Muscle Beach® Comes to the Carolinas

– Muscle Beach®, the iconic fitness brand that single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution, has converted a former Nautilus Fitness Center in Orangeburg South Carolina to their prestigious brand.Wilbraham, MA, July 19, 2011 — Muscle Beach®, the iconic fitness brand that single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution, has converted a former Nautilus Fitness Center in Orangeburg South Carolina to their prestigious brand.“As the entity that led to the establishment of Gold’s Gym® and a number of other well-known fitness chains, it should come as no surprise to anyone that we’re now the brand of choice throughout the industry,” comments Muscle Beach® Founder and Chairman, Danny Lucien “The Solution” Tschirret.With over 30,000 square feet of space, the facility offers a fitness center, group exercise studio, basketball court, racquetball court, martial arts dojo, and a swimming pool. It is owned by Ramon and Asha Rodriguez, who have operated the club for more than 25 years.
“With Muscle Beach®, we instantly went from ordinary to legendary; from a club with virtually no identity to one with worldwide recognition and mass appeal. And all we had to do to accomplish that was to change our signage. It was that easy,” comments Asha.“We were looking for a well-established name, but didn’t want to get hammered with huge franchise fees or have our method of operation restricted,” adds Ramon.The couple looks forward to continuing the long rich history and tradition of Muscle Beach® in Orangeburg South Carolina, where they will operate their facility as a Muscle Beach® athletic club.To open a new Muscle Beach® fitness business or convert an existing one to their prestigious brand, call 413-575-5320 or visit www.musclebeachbrand.com. About Muscle Beach®:An American institution and fitness icon, Muscle Beach® is owned by United States-based Muscle Beach, Inc. With operations in more than 50 countries, they are the world’s largest fitness promotion. More than 75 years ago, Muscle Beach single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution; the movement that led to the eventual establishment of Gold’s Gym® and a number of other well-known fitness chains.An American institution and fitness icon, Muscle Beach® is owned by United States-based Muscle Beach, Inc.
Contact:
Daniel Tschirret, MBA
Muscle Beach, Inc.
2141 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095

Muscle Beach® Comes to the Carolinas

– Muscle Beach®, the iconic fitness brand that single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution, has converted a former Nautilus Fitness Center in Orangeburg South Carolina to their prestigious brand.Wilbraham, MA, July 19, 2011 — Muscle Beach®, the iconic fitness brand that single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution, has converted a former Nautilus Fitness Center in Orangeburg South Carolina to their prestigious brand.“As the entity that led to the establishment of Gold’s Gym® and a number of other well-known fitness chains, it should come as no surprise to anyone that we’re now the brand of choice throughout the industry,” comments Muscle Beach® Founder and Chairman, Danny Lucien “The Solution” Tschirret.With over 30,000 square feet of space, the facility offers a fitness center, group exercise studio, basketball court, racquetball court, martial arts dojo, and a swimming pool. It is owned by Ramon and Asha Rodriguez, who have operated the club for more than 25 years.
“With Muscle Beach®, we instantly went from ordinary to legendary; from a club with virtually no identity to one with worldwide recognition and mass appeal. And all we had to do to accomplish that was to change our signage. It was that easy,” comments Asha.“We were looking for a well-established name, but didn’t want to get hammered with huge franchise fees or have our method of operation restricted,” adds Ramon.The couple looks forward to continuing the long rich history and tradition of Muscle Beach® in Orangeburg South Carolina, where they will operate their facility as a Muscle Beach® athletic club.To open a new Muscle Beach® fitness business or convert an existing one to their prestigious brand, call 413-575-5320 or visit www.musclebeachbrand.com. About Muscle Beach®:An American institution and fitness icon, Muscle Beach® is owned by United States-based Muscle Beach, Inc. With operations in more than 50 countries, they are the world’s largest fitness promotion. More than 75 years ago, Muscle Beach single-handedly jumpstarted the fitness revolution; the movement that led to the eventual establishment of Gold’s Gym® and a number of other well-known fitness chains.An American institution and fitness icon, Muscle Beach® is owned by United States-based Muscle Beach, Inc.
Contact:
Daniel Tschirret, MBA
Muscle Beach, Inc.
2141 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A 21-year-old state ethics rule barring West Virginia elected officials and public employees from accepting free admission to health clubs and exercise centers could be revised soon. The Ethics Commission on Thursday debated, but did not vote on a request from a state agency attorney seeking an exception to the health club ban for those traveling on government business.
At issue are hotels and motels that don’t have on-site exercise facilities, but provide passes or reimburse costs for guests to visit nearby health clubs.
Under a legislative rule adopted in 1990, public employees and officials are barred from accepting a variety of perks and benefits while traveling or attending conferences. In addition to being prohibited from accepting free passes to health clubs, public officials cannot accept free rounds of golf, for example.
Joan Parker, commission general counsel, noted that when the rule was adopted, hotels that featured health clubs typically provided premium facilities, offering massages and other spa services — a benefit distinct from today’s exercise and workout centers.In the request for an advisory opinion, the agency attorney noted that, these days, most hotels and motels provide exercise facilities at no additional charge to guests, and stated that agency staff should not be barred from accepting health club passes from those hotels that do not have on-site facilities.
“West Virginia is at the top of the list for obesity and other health problems,” the request noted. “The state should be encouraging people to exercise when traveling on government business.”Parker noted that a recent Ethics Commission advisory opinion similarly deemed that public employees’ participation in free or discounted wellness programs does not constitute a violation of the state Ethics Act’s prohibition on using public office for private gain.The commission on Thursday postponed a vote to approve the advisory opinion until August, after some commissioners raised questions, including former state Sen. Jack Buckalew.
“What would you say to the golfer who says, “I play golf for exercise?” he asked.
Parker said golf raises separate ethical issues, since the person who pays for the round of golf is effectively paying for access to the public official during the round.
Buckalew said he had other issues with the request, contending that public officials should be expected to carry out their public duties without the expectation of any “enticements,” such as access to exercise facilities when traveling.
Under the Ethics Act, the identities of individuals or agencies seeking advisory opinions are kept confidential.
By Phil Kabler

