their businesses in a relatively quiet environment. If you’re not located in a standalone building, noise is an ssue that you will l cikely need to deal with at some point, says Brian Bahm, owner of Atlantis Fitness in Georgetow , Ont. His club is irn a three-story building in the centre of town with a variety of business offices directly around him and a call centre above.


“BE SURE YOUR LEASE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT YOU ARE RUNNING A CLUB AND THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PLAY LOUD MUSIC, PLAY TELEVISIONS AND CONDUCT THE NORMAL ACTIVITIES OF A FITNESS CLUB...”


SIDEBAR: Noise issues were a particularly big issue in the years of “high inten- sity, high impact, knock-em-down aerobics,” says club consultant Mike McPhee, owner of Club TeamWorks, a company that specializes in fitness lub design marketing and manage- ment. But they can still be a hot but- ton today. If the businesses that sur- ound your club aren’t happy, it can have a direct financial impact on your business, says McPhee. Here are six strategies he suggests can help you to avoid or resolve noise issues with your neighbours:


1. Plan ahead “Never put a group


exercise room on a wall that adjoins a neighbour, and don’t put a room with heavy weights over a neighbour’s cus- tomer service area,” says McPhee. If you’re considering leasing a space, visit the other tenants to look at the op- tions. “If you’re located above a print shop, for example, plan it so your noisy exercise room is over your neighbour’s printing machines not their reception area.”


2. Get friendly Introduce yourself to


the businesses around you, and do ev- erything you can to make them happy. “Give owners a couple free member- ships and a great deal for their employ- ees,” suggests McPhee. “If they’re mad at you they’ll contact the landlord, and you never want to be on your land- lord’s bad side.”


lation into your ceilings a d walls to to talk without a ‘boom boom boom’ in


trap the sound. “Noise and vibrations the background,” says Bahm. “But at


tuds in a building,” says McPhee. tain some music volume because it’s


3. Block it out Put top quality insu- “The call centre people need to be able


will always travel up and down metal t she same time we don’t want to switch over to elevator music. We have to main-


4. Use soft urfaces Imagine you’re what gets some people really pumped in


creating a romantic r staurant inst ad c olfasses.”


Think compromise Over his club’s six years in the space ( tanother club occupied the location pre- viously), Bahm has found one solution that has largely resolved the noise issue f sooru his club.


a high-energy club, and install soft surfaces like carpet, fabrics, wallpa- per, window coverings to dampen the sound. Carpet walls before you mirror hem.


5. Go fo robust To help trap more nd, consider installing upgraded bu “iOur space is well insulated, but it’s t ihe bass in the music that really trav-


ll studs that hold more insulation, s aays. “Our inst uctors also like to play


ioned underpad.


lding materials like thick 3/8th nch 100%-rubber tiles, extra-thick el wsa through the c ncrete and steel,” he


nd group exercise floors with a cush- the volume lou , so we put arrows on the


talking with the landlord before sign- ing the lease. Give him or her the op- portunity to pay for or share some of your soundproofing expenses. “It’s al- ways easier and cheaper to deal with this kind of problem before you sign and before you open,” says McPhee.


stereo’s volume and bass control knobs that say ‘don’t go above here’ and this seems to help.” This one step has stopped complaints from the call centre manage- ment. (Bahm suspects that the young women working the phones actually en- joy the music.)


6. Negotiate Spend lots of time


Put it in the lease According to Ken Beallor, a leasing


lawyer at Torkin Manes Commercial Real Estate Group in Toronto, your protec- tion as a club owner is your lease. “Be sure your lease acknowledges that you Fit are running a club and that you have the w ritgeht to play loud music, play televisions so and conduct the normal activities of a w fitness club,” advises Beallor. “Do all you can before you sign a lease to understand the premises, the type of development, the risks involved and potential prob- lems you could run into.”


Barb Go mley is the senior editor of n ss Business Can da, a freelance r and editor, and a certified p r- nal trainer. You can cont ww.barbgormley.com.


her at And when you’re hiring profession-


als like engineers and architects to advise you on building and designing your club, also bring on a lawyer who specializes in commercial leasing, he says. He or she will be familiar with the language in the lease and, if neces- sary, can negotiate revisions to ensure that it protects you from your landlord and neighbours.


Be a good citizen And don’t underestimate the power


of simple goodwill and friendliness, says Riverdale Fitness’ Winters. “Our club is on friendly terms with all of our neigh- bours,” she says. A nearby tanning salon, coffee shop and teashop regularly of- fer her staff members discounts and ex- tras as a thank you for supporting them. They in turn do the same. “Find a way to co-exist harmoniously


with neighbouring businesses, perhaps by offering to pass out discount coupons for each other or by shovelling that extra few feet o f snow for them when you're already outside shovelling your own snow,” says Winters. “You’re helping not only them but your own business as well when they speak highly of you to their customers.” FBC


Barb Gormley is the senior editor of Fitness Business Canada, a freelance writer and editor, and a certified personal trainer. You can contact her at www.barbgormley.com.


Noise issues were a particularly big issue in the years of “high intensity, high impact, knock-em-down aerobics,” says club consultant Mike McPhee, owner of Club TeamWorks, a company that specializes in fitness club design marketing and man- agement. But they can still be a hot button today. If the businesses that surround your club aren’t happy, it can have a direct finan- cial impact on your business, says McPhee. Here are six strategies he suggests can help you to avoid or resolve noise issues with your neighbours:


1. PLAN AHEAD “Never put a group exercise room on a wall that adjoins a neigh- bour, and don’t put a room with heavy weights over a neighbour’s customer serv- ice area,” says McPhee. If you’re considering leasing a space, visit the other tenants to look at the options. “If you’re located above a print shop, for example, plan it so your noisy exer- cise room is over your neighbour’s printing machines not their reception area.”


2. GET FRIENDLY Introduce yourself to the businesses around you, and do eve- rything you can to make them happy. “Give owners a couple free memberships and a great deal for their employees,” suggests McPhee. “If they’re mad at you they’ll con- tact the landlord, and you never want to be on your landlord’s bad side.”


3. BLOCK IT OUT Put top quality insu- lation into your ceilings and walls to trap the sound. “Noise and vibrations will always travel up and down metal studs in a building,” says McPhee.


4. USE SOFT SURFACES Imagine you’re creating a romantic restaurant instead of a high-energy club, and install soft sur- faces like carpet, fabrics, wallpaper, window coverings to dampen the sound. Carpet walls before you mirror them.


5. GO FOR ROBUST To help trap more sound, consider installing upgrad- ed building materials like thick 3/8th inch 100%-rubber tiles, extra-thick wall studs that hold more insulation, and group exercise floors with a cushioned underpad.


6. NEGOTIATE Spend lots of time talk- ing with the landlord before signing the lease. Give him or her the opportunity to pay for or share some of your soundproofing expens- es. “It’s always easier and cheaper to deal with this kind of problem before you sign and before you open,” says McPhee.


March/April 2011 Fitness Business Canada 29 March/April 2011 Fitness Business Canada 29


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