Mark Fisher, the president and CEO of Sport&Health

By Tyler Montgomery Club Solutions:
Like many successful people, losing is not an option. Mark Fisher, the president and CEO of Sport&Health located in the Washington D.C. Metro Area, is no exception to the rule. “I’m fiercely competitive and I want to win,” Fisher explained in a quick switch toward a serious tone.Fisher has strived to be a winner his entire life. It’s that winning mentality that has made him so vital to Sport&Health, and why he was asked to continue as President, while also leading as CEO. Fisher, 51, discussed winning at least 10 times throughout the Club Solutions interview. Clearly, the concept is something he takes extremely serious. Winning is the main reason he has stuck with Sport&Health for so many years.In his mind, competition is on the club’s doorstep. “The competition is coming, and the time is now,” he said when discussing a need to constantly be working and advancing. Although, Fisher doesn’t have a lot of time to open a book, he has focused his life on three main literary sources: “The Art of War,” “The Power of Now” and “Rhinoceros Success.”
Each book is significant on its own; however, “The Power of Now” has been a driving force for Fisher. In his mind, there is always going to be tomorrow and yesterday, but today is the day that he is executing — today is the day that Sport&Health is growing.“Now, we have become incredibly focused on improving the member and employee experience,” he said. “That’s probably what I’m bringing to the table now. Creating a sense of community with our clubs, recognizing that our GMs are the key to our success and creating a sense of urgency within our company.”Sport&Health already has a vast membership of about 160,000, in 25 clubs spread throughout the Washington D.C. Metro, which encompasses Maryland, Virginia and the nation’s capital (one of the fittest cities in America, according to Men’s Health Magazine). Fisher said the first thing Sport&Health needed to do to improve the member and employee experience, was to realize the GMs’ importance in the company. “Regardless of the culture we think we have from a corporate perspective, the culture is really driven on the club level by the GMs that have ownership of each location,” he explained. “They are included in the decisions we make as a company — they help shape the direction of the company. We are opening our ears more than ever to their feedback as to what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong and policies we have in place that affect the member experience.”By empowering the GMs, a waterfall effect was created that has extended down to the member. “When the GM is engaged and feels appreciated, they communicate that to the member and they feel empowered when the member brings to our attention something that we could do better,” he explained. “The GMs feel like that’s not going to fall on deaf ears, they believe ‘I can be a voice for the member and share with the ownership group what needs to change.’”Working closer with GMs has given Sport&Health Corporate insight to the members. They can better understand what they are doing well and where they can improve. Although, Fisher understands for a company to improve it must be selfless enough to look at itself objectively.“Honestly, Sport&Health’s time is now,” Fisher expressed. “There has never been more urgency in this company to grow, provide opportunities for our employees and team members, and to make a difference in the member experience. When we roll out an initiative, I want it to be immediate, and because of the size of our company, we can be fairly nimble and quick to change.”
Desire to be Third Place
The above subtitle may appear that Fisher has a desire to be Third Place in the fitness industry. Don’t be so naive. Sport&Health has taken a quick look at Starbucks and its early success.“In the beginning, they did a great job of being that third place,” Fisher said. Starbucks developed themselves to be the third place in a person’s life — work, home and Starbucks. Sport&Health wants to take that third-place position in people’s lives — just another step in bettering the member experience.Sport&Health uses the city of Washington D.C. to entice members to use their facilities outside of fitness. They attempt to have facilities close to members that make it easy for them to utilize restaurants, cafés and other clubs. Fisher said they push members to come to the clubs for Redskin football games. “Members can bring in their own food or we can help them with catering,” Fisher said. “We serve some type of food, including smoothies and sandwiches in all the clubs. One club has a restaurant.”Employees are a major player in terms of improving and sustaining the member experience. For Fisher, the best way to continually improve the member experience is through the GMs — they are the best sources to reaching the third place.Since Fisher has accepted his new role as CEO, he has been devoted to the belief that the speed of the leader is the speed of the pack. He has spent time thinking about the long-term position of Sport&Health. “As it starts to trickle down to the GMs, it’s about avoiding paralysis through analysis. Helping