Pumping iron for profit.

• Author: Berger, Michael
• Position: Alaska's health clubs

If getting in shape is your New Year's resolution again this year, Alaska's health clubs are waiting to help you out.

Staying in shape during Alaska's cold, dark winters requires dedication. It means traveling out-of-the-way miles through treacherous road conditions, braving icy parking lots, and then enduring 15 minutes of stretching to chase the cold from stiff limbs and joints.

We want to be pampered by our health clubs. But we also want a place for a serious workout and education on the benefits of staying fit.

Health clubs statewide understand their members' needs. In fact, keeping up with fitness technology while catering to creature comforts helps keep Alaska close to tops per capita in indoor health club memberships nationwide, notes the Peak Performance Marketing Research Letter for Health & Athletic Clubs. In 1984, there were only five clubs in the state. Today, customer tastes have matured, and over 65 more clubs have sprung up statewide.

Full-Service Fitness

"Prospective members are looking for a full-service club," says John Marchetti, vice president at The Alaska Club in Anchorage. "The Alaska Club has positioned itself as a family club. Numerous programs aimed at having something for everyone in the family have made us the dominant player in the family health club market in Anchorage."

In 1986, managing partner Andrew Eker and general partner Tom Behan formed a limited partnership to purchase the Teamsters Union recreation center on Tudor Road and opened the 100,000-square-foot club to the public with an initial 450 members. In 1989, the partnership also bought the Anchorage Racquet and Fitness Club. By 1993, The Alaska Club had over 3,000 members turning out to work out.

Eker says that in today's competitive health club industry, it's imperative to have a strong business background and hire a quality fitness staff. Many clubs started by entrepreneurs with only a fitness background either died out or are under new management. Health clubs are just like any other business, Eker adds. To meet member standards and remain stable financially, a health club requires a well-rounded administrative program.

Targeting the family fitness market enabled The Alaska Club to expand its facilities. "Because we felt we had to stay on top of national trends, adding new equipment and starting up programs for adults and their children resulted in a steady flow of new members," says Marchetti. "To better serve our members, we're building an...