Fitness facilities adjust their strategies

Just as they preach to their clients, fitness centers in the Corridor have tried to remain agile - in their case, to better respond to recent economic challenges. And their strategies seem to be paying off.

“Business never was bad,” said Chelsey Oberreuter, general manager of Midwest Athletic Club in Cedar Rapids. “People are just ready for change with their health. They need a stress reliever.”

In fact, some fitness facilities in the area even have seen a recent rise in membership. Oberreuter pointed out that Midwest Athletic Club has more members than it did a year ago and that the club's five area locations saw 348 new members join this January - giving it the highest monthly total of new members the company has seen in its 27-year history.

Other local clubs have seen similar trends. Ciye Malcuit, general manager of New Life Fitness World in Cedar Rapids, noted his club's offerings have remained “pretty consistent.” It is one of the few clubs in the area to offer racquetball, and its customer retention rate has been relatively high.

The club, in its 30th year, has seen membership grow slightly for its two Cedar Rapids locations, from 3,279 members in February of last year to 3,317 this February, Malcuit said.

Also remaining somewhat steady has been its overall number of staff members - at 15 to 18 - though responsibilities in the organization have increased. For example, nursery workers are now responsible not only for vacuuming areas of the club but also promoting the club within their social networks.

“We try utilizing who we have here and multi-tasking,” Malcuit said. “Everybody on staff knows how to sell a membership. We're a lot more effective now.”

Midwest Athletic Club has 85 staffers today, an increase in 10 to 15 employees over the past year. However, growth in staff size is a more recent trend - before last year, ownership delegated a number of duties to managers.

“When the economy went south, our management took on extra day-to-day responsibilities,” Oberreuter said.

In the Iowa City area, competition from the University of Iowa's newest recreation facility, the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, has dramatically changed the business approach of some local fitness clubs.

“We've seen less students, which the non-students appreciate,” said Tracy Davis, co-owner of Core Fitness.

At Core Fitness's two locations, in Iowa City and North Liberty, fewer students has meant shorter wait times for other customers to use equipment during morning and afternoon peak times.

In response to the changing demographics of its clientele, Core Fitness has begun spending more marketing dollars to lure a more mature customer base as well as high school students. Offerings such as 150 different classes and personal-training services also have proved to be profitable services for the club.

“Personal training has become popular in all segments of the population,” said Davis, noting that high school students and people over 25 were the largest consumers of personal-training services. “Also, everybody wants to increase their ab strength or decrease their stomach size.”

However, as Davis noted, the university's center has dramatically reduced student membership, especially as recreation fees for University of Iowa students are included in monthly student fees.

“It's pretty tough to compete with free,” Davis said.

By Kalle Eko, correspondent