When Lindsay and Moira Merrithew first embarked
on this journey together, they had no
idea that almost two decades later they’d be
running such a successful international Pilates
organization.
Lindsay was attending the prestigious Juilliard School
in New York and pursuing his acting career. Moira was
a professional dancer when a foot injury forced her to
hang up her pointe shoes in the early 1980s. Shortly
thereafter, she was introduced to Pilates and later studied
under Romana Kryzanowska, one of Joseph Pilates’
protégés.
Moira started teaching Pilates after returning
from New York. The couple set up
shop in their cramped one-bedroom apartment.
Lindsay constructed Moira’s first
piece of studio equipment called a “Reformer”
out of sheer necessity. Pilates
was very much a cottage industry at the
time and access to equipment was very
limited. This machine was at first constructed
out of wood, but soon Lindsay
decided to design one made out of metal in
order to accommodate adjustability issues
among clients with differing needs.
FROM THE BEGINNING
Pilates was still a relatively unknown
method of exercise when they first opened
their Toronto studio back in 1987. It was
Lindsay’s perseverance and determination
that managed to land Moira her first ten
clients, including ballerina Karen Kain.
Overnight, that number jumped to 80 after
Toronto Life Fashion published a story
on Kain’s use of the regimen.
The new technology made waves in
the marketplace. The decision to form a
business came from the notion of wanting
to create a more modern looking and functioning
Pilates Reformer. “We thought of
creating a Reformer that had adjustability
to suit the user and was both ergonomically
and esthetically appealing,” explains
Lindsay. “We wanted to build a better
‘mousetrap.’”
In 1992, Lindsay and Moira decided
to showcase their creation to the Pilates
community in Los Angeles. They divided
the unit into smaller pieces so it would
cost less to send across the border and
invited people to view the signature piece
in their hotel suite. “I think we had 75 to
100 people come through,” recalls Lindsay,
“and it seemed like, bang, all of a sudden
we had a huge interest. “ Though not all
of their industry affiliates liked what they
had done with the original model, Lindsay
says the reaction was one of both amazement
and curiosity with the new design.
Much to their delight, the purchase orders
started flying in. Lindsay describes
the visit to Los Angeles as “a magical moment”
– a definite turning point in the
STOTT PILATES story.
The following year the company
started manufacturing Reformers on a
large scale and in 1995 incorporated a
brand new line of equipment establishing
STOTT PILATES Equipment.
They now have five variations of the
original model being sold in the commercial
fitness world.
METHOD OF EXERCISE
FOR A LIFETIME
The public’s approach to health and
fitness was changing. People were becoming
more in tune with their bodies. Fitness
instructors and gym owners were
recognizing their clients’ needs for toned
physiques, injury prevention, increased
strength, stress management, conditioning
for athletic skills, rehab and exercises
that facilitated the mind-body connection.
This contemporary form of exercise
was beneficial for people of all ages, fitness
abilities and levels, and could be
adapted to enhance anyone’s current training routine. Today, Pilates also appeals to
competitive teens who want to build core
strength, athletes who want to prevent or
attend to injuries and older adults who simply
want to make getting out of bed easier.
“In order to strengthen the body, smaller
movements are effective,” explains Moira.
“You have to work the inner mechanism
first and then the larger outside muscles –
always remember that you don’t have to
hurt to get results.”
With this in mind, the Merrithews
have taken steps to dispel the myth that
Pilates is only for women. “Many pro athletes
are incorporating Pilates into their
conditioning regimens today, and the majority
of these athletes are men,” explains
Lindsay. “These are guys who go through
intense training for their sport. Perhaps
they are introduced to it while on the mend
from injury, but most are sticking with it
throughout the season and I think we’re
going to see a lot more men in the future
seek the benefits of Pilates.”
A LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY
STOTT PILATES today is a Canadian-
based company still run by Lindsay
and Moira Merrithew. As co-founders of
the organization, they have their respective roles and complimentary skills. Lindsay
is President and CEO. Moira is Executive
Director, Education and Master Instructor
Trainer.