them understand that they can impact the member experience immediately and help us shorten the distance from idea to implementation.”To help the GMs understand their power in the club, Fisher has them come once a month for corporate meetings where they share best practices with each other. “Typically, in a company our size, GMs will feel they are operating on an island,” Fisher said. “Because we are local, it’s fairly easy for us to have all our GMs in one room to discuss what’s working and what’s not working, and how we can improve.”In terms of growth, Sport&Health is engaging its members on the social front by creating social spaces for members to interact. “In our new-build design, we are implementing places where the members want to hang out, where they want to get connected and where they want to relax. We are hosting a lot of social events, parties and member outings. We are a meeting point for the members before they go on their bike rides, their outdoor walks or wine tasting events at our clubs.“You can have a space in your club where you can have a healthy cooking class, or where the members can come together and have a wine tasting party, or where they can all meet after their 5K run and watch the game on TV. And, we are integrating that now.”With all the commitments in people’s lives, with family, work and staying active, it’s important for them to have a place that can harbor all of those needs. Fisher believes that it’s the role of the club, especially Sport&Health, to be that harbor. “We want our clubs to be the third place in somebody’s life. They go to work, they go home and there needs to be this third place in their lives where they can get a number of their hierarchy needs met. Having those social spaces creates a space in our clubs, so that when people are pressed for time, and they only have one spot in their life for another place, their third place, we want it to be one of our clubs. We recognize that people have less and less time, and if they are going to come to our club to workout, we want them to feel a sense of community.”Right Here, Right Now Fisher said there isn’t a time frame for change at Sport&Health. Again, he said the time is now. “There has never been more urgency at this company to grow, provide opportunity for our employees and team members, and to make a difference in the member experience,” Fisher said. “When we roll out initiatives, I want them to be immediate. When we are rolling out something that is going to affect the member experience or the employee experience, I want it to happen today.”Being member focused has been Fisher’s goal since he began working in clubs in high school. Transforming his knowledge of the member experience to his own clubs, Exertech in Wichita, Kan. between 1986 and 1999, gave him the vast knowledge to engage the healthy-member market found in Washington D.C. “A lot of things have come together at the right time, now, for it to be Sport&Health’s time,” Fisher said. “I have a three and five year plan strategically, but everything I’m doing right now as the CEO of this company is about today. I want to impact people today.”Some of the major impacts in the foreseeable future include the addition of three more clubs and becoming a more regional player, all by impacting the member experience.“In 10 years, this company is going to be a very dominant regional player,” Fisher continued. “It’s going to be widely known as a company that cares for and nurtures its employees; it’s going to be known as a company that is an incredibly fierce competitor, and I hope from the population of D.C.’s perspective, as a company that really improves people’s lives.”Although Sport&Health is located in one of the healthiest markets in the U.S., it’s extremely important for Fisher to steer the club to be one of the main reasons for the Metro Area’s healthy success. “We’ve developed relationships with physical therapists, we have five locations with one physical therapist that we’ve developed a great relationship with, so we can be involved in injury prevention. He [the physical therapist] actually trains our personal trainers, and then we can be involved in injury rehab as a portal for people who are seeing an injury therapist for an injury — we are the next step.”By giving personal trainers the knowledge about injury therapy, it’s allowed members to come to Sport&Health as opposed to going home and continuing therapy on their own. “They don’t go home to do the exercises, they actually engage with a personal trainer at our clubs,” Fisher explained. “We’ve been fairly successful at bridging that gap on injury rehab.”The next step for Sport&Health is to build the relationship with hospitals and clinics to incorporate the wellness aspect for the club. Fisher said the need for a partnership between health and fitness has been brought to the attention of the clubs and medical community in the city, but it’s up to Sport&Health to nurture those relationships and assist in bringing them to fruition. Fisher, the leader, the president, the CEO, sees the need and believes the relationship will happen and transform Sport&Health from a fitness facility, to a complete wellness center. -CS
By Tyler Montgomery

