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PASS PHIT!
The Importance of Passing PHIT and What You Can Do To Help
August 2018 - The Health and Fitness Club Industry is on the verge of an accomplishment that has been years in the making and one that should further bolster its growth in the years to come. Of course, I am talking about PHIT, the Personal Health Investment Today act. After more than a decade of hard, in-the-trenches work by hundreds of industry leaders and advocates, on July 25, 2018, H.R. 6199, the Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2018, a broader bill that included the current language of PHIT, passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 277 to 142. On the heels of being recommended by the House Ways and Means Committee, for the first time, PHIT has passed a House of Congress vote. In doing so, it sets up what can only be described as the most crucial moment in history that our industry has faced. We must win. So, to that end, this month's cover story is going to be all about PHIT. How did it come to be? Who are the key players that brought it to the forefront of national awareness? What will it do for this great industry? And, if not already, what can you do to get involved? More than ever, I urge you to read on. Read Article...

Paula Neubert and Club Greenwood
Truly Creating a Sense of Belonging
October 2020 - If you are reading this, I have to assume you make your living in the health and fitness club industry. Well, what is a club? Simply defined, a club is an association or organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity. For our industry, that interest or activity is health and fitness. And, in this year of years, that is more important than ever! At Club Greenwood in Greenwood Village, Colorado, the word "Club" is purposefully front and center, and everything revolves around creating that cohesion of interest, and thus, a sense of belonging. As Paula Neubert, President/General Manager of Club Greenwood, said of the name change to create this effect, "It was one of the best decisions we have made. It further simplified our name and encompassed everything we do versus just being an athletic facility." Read Article...

Pete Moore & Integrity Square
Connecting the HALO Sector with Growth Capital
March 2019 - Since the advent of the spoken word, humans have told stories. Some stories are just for fun; others have the important task of passing along history. In almost all stories, though, fun or purposeful, lessons are taught. Then, the story is passed along again, adapted and evolved as it makes its course through time. The story of Pete Moore, Founder and Managing Partner of Integrity Square, is comprised of several chapters, each built on the previous and each teaching its own lessons. If you think about the story that is to be told as a square structure, the first chapter builds the foundation for what is to come. The second and third chapters create the walls of understanding, building upon the past. The fourth chapter completes the structure. The fifth chapter, however, is the crux, filling the square in with color and providing a springboard into the future. That springboard is now Integrity Square, creators of the term: the HALO Sector (Healthy, Active Living and Outdoors). Read Article...

Plan on C.I. in 2025
September 2024 - Time sure flies by, especially when you are having fun!!! It has now been one year since Club Insider moved on from print to a fully online model. As we explained then, our goal with that move was longevity. We wanted to continue to be here for you, providing you with articles, stories and news that can assist your club business in being the best it can be. We believe we are achieving that goal. At this time, between our weekly and monthly publications, we are delivering more content to our readers than ever before. And, we are ready to deliver more!!! Read Article...

Play On at Little Rock Athletic Club
May 2017 - "It's what we do. We're a big, diverse family of tennis players, swimmers, runners, CrossFitters, cannonballers, stairmaster-ers, weekend warriors, big kids, little kids and kids who never grew up. We love to run, jump, serve, swim, splash, sweat, lap, lunge, squat, compete and do pretty much any other verb you can associate with fitness. We believe that fitness and fun not only can co-exist, but that they are soul mates that should never be apart. It's why this club exists. And it's why we come to work. It's why more than ever we're committed to helping you, our members, play often, play hard and Play On." Read Article...

Prairie Life Fitness
A Smart Balance of Fitness and Fun
April 2010 - Fitness can be fun! And, you can never be too young or too old to have too much fun. At Prairie Life Fitness, Dean Rasmussen has built a culture of making it fun in his clubs, not only for his members but for his employees. Read Article...

REX For Women Leaders
Introducing The Iron Maidens
June 2023 - We all know what a Board of Directors is, at least in business. You have to be a big company worth a lot of money to need or have one, right? Wrong!!! Whether we are talking about a single person or a giant organization, the idea of a Board of Directors is simple and valid. It is a group of people who care about the person or organization they are representing enough to dedicate time, knowledge and advice. This idea is nothing new, and in fact, it has been mentioned by several of our cover story subjects over the past few years. Interestingly enough, what they have in common is they are REX Roundtable Members! The reason for this is the power of outside insights. As we go through our own day-to-day, we are more likely to experience tunnel vision than not. Our personal Board of Directors or that of an organization exists to offer an objective viewpoint, a periphery. Read Article...

