If you want to develop a
world-class brand, the IHRSA connection can help Just ask Lindsay G. Merrithew and Jill Stevens Kinney
Consider, if you would, the case of Lindsay G.
Merrithew, a talented individual who studied
theatre at the renowned Juilliard School in
New York City after receiving his undergraduate
degree from Dalhousie University, in Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Now, he’s best known for cofounding
the Merrithew Corporation, in Toronto, the parent
company of STOTT PILATES, along with his wife,
Moira, a former professional dancer. Today, STOTT
PILATES has two corporate training facilities
and 50 licensed training centers in 19 countries,
and more than 15,000 trained instructors in
67 countries. It also manufactures its own line of
Pilates equipment, which is marketed worldwide.
STOTT PILATES first joined IHRSA as a club
member in the late 1980s and later switched to an
associate membership.
Consider also, if you would, the case of Jill Stevens Kinney,
a brilliant woman armed with an MBA, who’s best known
as the cofounder of Club One, Inc., the San Francisco-based
chain, along with her husband, John, who also holds
an MBA. Today, Club One owns and operates 23 fitness
facilities and manages an additional 72 fitness and wellness
programs, under contract, in 10 states and Canada. Kinney
is also known for her long and intimate association with
IHRSA, which dates back to the early ’80s.
Merrithew and Kinney are very different people, occupying
different parts of the North American fitness industry, but
both have left an indelible mark on the business. Ironically,
however, there are strong parallels in their careers. Both
have created world-class brands. Both have done so via
successful working relationships with their spouses. And
both have relied heavily on IHRSA—its publications, research
studies, conventions and trade shows, industry advocacy
efforts, etc.—to help them achieve their goals.
Trending into business
Twenty years ago, when the Merrithews
opened their first Pilates
studio in Toronto, the discipline
was best known, and most utilized,
by the dance community.
At first, the husband/wife team
didn’t think they could transform
it into a significant commercial
venture, but, by the late
’80s, they realized that they’d been
wrong: Pilates, it had become clear,
represented a major business opportunity.
“We recognized that training, while lengthy and somewhat
complicated, was important and there was a real need
for it,” says Merrithew. “Equipment was also hard to get,
so, initially, we designed our own reformer—one that was
both aesthetically and ergonomically appealing, as well as
adjustable to suit the individual user—and, then, an entire line. We established a manufacturing facility and began
selling equipment around the world.”
The fitness industry, however, didn’t warm up to Pilates
training immediately, Merrithew explains. “It requires
very specific training. This was something of a barrier to
Pilates’ growth for 10-15 years. But, over time, the fitness
industry has evolved, and now understands the importance
of high-quality Pilates education and equipment.”
Today, the worldwide enthusiasm for Pilates owes much
to the Merrithew Corporation and STOTT PILATES, which,
in turn, credit IHRSA for its ongoing help.
The Merrithews began by training instructors at their
corporate headquarters, but, in 1999, embarked on a
licensing program. Now, in addition to its own Licensed
Training Centers and numerous hosting sites around the
world, a number of club chains, such as Planet Fitness in
Russia, host STOTT PILATES instructor teams to train their
staff and, sometimes, the general public. The company also
offers Full Solutions, a consulting service that helps fitness
facilities create successful Pilates programs. |
“The company has been growing by double digits
yearly,” reports Merrithew. “Exhibiting at IHRSA’s annual
trade shows was a great way for us to expose our company
to the domestic and international markets,” Merrithew
attests. “In addition, as our business has grown, we’ve looked
to the IHRSA convention for help with our professional
staff development. We send more staff people to the IHRSA
event than to any other show.”
Invigorating an industry
IHRSA, it seems, has played a significant role in Kinney’s
career virtually from the beginning.
A professional downhill ski racer prior to attending
college, she brought a sports-oriented focus to her studies,
and obtained her MBA from the University of California
at Berkeley. A short while later, she became the business
manager of Physis, an innovative new wellness company that
happened to be located next to the Western Athletic Club
(WAC) in San Francisco. She soon met WAC owners Jim
Gerber, Pete Jones, and John Melin, who, recognizing her
potential, hired her to manage The Bay Club. Later, as the
company’s chief operating officer (COO), she oversaw the two
WAC sites in San Francisco, plus additional facilities in
Dallas, Houston, and Seattle, Washington.
Kinney attended her first IHRSA convention in 1984
at Gerber’s suggestion. “He said it was a great way to
network and to learn about the industry,” she recalls, “and
he was right.” It wasn’t long before she became involved
with IHRSA’s board of directors, initially helping to choose
speakers for the convention.
In 1986, she left WAC to become a consultant, and then,
nursing her own dream, to create a business plan for Club
One—a smaller fitness facility that would
offer wellness services and a high level of
personal care. She met John Kinney,
who liked the Club One concept,
as well as Jill. The two became
business partners, married, and
opened the first Club One in 1991.
John served as CEO, and Jill, as
COO. “It was a nice balance in
terms of skill sets,” she says. “We
really enjoy working together.”
While running that first club, the
two relied on IHRSA’s staff for basic
information about a host of vital issues—from
membership agreement terms to political and tax issues
specific to the state of California. “I’d call an IHRSA staff
member, and, a few hours later, they’d have the information
for me.” They continued to call on IHRSA as they nurtured
Club One, transforming it into one of the fastest-growing club
companies in the country, and also continued giving back:
Kinney served as chairperson of IHRSA’s market research
committee for five years, giving her a first glance at—and
a chance to affect—industry developments.
Two years ago, the Kinneys hired a new management team
to run Club One, while retaining their ownership, in order to
pursue other interests. John now runs his own biodiesel fuel
manufacturing company. Jill remains involved in the industry,
as the managing director of Clubsource Development Partners,
LLC, which designs and builds new clubs under the Club One
brand. Club One, Inc., then manages them under contract.
And IHRSA still figures prominently in the picture.
“I’m on the board of three start-ups—a wellness company,
a women-only concept, and a teen fitness center,” she explains.
“I’ve taken people from all three to IHRSA conventions,
advising them to make friends and go to every workshop they
can. They come away overwhelmed… but with a realistic sense
of the possibilities.” |
