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...our leads come from digital marketing and
various digital platforms.
Glen Rappaport, vice president of informa-
tion technology at McLean VA-based Sport &
Health, says much the same.
“You have a CIO to get a dierent vantage
point from the standpoint of technology
before other executives look at it,” Rappa-
port says. “Even though I run the technology
department for the company, I really don’t
care that much about the technology itself. I
care about how the company can use it.”
Rappaport comes from the technology
work, having worked for a hospitality tech-
nology vendor prior to signing on at Sport
& Health. He cites one other reason some
clubs might shy away from technology.
“It requires
some over-
head to get
in the game,”
he says.
“Companies
may think
technology
is confusing.”
Bryan O’Rourke, co-founder of Integerus,
a consulting company based in Covington,
LA, and Fort Worth, TX says CFOs often are
given the “info ocer hat” within a fitness
company, which short-changes the club.
“They need to be looking at technology as
an absolutely essential function to the way
they operate their business,” O’Rourke says
of club executives. “They have to be aware of
local search and of everything their members
are using devices and Internet connectivity
for.”
Skeen ties
another critical
business function
to technology-risk
management. Club
owners who are
not tech savvy, he
says, may not even
know that a computer system at the front
desk displays credit card numbers and other
personal information when members check
in. That data can be easily be misused or
stolen, he says, and a company could find
itself at the expensive end of a lawsuit if the
club is found negligent in the way its system
displayed or handled personal information.
“Justifying technology based on rich analysis
is much more dicult,” Skeen says, “but
small business owners need to be aware
of these issues to be successful.” A CIO or
CTO can be the guide to help navigate this
technology.»
Dukart, James R.. “As Technology Use Grows, Fitness
Facilities Lack Individuals in Information and Tech-
nology Executive Roles.” Club Industry. (2012)
4
www.gymtechservice.com
Manufacturers
Johnson Health Tech
Acquires Magnum
Fitness
Johnson Health Tech (JHT), the parent company of
such fitness brands as Matrix, Vision, AFK and Horizon,
has acquired Magnum Fitness, South Milwaukee, WI.
Magnum Fitness, a developer of commercial strength
training product for more than 30 years, adds a com-
prehensive commercial strength product portfolio
to JHT, Mark Zabel, vice
president of global prod-
uct development and
marketing at JHT, said
in a release. The product
line greatly increases
the competitiveness of
JHT’s product oering in
adjacent channels of the
commercial market, he added. In addition to round-
ing our the existing product portfolio, the acquisition
of Magnum also gives JHT North American-based
manufacturing capabilities.
“This acquisition allows us to oer customization and
flexibility options to our commercial customers that
simple were not feasible before,” Zabel said. “We’re
excited about the possibilities.”
Over the next 12 months, the JHT management
team will evaluate how to best integrate the existing
Magnum team , product lines, distributors and facili-
ties into its existing operations. Ron Carringi will serve
as a general manufacturing facility. Prior to this post,
Carringi served as a director of engineering at JHT
for nine years, and he brings experience in managing
strength manufacturing facilities to his new position. »
Industry News
Planet Fitness Deal Falls
Through.
A potential deal that executives at Planet Fitness had
been negotiating to sell the company is not o, ac-
cording to a source close to Planet Fitness, Newing-
ton, NH.
Rumours of a major deal involving Planet Fitness have
been circulating for the past
several weeks. The unidenti-
fied company that wanted to
buy Planet Fitness was from
outside the fitness industry
and was not an investment
company, a source says.
“Negotiating has ceased, with
the challenge cited as current
credit markets tightening up substantially,” the source
tells Club Industry. Other entities may continue to
pursue aliations with Planet Fitness because of its
position in the marketplace, the source adds.
Planet Fitness had been preparing to go public with
an initial public oering last year, but those plans were
put on hold as the company was engaged in a lawsuit
with franchisee partners in PFNY, LLC. The two sides
were close to a settlement in June 2012. »