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Lindsay has been the driving force behind
the growth of Merrithew Corporation
and its premier brand, STOTT PILATES since the beginning. He was
nominated twice for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur
Of The Year® award and is a
five-time recipient of PROFIT magazine’s
100 Fastest-Growing Companies award.
In addition to directing and growing the
fully integrated business from a visionary
and strategic point-of-view, he has been
instrumental in designing, producing and
marketing the company’s extensive equipment
and video lines. He is a member of
Ontario’s prestigious Innovators Alliance
for elite entrepreneurs, and is consulted
regularly by the trade and business media.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree
from Dalhousie University and is a graduate
of the Juilliard School of Performing Arts
in New York City.
Moira is responsible for the development
of the STOTT PILATES exercise
method. After an accomplished career as
principal dancer with the City Ballet of Toronto
and the Atlantic Ballet Company, she
went on to retrain and certify as a Pilates
instructor under the tutelage of Romana
Kryzanowska at the original studio founded
by the late Joseph H. Pilates. In addition to
creating the curricula and support materials
for the STOTT PILATES education &
certification programs, Moira is the content
creator and featured performer in the
STOTT PILATES video series. She has
also found time to train such high profile
athletes as former Toronto Maple Leaf
goalie Ed Belfour, tennis great Martina
Navratilova and ballet icon Karen Kain.
With over 125 staff between head office
and the manufacturing plant, over
15,000 trained instructors in 67 countries,
50 Licensed Training Centres and two corporately
owned facilities, one in Toronto
and one in New York City, the company is frequently
touted as the professional’s choice.
INNOVATION AND EDUCATION
A neck injury prompted Moira to become
more in tune with her body and soon
the couple was making a connection with
the rehab world. To keep up with modern
medicine and physiotherapy as a whole,
they worked with numerous physical
therapists, sports medicine professionals
and fitness professionals to evolve the
original method. Today STOTT PILATES
is a contemporary, anatomically-based approach
with a combination of key medical
research and a modern day knowledge of
biomechanics.
Lindsay says the mainstream fitness
industry is what ultimately brought Pilates
into the public’s eye, which in turn gave
them the opportunity to refine and
contemporize the method to make it more
effective – and take the next steps toward
new pieces of equipment innovation.
Much of the Merrithew’s success can
be attributed to their individual contributions
and to their staff: quality instructors,
licensed training centres, fitness affiliates
and dedicated employees. “I admire and
respect Lindsay and Moira, not only for
what they have accomplished by building
STOTT PILATES into one of the leading
Pilates companies in the world, but for what
I believe to be their principles and ideals. I have a high regard for their personal integrity
and find them to be a class act even
though we are fierce competitors.” Julie
Lobdell Founder and CEO, Peak Pilates
The education division designs customized
training and certification courses
for fitness instructors and for individuals.
The commercial division manufactures a
wide variety of fitness equipment to support
these exercise programs. Ultimately,
education and equipment go hand in hand
to make it all work.
Another key aspect to the success of
the company is the decision to maintain
strong relationships with the people using
their programming and equipment – and
to create profitable career paths for instructors.
Their emphasis is on creating a sense
of community. According to industry leader
and chief executive officer for IDEA
Health & Fitness Association, Peter Davis,
“… the fitness and Pilates industries are
very fortunate to have two such strong
contributors to inspire the world to fitness
and wellness.” He says Moira and
Lindsay have the perfect combination of
creativity, passion, business savvy and leadership
which is unusual to find in a husband
and wife team. “They are not only wonderful
business executives, but also extraordinary
parents and quality people.”
ONE SOURCE – MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS
According to the 2007 IDEA Fitness
Programs and Equipment Survey, 68 percent
of facilities surveyed have Pilates as
one of their program offerings. This is a 49
percent increase compared to when IDEA
first started tracking Pilates back in 1999.
To help fitness facilities develop their own
successful Pilates businesses, Lindsay decided
to hire top industry professionals to
lead their Full Solutions Division. The Full
Solutions team offers club owners expert
consulting and business development opportunities
– from staffing, education, studio
equipment needs, timeline proposals,
studio operations, marketing and on-going
support. Creating more opportunities
for facilities to increase revenue and instructors
to advance their careers is very
gratifying to them.
Today, more and more physical therapists,
rehab patients, baby boomers, celebrities,
pro athletes and regular fitness
enthusiasts are recognizing the benefits of
Pilates. The Merrithews and their STOTT
PILATES team, through all of their efforts
over the years, have contributed to this
realization and have earned the respect of
a grateful industry. FBC |
