We believe that adversity is, in fact, strength training for life. It's out of times like these that growth and strength occur.
| "We believe that adversity is, in fact, strength training for life." |
Among our pledges to the Gainesville community is to keep Gainesville the healthiest community in America.
Also, we pledge to ensure that your membership gets more valuable every year. And we were able to carry on with these oaths in 2009.
At our three health clubs in 2009, 1.39 million gym visits were logged. This is the greatest number of visits recorded by our members, and it's also a number that continues to grow annually. This is a testament to the increasing number of people who see the value of proactively investing in the state of their health.
Among the more remarkable stories around the health clubs are the members who come to us to say how they're alive thanks to their gym membership with us. We're thankful that these people are still here, and that they are able to share their stories with us.
| "Among the more remarkable stories around the health clubs are the members who come to us to say how they're alive thanks to their gym membership with us." |
Not the least of these is Rick Atwood, a member who joined last year as he worked to prepare his body for a heart and lung transplant. A mere few months after beginning his routine at the health club, his doctor informed him his improvements were so dramatic, he was no longer in immediate need of the surgery.
Initiatives we've worked on in the last year include completely upgrading our facilities, including aesthetic changes and equipment updates at our Main Center and our Women's Center. As you've seen, our facilities have been remodeled, and our equipment either replaced or refurbished.@Our colors now run through the clubs, as do our other hallmarks to reinforce the feel of the community that we're all a part of.
We've continued to expand our group exercise offerings, which are already included with your membership.
One of the more phenomenal trends to watch has been the continued growth of Zumba. We continue to create new timeslots for this class to accommodate growing crowds. And we feel this exercise-through-dance class is helping more members to stick with fitness because they're just plain having fun.
We continue to offer the most Zumba classes and in the largest venues so more people can continue to enjoy this experience.
Additionally, our Pilates program continues to thrive, and we've invested in the resources needed to continue to meet demand.
Among the many honors we received during the last year, owner Joe Cirulli led the Gainesville-Area Chamber of Commerce as chairman.
In May, the company was a finalist for a national award honoring businesses that practice open book management.
| "About 2,000 Alachua County 13- to 17-year-olds took advantage of the free program over the summer." |
Gov. Charlie Crist honored the company for again offering its Free Teen Membership program to all of Alachua County's 13- to 17-year-olds. About 2,000 teens took advantage of the free program over the summer.
Tools for Schools, which collects resources for our community's schools, honored the health clubs for our years of support for the program.
The Army Reserve Medical Command presented the health club with an award for opening our doors to soldiers to help them complete their physical fitness requirements.
We introduced our Member Savings Program, where we have partnered with local businesses so that our members can save money shopping around town. Our goal is to expand this program so that members can offset the cost of their membership.
| "(At Zwurly.com), visitors can find the expert health & fitness advice and support they need." |
We also introduced Zwurly, the social network for the health & fitness community. There, visitors can find the expert health & fitness advice and support they need.
For community outreach, our Speakers Bureau provided their expertise to dozens of community groups through talks and demonstrations.
Our Family Fun Fitness Days continued to be popular attractions for our community's families. Twice a year, these events help show more people how exercise and being active can be as simple as a day at the park with their family.
| "We also continued our support of the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County, along with more than 130 other Gainesville-focused charitable groups." |
Our members and staff showed incredible support for a number of great community causes in 2009. Our collection for Toys for Tots again exceeded expectations, as did our collection for Bread of the Mighty Food Bank's holiday drive.
We set a regional record for most blood donors to come out during our 24 hour blood drive at the main center, in support of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.
We also continued our support of the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County, along with more than 130 other Gainesville-focused charitable groups.
During October, our members logged 1,284 miles - or the distance from the health club to Ottawa - on the pink treadmill at our Main Center, raising funds for breast cancer research.
Among the "Green" initiatives we undertook in 2009:
We recycled enough cardboard, that if stacked, would equal the height of 3-and-a-half Empire State Buildings.
We recycled about 20,000 gallons of glass, tin, aluminum and plastic.
Our switch to more efficient shower heads saves nearly 2-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools worth of fresh water annually.
Our switch to air dryers will save about 2,340 rolls of paper towels annually.
| "By working together - with our devotion and your commitment to fitness - we can continue to keep Gainesville the healthiest community in America." |
Inside the club, we're proud to say that our front line employees now spend on average 22 months with us. Being able to attract such high-level employees and retain them for that length of time is a major accomplishment for us, and a great source of pride.
Also, 5,500 times last year our members wrote to us to recognize an employee for going above-and-beyond. It's this type of culture that we strive to create and maintain, and through your Eagle comments, you help us honor those employees who rise to that level.
In business, as with fitness, you can't achieve results and then relax or take time off.
We will continue to push ourselves to improve ourselves and our company in the New Year.
By working together - with our devotion and your commitment to fitness - we can continue to keep Gainesville the healthiest community in America.
