Click Here To View The “Top 100 Health Clubs” In The Nation

Other clubs had decreases in their revenue from the previous year, and some provided details as to why. Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO, saw its revenue drop from $11.5 million in 2010 to $11 million in 2011 and is tied for No. 64 on this year’s list. Dan Gray, CFO of Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, says the decrease was due to a Life Time Fitness that opened three miles away, which reduced Greenwood’s memberships by about 200 in a little more than two months.

However, Gray adds, about 22 percent of those memberships have returned, and the company is experiencing a resurgence so far this year. Through May, the company’s revenues are up more than 8 percent year over year, according to Gray.

Competition in the area also was a factor in a decrease in revenue for HealthQuest Fitness, Flemington, NJ, says general manager Deirdre Whalen. HealthQuest dipped from $7.5 million in 2010 to $6.9 million in 2011, but it only fell one spot on the list to No. 83. However, Whalen says the club is making some changes to the facility to help bring back members who had left.

Advocate Condell Centre Club, Libertyville, IL, had a 16 percent decrease in revenue, from $11.3 million in 2010 to $9.5 million in 2011, and is tied for No. 72 on this year’s list. Manager Richard Schoeneman said a good portion of the decrease was due to the relocation of the club’s cardiac rehabilitation center to another site. A physical therapy unit also was relocated, Schoeneman adds.

Four new companies are on this year’s list: Wisconsin Athletic Clubs, Milwaukee, which tied at No. 52 with $15 million in 2011 revenue; FIT Brands Max Fitness, Columbus, GA, which is No. 59 with $13 million; Blue Sky Holdings Inc., Manchester, MA, which tied at No. 90 with $6.3 million; and City Club at River Ranch, Lafayette, LA, which is No. 97 with $4.8 million.

Several club companies indicated on their Top 100 entry form that they plan to grow this year, which could enhance their ranking on the list next year.

“Perhaps one of the hidden trends arising from this year’s Top 100 Clubs list is the planned growth by regional and middle-sized club companies that are adding one to two new facilities in the next year,” says Rick Caro, president of Management Vision, New York, who reviewed the information on the Top 100 Clubs list. “This is often at a faster pace than historically has been the case. There is also intended growth by acquisition. Obviously, the franchisors are planning to benefit from substantial new franchise sales.”