Rick Caro's 13th Annual IHRSA Financial Panel
April 2009 - It is needless to say that the financial tumult we have seen in the past year has created worry in the minds of many across this country and the world. The result has been decreased spending, increased layoffs and a fear that our current recession becomes a depression. Ironically, less spending, increased savings and future planning are all good things, but right now, they are contributing to the overall financial situation we are experiencing. Read Article...

Rob Goldman and The Columbia Association
The Quality of Life People
August 2013 - "There really can be no other right purpose of community except to provide an environment and an opportunity to develop better people. The most successful community would be that which contributed the most by its physical form, its institution and its operation to the growth of people." Read Article...

Robert Brewster
North for the Future of Fitness
February 2013 - In business, as in life, strategic plans are a good thing to have and to follow. By the end of Day 1, however, that plan will almost certainly need some tweaking. By the end of Day 2, a little bit more tweaking... By Day 200, that plan may now be a completely new and improved shadow of its original self. This is a good thing; this is evolution. Read Article...

Roger Ralph
A Club Industry Pioneer, Veteran and Gentleman
June 2018 - My Dad, Club Insider Publisher, Norm Cates, sometimes writes, "Get a beverage of your choice, sit back, relax and enjoy the following read." Today, you will want to do exactly that for this month's cover story. Our feature this month is someone you may or may not have heard of or met, but I can guarantee you that he has had an effect on your health and fitness club business. His name is Roger Ralph, and he epitomizes the terms Club Industry Pioneer, Veteran and Gentleman. Read Article...

Saco Sport & Fitness
Maine's Most Comfortable Club
January 2018 - What motivates you? What inspires you? For most in the wonderful health and fitness club industry, it is to help others become better. That is such a simple phrase, but there are infinite ways in which to do so. The formula then becomes a combination of experience and market realities. Will you go low-price, boutique, high-end? Will you focus all effort into one location, or is the goal to spread your concepts and philosophies across multiple locations? When all is said and done, will it work? I've asked a lot of questions in this paragraph, but the most important one is this: Why? Read Article...

Sara Kooperman's SCW
Fitness Education for Life
April 2024 - A good idea is a good idea. But, it doesn't mean it will work, at least not right away. The Lightbulb. That's a pretty good idea, right? Well, it took Thomas Edison over 1,000 tries to get it right, and its iterations have endlessly improved over time. A car instead of a horse... A plane instead of a car! Henry Ford and the Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilbur) might have a lot to say about that... They did not get it right the first few times, either. Many times, the idea itself is not what is flawed when it first fails. It is the method... or, the timing... or, a combination of factors so minute that it takes a while to untangle each and reiterate. And, that is if there is still time, motivation or funding... Read Article...

Stephen Tharrett
The Consummate Gentleman (1953 - 2020)
February 2021 - Born January 14, 1953, a health and fitness club industry advocate and veteran, a leader, a legend, a mind, and a friend, Stephen Tharrett, passed away on December 22, 2020. Surviving him was his beloved wife, Denise, and their two children, Alyssa and Travis. As kind as he was brilliant, striving to make the industry a better place for us all, Stephen was the consummate gentleman. As an author, I would love to say the words "consummate gentleman" were my idea, but that would not be true. As I read through the comments from Stephen's industry colleagues and friends that appear in this tribute, John McCarthy shared those words, and all of the subsequent comments supported it as more than an anecdotal observation. It became clear it's more of universal fact to all who knew him, worked with him, loved him. Read Article...

Steve and Bonnie Pfiester
The Dynamic Duo Behind Longevity Fitness
June 2009 - Through the immense love for what they do, and the relationships they have spent years building, Steve and Bonnie Pfiester have made their mark on the beautiful community of Vero Beach, located on the East Coast of Florida. In a city of less than 20,000 people, and literally surrounded by various clubs and gyms, they have built a brand that sets them apart from the rest and truly means something to the people who know them and use their facilities. Combining Fun and the power of Relationships, the dynamic duo behind Longevity Fitness are changing lives every day, and that is what our industry is all about. Read Article...

Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Clubs
An Interview With CEO and President, Chris Smith
March 2020 - In 1959, the late Henry Polessky founded Fitness World in British Columbia, Canada. Over the next 50 years, the chain expanded across British Columbia, serving and bettering the lives of its thousands of members, and Henry cemented his place as an industry legend. What's more important than the business leader Henry became, though, is the example he set in his community, through his charitable works. Today, both of those hallmarks of Henry's mission and life live on. This month, Club Insider shares that story. Read Article...

Stevenson Fitness
Where Everyone Leaves Feeling Better Than When They Arrived
May 2019 - Go, 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 Article...

Stone Creek Club & Spa
"Your Everyday Getaway"
May 2013 - Over the years, regular readers of Club Insider will have noticed several themes that have constantly repeated themselves in our publication. Some of these themes include the constant improvement and modernization of facilities, programs and other member offerings, club cleanliness being crucial to member satisfaction, true staff development and empowerment, outstanding member service that creates results, and possibly the most important, development of TRUST within the community via constant outreach. One of our goals as a publication is to share stories of success in the industry and what these organizations have done to be that way. This month, our study of Stone Creek Club & Spa includes everything mentioned above and more. Read Article...

Team Quest4ALS
Supercharging Augie's Quest
February 2019 - Heroes and Villains. Villains and Heroes. The comic book, television and movie universes have revolved around the classic dichotomy of two relatively simple concepts: Good and Evil. In the aforementioned lore of old and new, with good, evil rises in balance. In turn, good rises to create counter-balance. And, on and on we go into sequel after sequel, each usually worse than the previous. Thankfully, real life can be different... if we try. At the 2015 Bash for Augie's Quest, an artist painted Superman on canvas as John Ondrasik, the incredible singer of Five for Fighting, sang It's Not Easy (Superman). Having only taken five minutes to create, and I am sure a thousand times longer practicing its creation, the painting went on to be the headlining item of the silent auction for the night, raising tens of thousands of dollars for Augie's Quest. Being there for that moment was incredible. And, I have no problem admitting that, for me, as tears ran down my face, it was the moment I knew ALS would be defeated... In my lifetime. In Augie's lifetime. Read Article...

Terry Blachek
His Name is Terry, and He is Your Friend.
February 2023 - What are some of the key attributes of success in business? I'd start out with a vision, a plan, people, timing, and hopefully, some money. The latter (money) can be combatted when all the other elements are really chugging along, whereas the latter cannot usually combat the lack of the former (vision, a plan, people and timing), at least not forever. This month's cover story subject, Terry Blachek, CEO of Austin Fitness Group (Orangetheory Fitness Area Developer), paints this picture to a T, as he discusses his work with Orangetheory Fitness, both at the corporate level during the advent and in the early days of the brand, as well as today, being a successful Area Developer of the company. Read Article...

Terry Dezzutti
Carrying on the Future-Shaping Tradition of Merritt Athletic Clubs
March 2013 - This month, we caught up with Terry Dezzutti, whose experience has been very similar to Robert Brewster. He is now a 30+ year health and fitness club industry veteran and the 16-year-running Chief Operating Officer of Merritt Athletic Clubs. As I have written previously, like any great health and fitness club leader, he has not kept his experience and knowledge exclusive to his company but has shared it with others in hopes of making the industry as a whole a better place to make a living, and in turn, improving the health of our nation's population. Read Article...

The "Insider Speaks"
Are We Remarkable?
April 2009 - Imagine you are driving down a country road on the way to somewhere. You pass a field with a number of cows. Would you stop to take a look? I imagine the answer is no because once you have seen a cow, you have seen every cow. Read Article...

The "Insider Speaks"
Thought Provocation: IHRSA's 2013 Keynote Speakers
April 2013 - As a student of business, both in the theoretical sense and the practical application of principles, one of my favorite features of every IHRSA Convention and Trade Show is the diverse lineup of keynote speakers each year. Over the years, these great speakers have come from a vast array of backgrounds, from business to politics to science. This year was no different, and my hope for this article is to articulate the takeaways I left with and how they can be looked at in relation to our industry and its growth during this pivotal time in our history. Read Article...

The "Insider Speaks"
Halftime
September 2008 - The debate rages on. Are we in Recession? Are we headed to Depression? Is this just a slowdown, a correction? The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines a recession as, "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales". Read Article...

The "Insider Speaks"
The Season of Change
January 2008 - Read Article...

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