INTERVIEW
The founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness talks to Kate Cracknell about putting an ethos of caring at the heart of the business
DAVID PATCHELL-EVANS “F
or a fitness industry veteran like David “Patch” Patchell- Evans – founder and CEO of Canada’s largest health
club chain, former chair of IHRSA and long-time industry stalwart – being in a situation where he’s doing something in his business for the first time must come as something of a novelty. Yet that’s what was happening when I interviewed in May: his company, GoodLife Fitness, was that very day announcing plans to open its first ever in-airport club, at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Due to open in September, the 1,115sq m club will not offer group
exercise, but there will be a fully- equipped gym, luggage storage, lounge area with massage chairs, changing rooms with private showers and lockers, and a towel service. Workout apparel will also be available to purchase. “There are 40,000 people working in
the airport, so there’s plenty of demand for this new club,” says Patchell-Evans.
“In addition, members of any of our 300+ clubs across the country will be able to use the facilities. Our vision is to give every Canadian the opportunity to live a fi t and healthy good life. Providing a club at Toronto Pearson is another great way we can work toward this vision.”
Talking to Patchell-Evans, it’s clear
that this vision is a genuine one: that at the heart of his business lies a desire not just to make money, but to make a difference to people’s lives. “The company runs on core values, and the strongest core value is caring,” he explains. “That’s quite unusual in a world where things are run on numbers. “Of course, you absolutely need to
know your numbers – you have to be accountable – but at the same time you have to understand why the numbers work, what the numbers mean. I think there’s a real failure in a lot of organisations in that respect: they know numbers mean profi t and loss, but they don’t talk about what the numbers mean in terms of lives changed, relationships built, happy staff, etc. They don’t get into what the numbers really represent. “There’s been a delusion of purpose
in the industry, and I think our strength lies in the fact that my focus is on understanding and caring about what lies behind the numbers. Passion is the real driver in this industry.”
A personal journey For Patchell-Evans, the passion for fitness stemmed from an event in his own life: just two weeks into his first year at university, he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that led to
GoodLife Fitness, Canada’s largest health club chain, currently has over 300 clubs across the country
32 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital July 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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