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A 21-year-old state ethics rule barring West Virginia elected officials and public employees from accepting free admission to health clubs and exercise centers could be revised soon. The Ethics Commission on Thursday debated, but did not vote on a request from a state agency attorney seeking an exception to the health club ban for those traveling on government business.
At issue are hotels and motels that don’t have on-site exercise facilities, but provide passes or reimburse costs for guests to visit nearby health clubs.
Under a legislative rule adopted in 1990, public employees and officials are barred from accepting a variety of perks and benefits while traveling or attending conferences. In addition to being prohibited from accepting free passes to health clubs, public officials cannot accept free rounds of golf, for example.
Joan Parker, commission general counsel, noted that when the rule was adopted, hotels that featured health clubs typically provided premium facilities, offering massages and other spa services — a benefit distinct from today’s exercise and workout centers.In the request for an advisory opinion, the agency attorney noted that, these days, most hotels and motels provide exercise facilities at no additional charge to guests, and stated that agency staff should not be barred from accepting health club passes from those hotels that do not have on-site facilities.
“West Virginia is at the top of the list for obesity and other health problems,” the request noted. “The state should be encouraging people to exercise when traveling on government business.”Parker noted that a recent Ethics Commission advisory opinion similarly deemed that public employees’ participation in free or discounted wellness programs does not constitute a violation of the state Ethics Act’s prohibition on using public office for private gain.The commission on Thursday postponed a vote to approve the advisory opinion until August, after some commissioners raised questions, including former state Sen. Jack Buckalew.
“What would you say to the golfer who says, “I play golf for exercise?” he asked.
Parker said golf raises separate ethical issues, since the person who pays for the round of golf is effectively paying for access to the public official during the round.
Buckalew said he had other issues with the request, contending that public officials should be expected to carry out their public duties without the expectation of any “enticements,” such as access to exercise facilities when traveling.
Under the Ethics Act, the identities of individuals or agencies seeking advisory opinions are kept confidential.
By Phil Kabler

A Virginia company that owns five Gold’s Gyms in the Triangle is converting the health clubs to a new name and promising various improvements for members.McLean, Va.-based Titan Fitness is changing the local Gold’s locations to Fitness Connection clubs. Members will start to notice new signs as early as next week, said Titan spokesman Matt Amodeo.Health clubs changing hands often create hassles related to fees, contracts and other changes that spur complaints among members. But Amodeo said this transition should be seamless for local customers.The clubs’ staff, contracts and prices won’t change. The parent corporation is also the same and Titan plans to add new equipment, age-specific fitness programs, dietitians and other services.”We want to adopt an overall wellness approach,” Amodeo said. “We have more flexibility as an independent chain to add things members have been asking for.”Titan recently bought the Houston-based Fitness Connection chain and ended its affiliation with Gold’s. Titan owns 17 clubs in the Triangle; Greenville, N.C.; Houston, Texas; and Nevada.But one change will effect local members who travel. Previously, they could use other Gold’s Gyms across the country for free.Now members will have access to more than 9,000 clubs in other cities affiliated with the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. Many will offer free access, but some will charge a small fee, Amodeo said.The conversion of the Gold’s locations in this market will happen over the next three or four months, including various marketing and education efforts to explain the switch, Amodeo said. After that, Titan will look to add more Fitness Connection clubs in this region.The Gold’s Gyms that are converting to Fitness Connection are located in Raleigh at North Hills, on Six Forks Road and on Glenwood Avenue; in Cary on Kildaire Farm Road; and in the Durham side of Research Triangle Park on Emperor Blvd.