Mark Fisher, the president and CEO of Sport&Health

By Tyler Montgomery Club Solutions:
Like many successful people, losing is not an option. Mark Fisher, the president and CEO of Sport&Health located in the Washington D.C. Metro Area, is no exception to the rule. “I’m fiercely competitive and I want to win,” Fisher explained in a quick switch toward a serious tone.Fisher has strived to be a winner his entire life. It’s that winning mentality that has made him so vital to Sport&Health, and why he was asked to continue as President, while also leading as CEO. Fisher, 51, discussed winning at least 10 times throughout the Club Solutions interview. Clearly, the concept is something he takes extremely serious. Winning is the main reason he has stuck with Sport&Health for so many years.In his mind, competition is on the club’s doorstep. “The competition is coming, and the time is now,” he said when discussing a need to constantly be working and advancing. Although, Fisher doesn’t have a lot of time to open a book, he has focused his life on three main literary sources: “The Art of War,” “The Power of Now” and “Rhinoceros Success.”
Each book is significant on its own; however, “The Power of Now” has been a driving force for Fisher. In his mind, there is always going to be tomorrow and yesterday, but today is the day that he is executing — today is the day that Sport&Health is growing.“Now, we have become incredibly focused on improving the member and employee experience,” he said. “That’s probably what I’m bringing to the table now. Creating a sense of community with our clubs, recognizing that our GMs are the key to our success and creating a sense of urgency within our company.”Sport&Health already has a vast membership of about 160,000, in 25 clubs spread throughout the Washington D.C. Metro, which encompasses Maryland, Virginia and the nation’s capital (one of the fittest cities in America, according to Men’s Health Magazine). Fisher said the first thing Sport&Health needed to do to improve the member and employee experience, was to realize the GMs’ importance in the company. “Regardless of the culture we think we have from a corporate perspective, the culture is really driven on the club level by the GMs that have ownership of each location,” he explained. “They are included in the decisions we make as a company — they help shape the direction of the company. We are opening our ears more than ever to their feedback as to what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong and policies we have in place that affect the member experience.”By empowering the GMs, a waterfall effect was created that has extended down to the member. “When the GM is engaged and feels appreciated, they communicate that to the member and they feel empowered when the member brings to our attention something that we could do better,” he explained. “The GMs feel like that’s not going to fall on deaf ears, they believe ‘I can be a voice for the member and share with the ownership group what needs to change.’”Working closer with GMs has given Sport&Health Corporate insight to the members. They can better understand what they are doing well and where they can improve. Although, Fisher understands for a company to improve it must be selfless enough to look at itself objectively.“Honestly, Sport&Health’s time is now,” Fisher expressed. “There has never been more urgency in this company to grow, provide opportunities for our employees and team members, and to make a difference in the member experience. When we roll out an initiative, I want it to be immediate, and because of the size of our company, we can be fairly nimble and quick to change.”
Desire to be Third Place
The above subtitle may appear that Fisher has a desire to be Third Place in the fitness industry. Don’t be so naive. Sport&Health has taken a quick look at Starbucks and its early success.“In the beginning, they did a great job of being that third place,” Fisher said. Starbucks developed themselves to be the third place in a person’s life — work, home and Starbucks. Sport&Health wants to take that third-place position in people’s lives — just another step in bettering the member experience.Sport&Health uses the city of Washington D.C. to entice members to use their facilities outside of fitness. They attempt to have facilities close to members that make it easy for them to utilize restaurants, cafés and other clubs. Fisher said they push members to come to the clubs for Redskin football games. “Members can bring in their own food or we can help them with catering,” Fisher said. “We serve some type of food, including smoothies and sandwiches in all the clubs. One club has a restaurant.”Employees are a major player in terms of improving and sustaining the member experience. For Fisher, the best way to continually improve the member experience is through the GMs — they are the best sources to reaching the third place.Since Fisher has accepted his new role as CEO, he has been devoted to the belief that the speed of the leader is the speed of the pack. He has spent time thinking about the long-term position of Sport&Health. “As it starts to trickle down to the GMs, it’s about avoiding paralysis through analysis. Helping