| IHRSA Report | Success by Association


In the Beginning… Three of IHRSA’s founders reflect on its creation By Patricia Amend


I


HRSA’s creation, 30 years ago, may well be compared to other historic, game-changing entre- preneurial ventures that have succeeded, despite the odds. IHRSA’s founders contributed seed money and


invested countless hours constructing, refining, and selling their unique vision to the marketplace. Over time, they did for racquet sports and fitness what Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have done for computing. They transformed a fledgling industry into a dynamo that has changed lives. But, unlike Gates and Jobs, the


fiercest of competitors, IHRSA was launched in the spirit of sharing, of community. For that’s what an association is: a group of people with a common purpose, a formal structure, and a real connection. The founders envisioned a trade group


that would grow, protect, and promote their industry. The sharing of best practices


t“That’s the beauty of the associa- ion we created so long ago: we help


each other see what’s on the horizon and succeed, despite the challenges.


”


has helped make the fitness industry what it is today, and has transformed IHRSA into an esteemed global entity that now serves more than 9,500 mem- ber clubs and more than 600 associate-member industry suppliers. Curt Beusman, Ted Torcivia, and Todd Pulis are


three founders who shared not only their funds, but their experience. They will join thousands of other IHRSA members from around the world in celebrat- ing “30 years of Success” at IHRSA’s International Convention and Trade Show in San Francisco, March 16-19. Here, they reflect on how IHRSA began and why it’s worked so well.


Success despite a downturn In 1981—coincidentally, in the midst of another


110 Club Business Internat ional | JANUARY 2011 | www. ihrsa.org


deep recession—The National Tennis Association (NTA), headed by Mary Johnson, and the National Court Club Association (NCCA), headed by Chuck Leve, merged to create the International Racquet Sports Association (IRSA). In 1994, it was renamed the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). Rick Caro, who served on the NTA and NCCA boards, spearheaded the notion of founding a new joint group. Beusman, Torcivia, Pulis, and others, including John McCarthy, Caro, Nick Cotsidas, and Jennifer Wayt-Saslow, contributed $21,000 to launch the new associa- tion. McCarthy, Pulis, Caro, Beusman, Alan Schwartz, Dale Dibble, and Peter Donohue developed a structure, with Dick Trant, John Wineman, and Bob Fitzgerald advising. A former tennis club owner, McCarthy was director of the New England Indoor Tennis Associa- tion (NETA). He was hired as IHRSA’s first executive director. Norm Cates was the first


president of the board; Caro succeeded him. Immediately, McCarthy and Leve began calling


on club owners and suppliers to sell memberships, as well as registrations and exhibit space at the first convention and trade show in Las Vegas in 1982. They also published a newsletter that attracted advertisers. Their hard work paid off. “Despite the reces-


sion, we generated $325,000 in revenues,” McCarthy recalls. “To keep expenses low, Chuck, Mary, Sue Edmunds, and I took salaries totaling less than $110,000. As a result, we made a profit that year, and we paid that money back—with 12% interest.”


Sharing was strength The ideas the early founders exchanged were pow- erful—and led to many practices that helped shape the industry as we know it. “We had no idea that IHRSA would become what


it has,” recalls Torcivia, who served as IHRSA president in 1984-85. “We thought we’d meet once or twice a year to coach each other. Early on, however, we began to identify important trends,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130