A Virginia company that owns five Gold’s Gyms in the Triangle is converting the health clubs to a new name and promising various improvements for members.McLean, Va.-based Titan Fitness is changing the local Gold’s locations to Fitness Connection clubs. Members will start to notice new signs as early as next week, said Titan spokesman Matt Amodeo.Health clubs changing hands often create hassles related to fees, contracts and other changes that spur complaints among members. But Amodeo said this transition should be seamless for local customers.The clubs’ staff, contracts and prices won’t change. The parent corporation is also the same and Titan plans to add new equipment, age-specific fitness programs, dietitians and other services.”We want to adopt an overall wellness approach,” Amodeo said. “We have more flexibility as an independent chain to add things members have been asking for.”Titan recently bought the Houston-based Fitness Connection chain and ended its affiliation with Gold’s. Titan owns 17 clubs in the Triangle; Greenville, N.C.; Houston, Texas; and Nevada.But one change will effect local members who travel. Previously, they could use other Gold’s Gyms across the country for free.Now members will have access to more than 9,000 clubs in other cities affiliated with the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. Many will offer free access, but some will charge a small fee, Amodeo said.The conversion of the Gold’s locations in this market will happen over the next three or four months, including various marketing and education efforts to explain the switch, Amodeo said. After that, Titan will look to add more Fitness Connection clubs in this region.The Gold’s Gyms that are converting to Fitness Connection are located in Raleigh at North Hills, on Six Forks Road and on Glenwood Avenue; in Cary on Kildaire Farm Road; and in the Durham side of Research Triangle Park on Emperor Blvd.

The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette is closing its Beaverton Family gym, after the site’s property owner dropped a $1.5 million lawsuit and reached a settlement with the nonprofit. The Beaverton Family site at 4925 S.W. Griffith Drive will close July 29, according to a statement from Bruce Patton, the nonprofit’s vice president.
Starting Aug. 1, gym membership, group exercise programs and older adult programs will be transferred to the Beaverton Hoop YMCA at 9685 S.W. Harvest Court, according to a memo sent out to gym members, volunteers and staff.
The announcement comes nearly a year after Tami Pardee, co-owner of the property with her husband Michael Pardee, filed a lawsuit claiming that the nonprofit broke its lease agreement. In the lawsuit, Tami Pardee alleged that the nonprofit tried to persuade Beaverton Family members to join the Hoop location – when, according to the agreement, it was supposed to return club membership to Pardee once the 10-year lease expired in 2013 – and failed to repair or replace equipment. Pardee and the YMCA reached a settlement after Pardee identified a buyer for the property, which has an assessed value of $3,249,830, according to Washington County assessment and taxation records. The price of the sale – which the memo says is “imminent” – and the name of the buyer are unknown. “We made a reasonable settlement regarding both the balance of the lease obligation and the facility maintenance,” Patton said in a statement. Patton would not disclose the remaining balance to be paid or how much maintenance would cost the nonprofit, only that the nonprofit’s financial obligations to Pardee end Aug. 31, 2011. The new owner plans to remodel the building and reopen fall 2012, Patton said. When the Beaverton Family gym reduced hours and cut services last fall, some members dropped their affiliation and a high school racquetball team scrambled to find a gym for practice.
Besides the Beaverton clubs, the YMCA also manages fitness centers, camps and youth sports in Portland, Vancouver, Gresham and Sherwood. Pardee, who lives in California, bought the health club from her father, who opened it in 1978. Calls were left with Pardee and her attorney for comment.
— Dominique Fong
Follow @BvrtnReporter