them understand that they can impact the member experience immediately and help us shorten the distance from idea to implementation.”To help the GMs understand their power in the club, Fisher has them come once a month for corporate meetings where they share best practices with each other. “Typically, in a company our size, GMs will feel they are operating on an island,” Fisher said. “Because we are local, it’s fairly easy for us to have all our GMs in one room to discuss what’s working and what’s not working, and how we can improve.”In terms of growth, Sport&Health is engaging its members on the social front by creating social spaces for members to interact. “In our new-build design, we are implementing places where the members want to hang out, where they want to get connected and where they want to relax. We are hosting a lot of social events, parties and member outings. We are a meeting point for the members before they go on their bike rides, their outdoor walks or wine tasting events at our clubs.“You can have a space in your club where you can have a healthy cooking class, or where the members can come together and have a wine tasting party, or where they can all meet after their 5K run and watch the game on TV. And, we are integrating that now.”With all the commitments in people’s lives, with family, work and staying active, it’s important for them to have a place that can harbor all of those needs. Fisher believes that it’s the role of the club, especially Sport&Health, to be that harbor. “We want our clubs to be the third place in somebody’s life. They go to work, they go home and there needs to be this third place in their lives where they can get a number of their hierarchy needs met. Having those social spaces creates a space in our clubs, so that when people are pressed for time, and they only have one spot in their life for another place, their third place, we want it to be one of our clubs. We recognize that people have less and less time, and if they are going to come to our club to workout, we want them to feel a sense of community.”Right Here, Right Now Fisher said there isn’t a time frame for change at Sport&Health. Again, he said the time is now. “There has never been more urgency at this company to grow, provide opportunity for our employees and team members, and to make a difference in the member experience,” Fisher said. “When we roll out initiatives, I want them to be immediate. When we are rolling out something that is going to affect the member experience or the employee experience, I want it to happen today.”Being member focused has been Fisher’s goal since he began working in clubs in high school. Transforming his knowledge of the member experience to his own clubs, Exertech in Wichita, Kan. between 1986 and 1999, gave him the vast knowledge to engage the healthy-member market found in Washington D.C. “A lot of things have come together at the right time, now, for it to be Sport&Health’s time,” Fisher said. “I have a three and five year plan strategically, but everything I’m doing right now as the CEO of this company is about today. I want to impact people today.”Some of the major impacts in the foreseeable future include the addition of three more clubs and becoming a more regional player, all by impacting the member experience.“In 10 years, this company is going to be a very dominant regional player,” Fisher continued. “It’s going to be widely known as a company that cares for and nurtures its employees; it’s going to be known as a company that is an incredibly fierce competitor, and I hope from the population of D.C.’s perspective, as a company that really improves people’s lives.”Although Sport&Health is located in one of the healthiest markets in the U.S., it’s extremely important for Fisher to steer the club to be one of the main reasons for the Metro Area’s healthy success. “We’ve developed relationships with physical therapists, we have five locations with one physical therapist that we’ve developed a great relationship with, so we can be involved in injury prevention. He [the physical therapist] actually trains our personal trainers, and then we can be involved in injury rehab as a portal for people who are seeing an injury therapist for an injury — we are the next step.”By giving personal trainers the knowledge about injury therapy, it’s allowed members to come to Sport&Health as opposed to going home and continuing therapy on their own. “They don’t go home to do the exercises, they actually engage with a personal trainer at our clubs,” Fisher explained. “We’ve been fairly successful at bridging that gap on injury rehab.”The next step for Sport&Health is to build the relationship with hospitals and clinics to incorporate the wellness aspect for the club. Fisher said the need for a partnership between health and fitness has been brought to the attention of the clubs and medical community in the city, but it’s up to Sport&Health to nurture those relationships and assist in bringing them to fruition. Fisher, the leader, the president, the CEO, sees the need and believes the relationship will happen and transform Sport&Health from a fitness facility, to a complete wellness center. -CS
By Tyler Montgomery

