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December.10.2008
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December Step
by Step Articles Online Now
Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro's online how-to section
helps our readers improve retention, increase sales, energize group
exercise programming and more. Visit
http://www.fitnessbusinesspro.com/stepbystep to read articles from
industry experts.
Here's what to look for in December in our Step by Step online
section:
Step
by Step: Clubs
Donna Hutchinson, owner of On the Edge Fitness Educators, offers four
ways to create a “wow” factor in customer service.
Step
by Step: Sales
Curtis Mock, president of the Vitality Marketing Group, offers six keys
to successful sales in January.
Step
by Step: Marketing
Ben Greenfield, the 2008 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year, explains the
value of podcasts in marketing.
Step
by Step: Retention
Amanda Harris, vice president at ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers,
looks at
creating a program to retain members.
Step
by Step: Programming
Lisa Hansen, co-director of the XRKade active gaming research lab,
describes four key elements of an active gaming club.
If you would like to be a Step by Step columnist, please e-mail Pam
Kufahl at pam.kufahl@penton.com
with your mug shot, a one-paragraph bio and three topic ideas for
750-word how-to articles.
Industry Expert Casey
Conrad Offers Free Sales Tune-up Teleseminar
Club Industryʼs Fitness Business Pro wants to help you get
through this tough economic time. Get your entire sales team ready for
the new year … for free! Click here for more details.
ADVERTISEMENT
Harness the power of email and start solving the member
retention puzzle.
With more people cutting back on spending, including fitness (USA Today
7/9/08), it has never been more important to put some strategic
retention initiatives in place.
And the fitness industry's leading automated attendance-based
communication service is here to help.
Retention Management makes it easy for you to get started and keeps it
easy to stay rolling.
You can truly connect with your members like never before and start
solving the member retention puzzle.
800.951.8048 ext.1
Info@RetentionManagement.com
www.RetentionManagement.com
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Hot News
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Bally
Files for Bankruptcy Again
CHICAGO -- For the second time in 17 months, Bally Total Fitness has
filed for bankruptcy. This time, the company has also put itself up for
sale. Bally made the filing last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
Southern District of New York in Manhattan. The Chicago-based company,
which reported $1.4 billion in assets and $1.5 billion in debt, plans to
sell itself or reorganize under Chapter 11. Read the full story.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ball Dynamics manufacturers the FitBALL® brand—synonymous with
exercise balls—currently making a further impact in the fitness market
with new products for balance training, strength training, functional
training, and education. Visit us at Club Industry, Booth 154, and ask
about our special Club pricing! Visit www.fitball.com to request a catalog.
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Club Hopping
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IHRSA
Index Shows Steady Performance in Second Quarter
BOSTON -- Commercial health club financial performance improved for
second quarter 2008, relative to the same period last year, according to
the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Q2
Index, which was released last week. Results for the third and fourth
quarters won’t be available for several months. The survey of U.S.
health club companies, conducted by Industry Insights Inc., demonstrates
the financial performance of health clubs during the second quarter,
according to IHRSA. The survey was of 17 small- to mid-size clubs,
representing 194 facilities, or an average of 11 clubs per company. Read
the full story.
Chelsea
Piers Launches Green Initiative
NEW YORK -- Chelsea Piers, the largest sports and entertainment
complex in the country, is launching a complex-wide “green”
initiative, which includes the purchase of green power, the
establishment of an on-site recycling program and an investment in
energy-saving infrastructure improvements. Read the full story.
Boston
JCC to Transition Into YMCA
BOSTON -- The Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston (JCCGB)
recently announced it is closing the Striar Jewish Community Center in
Stoughton, MA, and transitioning its services to the Old Colony YMCA of
Brockton, MA. Read the full story.
ADVERTISEMENT
ABC Financial Services
All aspects of ABC Financial — billing, club management software
and onsite training and support — are designed to help your
business succeed. As Industry veterans, our leaders at ABC know exactly
what you're going through. Our business is to focus on your business. It
all begins and ends with you.
Click here for more
information.
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School Days
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California
Students Show Slight Increase in Physical Fitness
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grade California public
school students who took the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test
showed a slight improvement in test scores from last year. Read the full
story.
