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GYMTOPIA SERIES


MOVEMENT, COMMUNITY and SERVICE


The team at Rochester’s Midtown Athletic Club believes there’s no charitable cause too big or too small to support. Ray Algar reports


W


hen I look at some of the world’s most remarkable health club brands, I often discover a strategic intent


to play a proactive part in the prosperity of their communities; they’re not just there harvesting its resources. They forge a reputation for compassion and generosity and over time become an influential, valued, integral part of the community. This month, I want to share the story of


how Midtown Athletic Clubs in the US has embraced a strong sense of corporate citizenship and a wider definition of community to enable its clubs to flourish even as competition intensifies.


Three generations The Schwartz family founded its first club, the Midtown Tennis Club, in Chicago in 1970 with a simple everyday mission:


“Bringing out the best tennis player in you.” The club was founded by Alan Schwartz and his father Kevie, who were passionate about tennis and used the club as a vehicle to help grow the game. The company expanded and during the 1980s began adding fitness areas to its tennis clubs.


Steven Schwartz, Alan’s son, joined in 1987 to help position and grow what has become the Midtown Athletic Club brand. Eight Midtown Athletic Clubs now


operate in what Steven Schwartz – now president and CEO – describes as the


‘upscale sports resort’ segment. The brand’s mission has also evolved beyond tennis: it aims to inspire through a pledge to ‘movement, community and service’.


Leading by example True to its mission, earlier this year the company’s second club – which opened in 1974 in the city of Rochester, New


Gymtopia – a place where clubs do social good


Gymtopia was conceived by founder and chief engagement officer Ray Algar, who believes the global health and fitness industry has enormous influence and potential to do good in the world, beyond its immediate customers. The idea of Gymtopia is simple: to curate and spread remarkable stories in which the fitness industry uses its influence to reach out and support an external community in need. It was created with the generous support of five organisations: Companhia Athletica, Gantner Technologies, Les Mills, Retention Management and The Gym Group. Gymtopia received an Outstanding Achievement Award in the ukactive Matrix Flame Awards 2014. Read more stories and submit your own: www.Gymtopia.org


56 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


CEO Steven Schwartz


(right) and colleagues at the IHRSA awards


York State – received IHRSA’s Outstanding Community Service Award for its sustained contribution to, and impact on, its wider community. All of the Rochester club’s charitable


activities are driven by its 7,000 members and staff. “We’re a club of people who believe in giving, and nearly every charity or organisation we give to is the beneficiary of a suggestion or request from one of our members,” says general manager Glenn William. This large, multi-purpose club – around


15,600sq m (168,000sq ft) of fitness, tennis, pools, spa and retail facilities – is a formidable size by international standards, but the extent of its charitable activities is remarkable. This single club contributes to 17 charities and altruistic organisations, with its efforts encompassing more than 275 annual events. That’s equivalent to five events a week, every week of the year. “There is no cause too big or small for the club to support, either through event hosting, sponsorship or in-kind giving,” explains William. One nine-year partnership is with the


American Diabetes Association and its Tour de Cure bike ride – a mass participation fundraising event held across 40 US states. The Midtown


August 2015 © Cybertrek 2015


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