Colorado Athletic Club expands with locations in Denver and Boulder.

• Author: Cote, Maria
• Position: HEALTH

It was a risk to open two new health clubs in a down economy.

But Ed Williams, president of Denver-based Wellbridge, doesn't mind taking a calculated risk.

The addition of a 45,000-square-foot club in the Tabor Center in downtown Denver, and a 40,000-square-foot club in Boulder bring the total of Colorado Athletic Clubs to six. Nationwide, Wellbridge has 20 locations.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Knock on wood. They're all doing well, including the two new Colorado clubs," Williams says. "I mean, they're not blowing any doors off, but they're holding up."

Williams, who founded Wellbridge 28 years ago, says he's able to find great locations because of the economy.

"It doesn't necessarily mean we pay less for the space, but we're finding great locations as the retail guys are pulling back.

Years ago, we would never have been able to get that Tabor Center location."

The businessman says there are always a few surprises after the clubs have been open for a while.

"I would have thought we'd get the business crowd mostly at the Tabor Center," he says. "In fact, we're getting a lot of residential traffic. Around 60 percent, in fact."

And he's lucky that the city dwellers want to stay in shape, as corporate memberships, once a strong part of his business, are lagging.

"We still do some, but we used to get a lot of subsidized memberships. It's an expense that's good for the company, helping employees physically and mentally, but it's a place a company can cut back, so they do."

One secret to the success of the clubs, Williams says, is that he insists on state-of-the-art equipment. Visitors at the Boulder...