Innovations - IHRSA

| Editor’s Welcome |
Kerry brett
One of the most rewarding aspects of journalism is
the access it provides to people, events, information,
and, ideally, real insights. One of the most frustrating
is that most of it is never reported. There’s so
much to share and so little space!
That’s why, this month, CBI is amending, appending, and otherwise
extending the coverage it provides within these pages by
introducing CBI: Unbound, a blog that will appear on IHRSA’s
Website, www.ihrsa.org.
As the title suggests, this new medium will do its best to shake
off some of the conventions and limitations that define print publications.
It will feature entries by CBI’s editorial and design staffs,
regular contributors, and occasional guests.
CBI: Unbound will, in some cases, amplify on stories first covered
here; describe the journalistic process involved; share the authors’
personal thoughts; or provide updates on recent developments.
It may also devote its attention to other news that’s of interest
to industry professionals. It will, by turns, be serious, introspective,
dramatic, provocative, and, occasionally, even humorous.
One of the articles in this issue of CBI admits to the
restrictions of print and illustrates the opportunities
posed by blogs. “Upbeat in a Downbeat Economy”
(pg. 29) is the story of J Madden, a commercial realestate
developer in Colorado who, a number of years
ago, became intrigued by health clubs. The result
was the Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club
(GATC), a 140,000-square-foot, resort-like complex
in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
More recently, just as the Great Recession was, as
Madden describes it, “gripping the economy with its
talons,” he successfully launched Pura Vida Fitness
and Spa, a breathtaking 30,000-square-foot facility
in Denver’s affluent Cherry Creek neighborhood.
This feature was researched and written by Contributing Editor
Jean Suffin, who visited Pura Vida, met with Madden and his staff,
and conducted numerous follow-up interviews both by phone and
e-mail. When you read it, you’ll discover that, as a club developer,
Madden is a true original. You’ll get a sense of what it’s like to create
a new club in an incredibly competitive market during a financially
inauspicious time. You’ll learn that Pura Vida and its spa, Vital Spa,
were obliged to reinvent themselves to deal with a seismic shift in
the marketplace.
What you won’t learn very much about, however, is Madden’s
special passion for architecture and aesthetics. Or about his
unwavering focus on members. Or about Madden’s response to
being scrutinized so intensely by Suffin. “This has been a fun and
cathartic process for me, as I haven’t been interviewed like this
before,” he told her in an e-mail. “It’s given me a chance to reflect
on my career in this business and the many joys—past, present,
and future—involved.”
Suffin’s response: “Hey, we could have written your biography
by now.”
… or, at the very least, a blog entry or two. —|
4 Club Business International | APRIL 2010 | www.ihrsa.org
The mission of IHRSA is to grow, protect,
and promote the industry, and to provide its
members with benefits that will help them
be more successful.
Publishing
Editor-In-Chief: Craig R. Waters
Publisher: Jay M. Ablondi
Managing Editor: Rebecca K. Maverick
Editor: Jennifer H. McInerney
Associate Editor: Patricia Glynn
Editorial Assistant: Mia Coen
Contributing Editors:
Dawn Allcot, Patricia Amend, Phoebe Anderson,
Jon Feld, Julie M. King, Catherine Larner,
Lesley Mahoney, Jean Suffin, Stephen Wallenfels,
Kristen A. Walsh
Advertising, www.cbimediakit.com
Vice President of Advertising & Membership Sales:
Michele Eynon
Senior Account Manager:
Jessica Gutstein
Advertising & Associate Membership Manager:
Christine Paterson
Advertising Sales Executive:
Donna Garrity
Business Development Publications:
Will Finn
Publications & Associate Coordinator:
Meghan Burnham
Art Direction, Design, Production:
HM Studios, Boston, MA
internAtiOnAl heAlth, rACQuet
& sPOrtsClub AssOCiAtiOn
President & CEO: Joe Moore
Chief Operating Officer: Anita Lawlor
Executive Vice President of Public Policy:
Helen Durkin
Executive Vice President of Global Products:
Jay Ablondi
Club business internAtiOnAl
editOriAl & Advertising OffiCes:
c/o ihrsA
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to order reprints of articles,
call 800-228-4772 ext. 192 or
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Club business international (issn 1043-9692,
usPs 766-570) is published monthly ©2010
by the international health, racquet & sportsclub
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Vo l u m e 30, Issue 4
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