
Eschbach is the second woman to receive the award from Club Industry. The first was Judi Sheppard Missett, the founder of Jazzercize, who received the award in 2005.
This is the 14th year Club Industry has given the award. In addition to Missett, some of the other past recipients have included Joe Weider of Weider Publishing; Joe Gold, founder of Gold’s Gym and World Gym; Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of Cooper Aerobics Center and Jack LaLanne, fitness TV personality. Profiles of these recipients and the other eight recipients can be found here.
Registration is open for the Club Industry Show, which will be held October 12 – 14, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Register on the website, www.clubindustryshow.com\register.
