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WASHINGTON, DC -- Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) recently introduced
the Healthy Choices Act in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R.
5209. The act includes both the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT)
Act and the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act, two
exercise promotion bills that provide tax benefits for certain fitness
expenses.
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SALEM, OR -- Companies operating Oregon Gold’s Gyms that
had been ordered to post a bond or be forced to shut down have filed for
bankruptcy.
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TOLEDO, OH -- The owner of clubs in Toledo, OH, pleaded not
guilty Tuesday to failing to pay state sales tax for his
businesses.
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NEWINGTON, NH -- As a result of a Mother’s Day promotion,
Planet Fitness donated more than $213,000 to breast cancer
research.
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NEW YORK -- Town Sports International Holdings Inc. (TSI) has
launched at all of its facilities an EcoSteps initiative, a fully
integrated sustainability program, the company announced.
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JACKSON, MS -- Not only is the military grappling with
decreased fitness levels among new recruits, but local police and fire
departments also are having trouble finding applicants who can pass the
initial physical training test.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- A group of for-profit fitness clubs
filed suit against the City of Charlottesville, VA, and Albemarle County
(VA), claiming the entities failed to follow state law during the
bidding process for construction of a new pool.
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THIBODAUX, LA -- Students at Nicholls State University
recently approved a fee to fund operations at their new recreation
center. The $78-per-semester student fee will be used to pay operational
costs for the new rec center, including staff and student salaries,
supplies and utility costs.
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Show off your club’s programs by entering them in the
eighth annual Club Industry Best of the Best competition. Winners
will be featured in the magazine, will receive free registrations to the
Club Industry Conference and will receive their awards at the October
show in Chicago. Entries are due June 7, so download a
PDF entry form today to get started.
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ClubIndustry.com
has a new cardio and strength resource center, sponsored by Life Fitness. Be sure to check out fit
tips for your members as well as videos, white papers and past articles
from Club Industry magazine about cardio and strength
trends.
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The Rush Fitness
Complex, Knoxville, TN, will open its 20th and 21st clubs on June 1
in Dalton, GA, and Winston-Salem, NC. Each club will employ about 50
full- and part-time staff members. The company’s other locations are
in Tennessee and North Carolina.
A 21-year-old driver was killed on May 11 after his car hit a road
curb, went airborne and landed
on the roof of the Ultra
Bodies personal training studio in The Woodlands, TX. It took
paramedics hours to get to Shaun Michael Finley, the son of a local
sheriff’s deputy. Finley died at the scene.
A club near Jackson, MO, had an outbreak of E. coli that has
sickened at least 14 people since April 28. Five confirmed cases were
linked to Class Act Family Fitness. Nine other people were likely
infected, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior
Services. Four people were hospitalized. Health officials found bacteria
in water from a drinking fountain and a faucet. The owner told local
media that the well behind the fitness center may have been infected
during heavy rainstorms last month. He has since added chlorine to the
well and installed a chlorinator.
Sterling Center YMCA, a branch of the North Shore YMCA,
Beverly, MA, announced that it will soon buy a portion of its energy
from a 75-kilowatt combined heat and power (or cogeneration) system. The
Sterling Y will receive a discount on the energy produced by the system
and reduce its carbon emissions by up to 330 tons per year. The
small-scale, combined heat and power equipment will be located at the
property site but will be owned and operated by American DG Energy.
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New York Health and
Racquet Club (NYHRC) has selected ABC Financial, Little Rock, AR,
to provide billing and electronic funds transfer (EFT) services, as well
as club management software, online membership software and credit card
merchant services. The software and services will be implemented next
month. The new partnership will provide NYHRC with the ability to
streamline data management and supply up-to-the-minute access to member
information via ABC’s club management software. The clubs will be able
to collect, update and store member data in real time, manage corporate
accounts, automate repetitive tasks and create an interaction among all
NYHRC facilities.
Star Trac, Irvine, CA, added
Mike Herlihy as government sales manager and Jeff Hoke as the new
eastern vertical and dealer sales manager. Herlihy has been in the
fitness industry for the past 22 years, dating back to when, as a
commercial banker, he started a leasing company for a fitness equipment
business. Hoke, a former competitive bodybuilder, has 11 years of
experience selling fitness equipment and six years of experience owning
clubs and personal training.
A recent study by Coverall
Health-Based Cleaning System, Boca Raton, FL, determined the
standard rates of production (cleaning times) for hard-surface areas
required to achieve aseptic cleaning in a fitness facility. The study
also determined high-germ transmission points for surfaces in the
fitness center as measured through Adenosine Tri-Phosphate readings. E-mail Coverall to receive
a copy of the report.
The Ab Coaster Co.,
Chester, NJ, has released two new products, the trackless Ab Coaster CTL
and the redesigned CS3000. Both products feature a “bottom up”
motion that isolates the upper abs, side obliques and lower abs while
avoiding discomfort and strain to the upper body. The products are
intended for health clubs, fitness programs and rehab centers.
First Financial, Fort
Lauderdale, FL, recently promoted Paul Bosley to executive vice
president. Bosley served as national marketing director of First
Financial for four years, and during that time, the company’s sales
grew significantly. He has also served as a speaker at several Club Industry shows.
Lifestyle Family Fitness, St.
Petersburg, FL, has added HydroMassage beds to six more of
its clubs. HydroMassage, Clearwater, FL, was first introduced in
Lifestyle clubs in 2008. “We’re adding more HydroMassage beds
because they’ve proven to be an integral part of our unique selling
proposition,” Lifestyle CEO John Simmons says. “After seeing solid
results over the last year and a half, we’re confident HydroMassage
will continue to be part of our clubs.”
Ultimate Sports Inc.,
Lafayette, IN, a manufacturer and supplier to the recreational vehicle
industry, has completed a letter of intent to acquire exercise equipment
maker Extreme Fitness Inc. Ultimate Sports plans to close the deal
during the second quarter.
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I have a crazy story for you that might make you envious. How
loyal are your members to your company’s brand? Are they loyal enough
to wear your T-shirts around town? Maybe. But are they loyal enough to
tattoo themselves with your logo? Probably not.
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We tried something different at Club Industry East in New
York—a group exercise competition in our Club Studio area. We have
presented group fitness activities before, but this time, the format was
new, with several large and small clubs invited to demonstrate one of
the original programs offered in their facilities.
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In the publishing world, getting a Maggie is a nice little
feat. But since you’re not from the publishing world, let me explain
what I mean by “getting a Maggie,” in case you think it’s akin to
getting a wedgie or something. We won a Western Publishing Association
award (called a Maggie) for most improved trade publication.
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| CLUB INDUSTRY SHOWS |
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Club Industry trade shows are the most
comprehensive events in the fitness industry. Learn more about these
exciting conferences and expositions.
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