Former Tennis Club Reinvents Itself

Eastlake Athletic Club, once a tennis club with few members, was transformed into a thriving fitness center, without forgetting its roots.

Eastlake Athletic Club, now a successful fitness facility in Elkhart, Ind., was once a tennis club that had outlived its usefulness. "We started Eastlake as a tennis facility with only 250 members," says Justin Evers, who co-owns the facility with his identical twin brother, Jason. "Within three years, our membership grew to 1,000."

The Evers brothers kept some of the indoor tennis courts, and converted 20,000 square feet of the facility into a 12,000-square-foot fitness center, a 7,000-square-foot basketball court and running track, and a group fitness studio. (The entire facility has a 30-foot pitch ceiling, which makes the facility open and spacious.) "We worked long hours with little pay to build the tennis program to the point where we could invest in fitness equipment. Once we established the fitness center, it complemented the tennis club," Justin says. As a result of the combined facility, many tennis members converted to fitness members, and many new fitness members started participating in tennis. Says Justin, "It turned into a win/win situation."

The conversion to fitness wasn't easy, especially since Justin and Jason are tennis pros with no background in fitness management. "We hired a fitness consultant to assist us on what equipment to purchase, and the layout of the equipment," Justin says. But, despite their inexperience, the brothers soon found that their style of management was working. "We are on site every day, and truly interact with staff and members. This allows us to take care of any problems or unexpected situations that may come up," says Justin. "Our chemistry is great, with Jason overseeing the tennis department, and my managing the fitness side," he says. In addition, since Jason and Justin both also give tennis lessons, this "gives us the opportunity to build member relations on the tennis court, as well as on the fitness floor," Justin says.

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