Health Club News For Health Club Owners!

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Going the Distance
With 23 clubs and counting, Sport & Health is the largest fitness chain in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Locally owned and operated for more than 30 years, the company is led by CEO Jonathan Adler and President and COO Mark Fisher, two dynamic leaders who have created a plan that will allow the company to grow systematically over the next five years, while also improving its existing locations.

Left to Right: Jonathan Adler, CEO; Mark Fisher, COO and President, Sport &  Health Clubs, in the virtual cycling studio at Old Town Sport & Health fitness center in Alexandria, Va.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to live in or visit our nation’s capital knows that it is truly unlike any other place in the world. Brimming with diversity and steeped in history, the Washington Metro Area is comprised of innumerable neighborhood enclaves that often retain unique identities within the larger construct of D.C. Recently, Washington was named the “fittest city in the USA” by the American College of Sports Medicine – a distinction that happens to perfectly coincide with Sport &  Health’s plans for expanding its presence and upgrading its clubs.The network underlines a prejudice.

THE HISTORY

Adler happens to be a native D.C. resident, with a background as diverse as the metro area he serves. A true entrepreneur with a head for sales and marketing, Adler has achieved success in publishing and Internet start-ups over the years. He began working full time in the publishing business at the tender age of 19, while studying business at the University of Maryland. In December 2005, Adler was already a member of Sport   Health when he jumped at the chance to buy the company with four other friends and colleagues who were real estate partners and fellow club members. “I was looking for a business with recurring revenue and, more importantly, one that would allow me to positively impact people’s lives,” he shares.

As the other half of this executive team, Fisher brings a wealth of industry-specific experience to the table. Having worked in clubs since graduating from college in 1982, his first real gig was at U.S. Swim and Fitness – a growing company that also served as a training ground for Bahram Akradi of Life Time Fitness and several other industry veterans. The company was eventually purchased by Bally’s, prompting Fisher to open his own club. After locating a strong market in Wichita, Kan., he opened six clubs in the area over the course of 14 years. In 1996, he decided to take some time off and sold the clubs to private parties. By 2002, after several years of owning a hospitality-based business, Fisher was ready to jump back into the industry. He knew the CEO of Sport & Health at the time from his involvement in the exclusive Young President’s Organization (YPO), and opted to take a position upon joining the company that was beneath his real experience level in order to become familiar with the many changes that had occurred in the industry. By 2006, after several promotions, Fisher had assumed his current role and was deeply involved in making the company the best it could be.

PUTTING MEMBERS FIRST

Over the years, Sport &  Health has capitalized on the unique makeup of the Washington Metro Area by tailoring its approach to doing business accordingly — from programming to marketing, the clubs choose options that will appeal directly to those who live and work within a three-to-five mile radius of each location. The result is a wide variety of sports, mind-body and fitness programming for members.

“Our clubs are not cookie-cutter,” says Adler. “We choose the programming for each club by analyzing extensive demographic information which outlines the preferences of each club’s membership base – and the surrounding community as a whole.” For example, programming in one club may be more family-oriented, while programming at another location would be more focused on attracting active businessmen and women. According to Adler, being a locally owned and operated company allows them to more easily manage this variety, especially since both he and Fisher believe in getting out of the office and into the clubs on a regular basis. “I don’t manage from my office – our entire management style is very inclusive,” states Fisher.

Technology has also played a leading role in allowing Adler and Fisher to properly evaluate the performance of the clubs’ many programs. When Adler assumed his position at the helm of Sport & Health, the company was still using an outdated DOS system that was very slow to generate reports. They turned to CSI for help, and systematically updated the company’s hardware and software. Now, they are using a real-time system which everyone has access to, that can easily track and determine member preferences – an essential component in managing multiple locations that offer such a wide variety of programming. “We can look at the percentage of our membership that is engaged and determine how it is affecting retention,” Adler says.
Perhaps one of the most important ways Sport &  Health stays in contact with members and keeps a finger on the pulse of the communities it serves is through systematic communication with members when they are outside of the clubs. “We are big believers in e-mail and using online technology for keeping in touch with our members,” says Fisher. According to Adler, they reach out to all members on a monthly basis – either to let them know what’s going on in the clubs, or to ask them for feedback, or both. In addition, spot surveys are conducted quarterly and every member is surveyed annually using in-depth metrics designed to measure all aspects of each club.

    Community involvement is another key component of staying in touch. Sport & Health has raised more than $1 million in the last few years for charity, and managers and employees are expected to get out into the community where their clubs are located. This grassroots approach also applies to the company’s guerilla marketing choices, which Adler says have driven down the cost per sale while driving up closing ratios. And, the company’s record sales the last few months are solid proof that this technique is working. “Our member referrals are up because we are actively encouraging members to bring new people in, while our employees’ involvement in the communities has gone a long way to build trust,” Fisher shares. Adler agrees, stating, “With my business and marketing background, I’m a big believer in the power of the Internet and using marketing techniques that involve an unconventional approach, relying on time, energy and imagination instead of a big marketing budget,” he says.