The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette is closing its Beaverton Family gym, after the site’s property owner dropped a $1.5 million lawsuit and reached a settlement with the nonprofit. The Beaverton Family site at 4925 S.W. Griffith Drive will close July 29, according to a statement from Bruce Patton, the nonprofit’s vice president.
Starting Aug. 1, gym membership, group exercise programs and older adult programs will be transferred to the Beaverton Hoop YMCA at 9685 S.W. Harvest Court, according to a memo sent out to gym members, volunteers and staff.
The announcement comes nearly a year after Tami Pardee, co-owner of the property with her husband Michael Pardee, filed a lawsuit claiming that the nonprofit broke its lease agreement. In the lawsuit, Tami Pardee alleged that the nonprofit tried to persuade Beaverton Family members to join the Hoop location – when, according to the agreement, it was supposed to return club membership to Pardee once the 10-year lease expired in 2013 – and failed to repair or replace equipment. Pardee and the YMCA reached a settlement after Pardee identified a buyer for the property, which has an assessed value of $3,249,830, according to Washington County assessment and taxation records. The price of the sale – which the memo says is “imminent” – and the name of the buyer are unknown. “We made a reasonable settlement regarding both the balance of the lease obligation and the facility maintenance,” Patton said in a statement. Patton would not disclose the remaining balance to be paid or how much maintenance would cost the nonprofit, only that the nonprofit’s financial obligations to Pardee end Aug. 31, 2011. The new owner plans to remodel the building and reopen fall 2012, Patton said. When the Beaverton Family gym reduced hours and cut services last fall, some members dropped their affiliation and a high school racquetball team scrambled to find a gym for practice.
Besides the Beaverton clubs, the YMCA also manages fitness centers, camps and youth sports in Portland, Vancouver, Gresham and Sherwood. Pardee, who lives in California, bought the health club from her father, who opened it in 1978. Calls were left with Pardee and her attorney for comment.
— Dominique Fong
Follow @BvrtnReporter

Jeffrey Stec and Kenneth Handley, former executives of the bankrupt Peak Fitness club chain, have been charged with commercial loan fraud and money laundering conspiracy, the Charlotte Observer reports. Stec, who owned Peak Fitness, and Handley, who was the company’s chief financial officer, fraudulently obtained loans from Wells Fargo and Wachovia, loans that ended up costing the banking institutions almost $2 million combined, according to court documents filed in an indictment on Monday. Prosecutors say Stec and Handley wanted to purchase a condo on Isle of Palms, SC, for $915,000, and the money from a $590,000 commercial loan from Wachovia obtained in 2007 was diverted into Handley’s personal bank account, the newspaper reports. Handley later was approved for an $856,000 loan from Wells Fargo, most of which was transferred back into business accounts, the indictment says.
Stec also obtained three more loans from Wachovia in 2007 and 2008 totaling $3.8 million. The loans allegedly were intended to build or upgrade clubs in Winston-Salem, NC; Kingsport, TN; and Danville, VA, but the money was diverted to other purposes, according to the Observer. Prosecutors claim Wells Fargo lost about $230,000 and Wachovia about $1.7 million. Stec sold Fitness Management Group, the parent company of Peak Fitness, in 2007 and bought it back the following year. He also owned Peak Performance Motorsports, which he used for NASCAR competition, according to the indictment. Fitness Management Group filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Nevada-based Fuzion Investment Capital LLC bought the assets of Peak Fitness out of bankruptcy and later added Allstate Financial Group, Bothell, WA, as an investor. The former Peak Fitness clubs that remained in operation were changed to ZX Fitness. Last month, ZX Fitness closed three clubs in South Carolina.

Jeffrey Stec and Kenneth Handley, former executives of the bankrupt Peak Fitness club chain, have been charged with commercial loan fraud and money laundering conspiracy, the Charlotte Observer reports. Stec, who owned Peak Fitness, and Handley, who was the company’s chief financial officer, fraudulently obtained loans from Wells Fargo and Wachovia, loans that ended up costing the banking institutions almost $2 million combined, according to court documents filed in an indictment on Monday. Prosecutors say Stec and Handley wanted to purchase a condo on Isle of Palms, SC, for $915,000, and the money from a $590,000 commercial loan from Wachovia obtained in 2007 was diverted into Handley’s personal bank account, the newspaper reports. Handley later was approved for an $856,000 loan from Wells Fargo, most of which was transferred back into business accounts, the indictment says.
Stec also obtained three more loans from Wachovia in 2007 and 2008 totaling $3.8 million. The loans allegedly were intended to build or upgrade clubs in Winston-Salem, NC; Kingsport, TN; and Danville, VA, but the money was diverted to other purposes, according to the Observer. Prosecutors claim Wells Fargo lost about $230,000 and Wachovia about $1.7 million. Stec sold Fitness Management Group, the parent company of Peak Fitness, in 2007 and bought it back the following year. He also owned Peak Performance Motorsports, which he used for NASCAR competition, according to the indictment. Fitness Management Group filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Nevada-based Fuzion Investment Capital LLC bought the assets of Peak Fitness out of bankruptcy and later added Allstate Financial Group, Bothell, WA, as an investor. The former Peak Fitness clubs that remained in operation were changed to ZX Fitness. Last month, ZX Fitness closed three clubs in South Carolina.

 Page 1 of 19  1  2  3  4  5 » ...  Last »