ADVERTISEMENT
The eSpinner™ is a breakthrough new Spinning® bike that
brings the experience out of the group cycling room and onto the cardio
floor. Now users of all levels and abilities can experience the fun,
energy and excitement of a Spinning® class whenever they want, and on
their terms.
For more information on the eSpinner™ visit www.startrac.com/espinner
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Boot Camp
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Fort
Sill Fitness Center Still Under Renovation
FORT SILL, OK -- The reopening of the Rinehart Fitness Center at the
Fort Sill, OK, Army base might take place in mid- to late January. When
the project started this past summer, officials had hoped the fitness
center would be ready by November, according to the Fort Sill
Cannoneer. Read the full story.
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Industry Beat
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Boot
Camps to Continue as Popular Trend in 2009
SAN DIEGO -- Boot camp-style workouts will remain the top fitness
trend in 2009, according to a survey from the American Council on
Exercise (ACE), San Diego. Boot camp-style workouts were also the most
popular fitness trend in 2008. The annual survey of ACE’s worldwide
network of personal trainers, group fitness experts, advanced health and
fitness specialists, and lifestyle and weight management consultants
also noted that consumers would tighten their wallets when it comes to
staying in shape in a struggling economy. Read the full story.
AFAA
Offers Personal Trainer Certification Discount
LOS ANGELES -- The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
(AFAA) will offer its personal trainer certifications at lower prices in
February during a special event, the Aerobics Professional Exposition,
also known as APEX. Read the full story.
Precor
to Build Plant in North Carolina
GREENSBORO, NC -- Precor Inc.,
Woodinville, WA, is moving into North Carolina, investing $26.2 million
to build a manufacturing facility in Greensboro, NC, and adding 142 jobs
there during the next three years. Read the full story.
Program
to Measure and Track Strength Introduced
TULSA, OK -- Performance Health Systems and SCIFIT Systems Inc. have introduced
bioDensity Isometric Strength Technology, a bio-mechanically efficient
and personalized approach to improve, accurately measure and track
functional strength, according to John Jaquish, chief technology officer
for Performance Health Systems. Read the full story.
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Fit to Print
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In Brief...
Curves International, Waco, TX, announced a strategic
partnership that will bring the Healthways Silver Sneaker program to
6,500 Curves locations in 50 states beginning Jan. 1, 2009. The
agreement more than triples the total number of SilverSneakers
participating locations to nearly 10,000.
John W. Gragg has been appointed as general counsel/chief legal
officer for Urban Active, Lexington, KY. He will report to Royce
Pulliam, CEO of the company. Gragg joined the company in June 2008 as
the company’s senior real estate counsel. Prior to that, Gragg had
been with Stites & Harbison in Louisville, KY, where he managed a team
of lawyers, paralegals, and staff that executed real estate transactions
throughout the United States.
Retrofitness, the 1980s-themed club chain, has hired Robert
Sprechman as its CFO and Richard Roser as its director of real estate
research and development, Retrofitness CEO Eric Casaburi announced.
Sprechman will oversee all aspects of financial planning, including
accounting, payroll and human resources, and will report to Casaburi.
Roser will identify new target locations, demographics research and site
exploration.
Inside
Manufacturers...
24 Hour Fitness has launched an updated version of the bodybugg calorie management system,
which was used by contestants on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” for the
past three seasons. Upgraded features on the new bodybugg armband device
include a 50 percent smaller version, a USB cable to upload data and
charge the device, compatibility for both PC and Macintosh computers,
and a free six-month online subscription to the www.bodybugg.com Web
interface for tracking progress and success.
Expresso Fitness has
completed a debt and equity funding event for $14 million. The capital
will be used to fuel Expresso’s revenue growth by expanding the
company’s product portfolio and market reach. Silicon Valley Bank
opened a new $7 million working capital line with Expresso.
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Speaking Out
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Active Gaming
for Seniors
Are you using acting gaming products for senior members in your
clubs? If you are, e-mail Pam
Kufahl and share your experiences for possible inclusion in a future
story.
Interested in advertising in Newsbeat? For more information,
click here.
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