The Alaska Club Expands as Fitness Craze Rages.

• Author: ORR, VANESSA
• Position: Brief Article

In 1985, Andrew Eker and Tom Behan decided to buy a recreation center on the corner of Tudor Road and Checkmate Drive in Anchorage in the hopes of opening a health club. Fifteen years later, the partners are celebrating the success of The Alaska Club, which now boasts eight locations, 400 employees and 12,000 members in South central Alaska. Two Fairbanks branches operate under the names Fair banks Athletic Club North and Fair banks Athletic Club South.

"Tom and I came from different backgrounds, but we were both interested in athletics and sports," explained Eker, president of The Alaska Club. "When the opportunity came in late '85 to buy a rec center from the Teamsters, we got together with some other investors and bought the building. We started with sports like tennis, handball and racquetball, but then the fitness craze took off-people really became aware of the importance of exercise.

"We quickly realized that the fitness aspect was going to become much more important than the sports part of it," he continued. "That part of the market was really growing."

Unfortunately, the economy was not as healthy. "We signed the lease as oil prices were dropping from $30 to $8 a barrel, and it was a struggle for a couple of years," said Eker. "But once we got on top of it, we started growing, and we've been expanding ever since."

The Alaska Club now has six locations in Anchorage, as well as one in Eagle River and one in Wasilla. Two Fairbanks athletic clubs are also part of the Alaska Club Network, making total statewide membership at more than 17,000. The original club has been remodeled twice, and a major remodel of the Alaska Club South was completed this year, adding 22,000 square feet on to the existing 17,000- square-foot building.

"We didn't have a grand plan when we started," said Eker. "We didn't even know what we were getting into. We learned the business as we did it. Then we saw the advantages of expanding into the community by providing a good product for the customer."

Along with typical health club amenities, including cardiovascular equipment, racquetball, exercise and weight-lifting rooms, aerobic studios, swimming pools and tennis courts, The Alaska Club also offers services not often found in other Anchorage health clubs. Clients can enjoy massage therapy, group cycling classes, rock-climbing walls, a...