| CBI Interview |
Mike Motta
Has employed a winning ‘motta operandi’ to satisfy corporate clients
as the president and CEO of Plus One Health Management, Inc.
By Patricia Amend
Highlights
» Client satisfaction
CBI: In 1986, you founded Plus One as a personal training clinic for the » Competitive edge
public, but, in 1991, you shifted your focus to fitness center management.
» National expansion
Today, you manage 117 programs in 17 states. Looking back, why has the
» Healthcare reform
change worked so well for you?
MIke Motta: It’s worked, in large part, because of two critical factors: because
we don’t need to buy land or buildings, our growth isn’t necessarily dependent on
access to capital; and, because our business isn’t predicated on volume, we can
Mike Motta, a 30-year fit-
focus more on quality. The pond we fish in is the corporation; we serve a smaller,
ness industry veteran, is the
very specific population.
founder, president, and CEO of
Plus One Health Management,
CBI: Do you have any advice for club companies that, as you did, might
Inc., based in New York City,
want to ‘reinvent themselves’ in some way?
which he launched in 1986. He
earned an M.S. in exercise
MM: Revise your business model—not your core competency. Do the same thing, but
physiology from Ithaca College,
in a different way. We identified what we loved to do, decided to do it, and figured out
did post-graduate work in
how to do it without having to raise capital.
applied physiology at Columbia
University, and was a professor
CBI: We know that Plus One is going to have a significant contingent at
of physical education and a
IHRSA’s 29th Annual International Convention and Trade Show in San
football and lacrosse coach at
Diego in March. Why do you feel it’s important to have so many of your
SUNY-Albany, all in New York.
people there?
Today, he works with Health
Promotion Advocates, a
MM: In these tough economic times, it’s as important as ever to network; to obtain a
nonprofit group that strives
competitive advantage by studying best practices; and to advance the industry’s efforts
to incorporate wellness and
to promote legislation that stresses the critical role of exercise in healthcare reform.
prevention initiatives into
We also have new clients out there, so the show gives us the opportunity to visit with
healthcare reform; serves
our team in the San Diego area.
on the advisory board of the
University of Massachusetts/
CBI: In what ways has Plus One benefited from its convention attendance?
Amherst School of Public
Health; and is a volunteer
MM: It gives us the chance to expose our emerging leaders to new information, best
firefighter. He was an American
practices, and to their industry peers, seasoned veterans, and industry legends. Our
Red Cross Disaster Relief
team always comes back excited and more enlightened. Our people are our most
Volunteer at Ground Zero
important asset, and, whenever they attend the IHRSA convention and trade show,
after September 11, 2001.
they have an opportunity to get better. Attending these events is one of our core values.
From 2004 to 2008, he was
a member of IHRSA’s board
CBI: Alright, let’s cut to the bottom line. How do your margins compare
of directors. Motta resides
with those of a traditional club? What do operators who are interested in
in Briarcliff Manor, New York,
this market need to know?
with his wife and son, and
David
works out at Plus One’s cor-
Rodgers
MM: The margins are probably 25% to 30% less than you’d find with a commercial
porate headquarters gym. —|
club, where the owner and manager are often the same person. In our case, we’re
the middleman between the owner of the facility and the members.>
www.ihrsa.org | JANUARY 2010 | Club Business International
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