HANDS-ON MANAGEMENT STYLE

According to Adler and Fisher, another major component to the success of Sport & Health has been the company’s outstanding Senior Leadership Team, general managers and employees – basically, the people who are out in the clubs running the show every day. “The most important thing to remember is that companies are always driven by the people who work there,” says Adler.

When asked how they have been able to locate and foster such a strong team, Fisher says they looked for “drivers” and were fortunate to find many already within the company. “We want to be the premier employer of fitness personnel in the region,” he shares. Adler agrees, stating, “We are both a great place to work and a tough place to work – our interview process is very detailed; our general managers typically go through seven or eight different interviews prior to joining our team.” In addition to exceptional management, Sport &  Health prides itself on the quality of its personal trainers; they accept fewer certifications than many other clubs, and all new hires must do an audition and interview with multiple general managers.

According to Adler, they also pay above average in order to attract and retain the best employees. This has allowed them to feel comfortable empowering managers and giving them real responsibilities – they are expected to understand what it takes to operate all aspects of the business. “We expect them to know members’ names and to spend three hours a day at the front desk, but we also expect them to be involved in discussions on marketing, pricing, compensation, etc.,” says Adler. “Our managers have a very strong influence and can really impact their club’s performance,” adds Fisher.

Neither Adler nor Fisher believe in a “top down” management style. Instead, both prefer to have as many heads as possible contributing to the betterment of the company. “You have to align your goals and expectations by developing a clear purpose, mission and value statement,” Adler shares. Fisher agrees, adding, “We have shifted the focus of the company culture and now everyone is committed to, and focused on, being a progressive, driven, energized health and fitness corporation.” To them, this means becoming better than they were last year, last month, last week, even yesterday. In practice, having regular inter-club competitions is a key part of this philosophy. Achievements like having the highest retention rates, the best member surveys or breaking a sales record do not go unnoticed, and rewarding positive change creates urgency and fosters a dynamic, high-energy environment.

More than 20 years ago, Fisher’s mother gave him a book that has now become an integral part of the culture at Sport & Health. An outwardly unassuming volume, “Rhinoceros Success,” by Scott Alexander is often mistaken for a children’s book at first glance. Its content, however, illustrates the importance of being “like a rhino” in life by taking charge and staying focused on your goal, while also being unafraid, thick-skinned and unstoppable in the face of challenges. “Today, this philosophy is enmeshed in the company – our screen savers are rhinos, clubs that “crash through” their sales goals get “Rhino Awards” and our conference room is called the “Rhino Room,” says Fisher. And it’s obvious that both he and Adler are willing to walk the walk. “Everyone needs to know what good performance looks like,” Adler says. “We are in front of them enough and are consistent enough to set the example.”

FIVE-YEAR PLAN

In case you haven’t heard, Sport & Health received $25 million in financing through PNC Mezzanine Capital and CMS Mezzanine Fund earlier this year, which has allowed the company to restructure senior debt — enhancing its capacity to grow and improve its network of clubs. Over the next five years, Sport & Health will continue to upgrade existing locations and has plans to acquire or build three new clubs per year in the D.C. area. For new clubs, they have a 20,000 square foot urban model and a 40,000 square foot suburban model, both of which have the capacity to provide the variety members have grown to expect. – CS

Keys To Success:

BECOME incredibly efficient at managing expenses, but always make sure that any changes will not have a negative effect on the member experience. Instead, focus on getting better terms from vendors and doing away with unnecessary waste.

INCLUDE key employees in the decision-making process. Get them involved in finding solutions to your club’s challenges – they are on the front lines of your business and will have important insights to share.

MOTIVATE your staff by creating inter-club competitions and rewards for outstanding achievement.

KNOW your community and service its needs. More people today are joining clubs that are conveniently located close to home or work, so understanding what your club’s dominant demographic really needs will help you keep members happy.

FIND ways to get managers and employees involved in community events. This is a great way to earn trust, and remember: You get what you give!

ASK your members to tell you what they think. Staying in touch with members and actively engaging them in the direction your club takes is paramount to remaining relevant in their lives.

Sponsored by: Fitness Life Marketing 1-888-541-0714 ext2

 Article Research Contributor: Amerishape Weight Loss

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