The Newsletter

Business Titan - Fitness Ambassador

On a warm August afternoon at Ontario’s Lake Muskoka, cottagers heard the familiar sound of a floatplane taking off. Then silence. The plane had crashed killing both occupants, pilot Jack Lawrence and passenger Carol Richardson.

Jack Lawrence was most recently the chairman and CEO of Lawrence & Company Inc., a leading investment company he founded in 1996. He was a Bay Street legend known for his hard driving and relentless deal making persona and widely respected for his contributions to Canada’s economic policies. He is perhaps best known for his role in the sale of securities firm Burns Fry to the Bank of Montreal and his subsequent role in developing BMO Nesbitt Burns to become the number one ranked investment firm in Canada. He is also known for his support of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario (his alma mater), contributing $3.7 million to fund the building of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management.

LONDON, ON - GoodLife Fitness, which has 170 clubs across Canada, announced that it has acquired Atlantic Canada's Nubody's Fitness Centres Inc.

The Atlantic Canada-based chain has 23 clubs and 50,000 members. Nubody's founder and president Dean Hartman opened the original Nubody's Fitness Centre in Dartmouth, N.S. in 1983. GoodLife, founded by David Patchell-Evans in 1979, already has eight clubs in Atlantic Canada. Terms of the deal, expected to close Aug. 31, have not been disclosed.

BOSTON, MA - As the battle against music copyright fees heats up, IHRSA has scheduled a discussion at its upcoming European Congress, October 22-25 in Dublin, Ireland.

Attendees at the session will learn about the following information:
- the potential financial impact on fitness club business when the cost of music for clubs increases by 7,900%
- the latest information from around the world regarding the music industry's attempted shakedown of the fitness club industry
- what club operators must do to join the fight.

For more information or to register, visit www.ihrsa.org/congress.

By Brenda Abdilla

One of the reasons recruitment is so difficult in a tough economy is that even unhappy employees tend to stay put and wait until the timing is safer for career exploration. Many companies have already laid off their under-performers and any surplus staff to retain those people who are "keepers" in the organization.

Keepers are that rare breed of employee who keep on performing while simultaneously helping their organizations adapt to nearly-impossible circumstances all while maintaining their own job responsibilities.

RICHMOND, BC - Cannon Design announced that the Richmond Olympic Oval has won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) 2009 Awards of Excellence prize for Innovation in Architecture. This speed-skating venue for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is a $178 million complex that will become a landmark multipurpose sports, recreation and community facility on Richmond's waterfront. Beyond serving as a catalyst for transformation of the riverfront into a high-density urban neighborhood, the 38,000 square metre Oval will function as a future venue for community events, creating a lasting legacy beyond its immediate purpose. Project sponsors have established LEED silver certification as the sustainability goal, seeking a design solution that optimizes energy use, environmental health and aesthetic value.

The RAIC award noted that the facility incorporates several innovative design features. They include the following:
- the use of one million board feet of discarded pine-beetle-killed wood that creates a stunningly beautiful structural ceiling
- the design of composite wood glulam beams spanning 100 metres,
- the way in which the building's dual function has been incorporated to provide the flexibility, adaptability and conversion features required to transform from a single purpose venue (speed skating oval) to a multi-use International Centre of Excellence for Sports and Wellness.

Richmond Olympic Oval is also the recipient of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic organization's Sustainability Star award.

VANCOUVER - Active Aging Week, the annual health promotion event of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), will be held September 21-27, 2009 at local community and seniors centres, retirement communities, malls, fitness clubs, hospitals and parks. Events may include health fairs, walks featuring feet and wheelchairs, yoga and strength training, workshops on bone health and money management, dances, trivia contests, blood pressure screenings and art shows.

"Attending an Active Aging Week event is a stimulus package you give yourself," points out Colin Milner, CEO of ICAA. "You benefit immediately, and there are no strings attached! A growing body of research concludes that older adults who are physically active, socially connected and intellectually involved have fewer chronic diseases, are less likely to experience dementia and live longer."

Older adults who join in during Active Aging Week meet new people and get to try new physical and intellectual activities and games. They also are likely to find that local donors and sponsors are giving away discounts, coupons and prizes. Many Active Aging Week hosts offer free drinks and food. Plus, local agencies may join the activities to introduce older adults to senior services designed especially for them.

To find Active Aging Week events in your area, visit www.icaa.cc.

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer, which uses real personal trainers not 3D images, is due to launch in September on Wii.

The real video training system with the constant audio and visual feedback helps users hone their performances.

Users define their workouts by setting goals and their nutritional preferences during the profile set-up. There are 25 goals and over 80 exercises available from each of the four personal trainers.

COTTAGE GROVE, Wis - Johnson Health Tech North America Inc. announced that its commercial brand, Matrix Fitness, was named Gold's Gym International's Equipment Vendor of the Year at its annual convention. Matrix was added to the Gold's Gym National vendor program in 2007.

The annual Gold's Gym convention brought together more than 1,000 club owners, corporate executives, staff and vendors from 20 countries, 42 states and more than 600 gyms. This year's convention was co-hosted by Gold's Gym International and the Gold's Gym Franchisee Association. During the convention, more than 40 awards were given in a wide range of categories.

Medway, MA - Cybex International, Inc. is re-branding its research arm (formerly known as the Cybex Institute) as the Cybex Institute for Exercise Science. Its mission is to disseminate evidence-based data applicable to the disciplines of general fitness, sports performance and clinical medicine.

Executive director Paul M. Juris, Ed.D., will continue to direct partnerships with universities, major hospitals and sports performance organizations nationwide and focus on cardiac health, obesity, orthopedic impact, sports and human performance.

The Institute is a resource for data and programming for the fitness industry and consumers. It provides information on the needs of activity-specific niche markets, aging adults and special populations, as well as the development of new training modules for Cybex cardiovascular equipment. Additionally, it offers workshops, seminars and partnerships with other leading education providers. For more information, visit www.cybexinstitute.com.

CULVER CITY, CA - Advantage Fitness Products (AFP), a provider of full-service fitness facility planning, design, supply and service, announced a strategic partnership with Atlas Fitness Systems. The agreement between the companies will make Atlas the official logistics and distribution arm for AFP, significantly extending AFP's installation capabilities and enhancing its distribution efficiencies nationwide.

As part of the agreement, Atlas will absorb AFP's warehouse, delivery, and installation personnel. Additionally, AFP will extend its inventory management, staging and distribution base from six warehouse facilities to 14 nationwide. The company intends to further integrate its established technical service division and client support programs within the expanded Atlas facilities.

Fitness Business Canada (FBC) is the trade magazine in Canada for owners, managers, directors and staff of health and fitness facilities. FBC is the primary trade publication for health and fitness facilities across Canada. FBC has earned outstanding reviews and respect from facility operators to its first issue in January 2000.

To get your copy, call our office at 888-920-6537 or email us at fbc@fitnet.ca