Technogym, the Italian exercise equipment company, recently announced its appointment as the official equipment supplier at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The upcoming games will mark Technogym’s sixth time as official supplier.
The company reportedly will provide equipment for the main Olympic Village in Barra da Tijuca and will equip 15 centres and warm-up areas at competition venues. About 1,000 pieces of Technogym equipment and Technogym’s mywellness cloud digital platform will be installed. Technogym also will provide 50 athletic trainers as well as gym layout, installation, and technical service.
“We are very proud to have been chosen for the sixth time as the official supplier of the Olympic Games,” Nerio Alessandri, president and founder of Technogym, said in a statement. “This important achievement represents a victory for the whole Technogym team and a strong reference on our products innovation and quality standards.”
Eric Willin, COO, of EZFacility, a fitness facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York, noted the prevalence of Technogym equipment at gyms, health clubs, and fitness centres throughout the world. “Fitness facilities constantly seek out equipment that can be efficiently managed and that showcases both innovation and a commitment to traditional quality,” he said. “As official equipment supplier for the Olympics six times in a row, Technogym has established itself as a trusted brand.”

XSport Fitness, a chain of 24-hour fitness facilities based in Big Rock, Illinois, recently announced plans to expand in its three primary markets: Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
By the end of 2016, XSport will have opened new clubs in Melrose Park, Illinois; the Bronx, New York; and Fort Totten, a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With a reported $176 million in 2013 revenue, XSport is well poised for expansion. In addition to the new clubs, the company also plans an $8 million renovation for its Belmont-Ashland club in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
“It’s interesting to watch the growth of a club like XSport Fitness,” said Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a health club management software developer in Woodbury, New York. “Club Industry magazine ranks the company number 8 on its Top 100 Clubs list, and year after year the Better Business Bureau gives it an A+ score. Clearly, members are happy with its structure and offerings, and its sound business plan keeps it a successful and growing enterprise.”
The company’s three new clubs and the renovated one will each feature more than 200 pieces of equipment, personal training, XIT group training, a basketball court, a four-lane lap pool, a resistance pool, a full-day spa, a child play area, and a pro shop.
In January, XSport opened two express clubs, one in Woodbridge, Virginia, and one in Matteson, Illinois, and in May it opened a full-service club in Norridge, Illinois.

While athletic facilities with outdoor fields frequently feature turf, and often turf that’s coloured to display team or school spirit, it’s rare to find a baseball field with synthetic turf—especially synthetic turf that’s bright red. But the University of Northwestern Ohio, in Lima, Ohio, has become the first in the nation to sport a red baseball field. The surface will be ready for play in the 2015 fall and spring seasons.
“Turf allows us to save not only on maintenance, but travel as well,” said the university’s head coach, Kory Hartman. “It can be difficult to play games this far north in early March.” With the new synthetic field, the team should be in a better position to host early-season games.
“Baseball is a symbol in our country, and it’s easy to feel nostalgic about playing on natural grass,” said Eric Willin, COO, of EZFacility, a sports facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York, “but there are many advantages to covering a baseball field in turf, both economically and in terms of the quality of play. The University of Northwestern Ohio is going the turf route in style.”
Because of baseball’s early-start season, many teams, especially in northern parts of the United States, are forced by the weather to practice in gymnasiums and batting cages, as opposed to on an actual field. Turf allows teams to play outdoors in wet and even snowy weather; as a result, in the past few years, more and more leagues have allowed the installation of synthetic fields.

A new athletic complex is coming to Ladera Ranch, California — right next door to a massive storage facility. Michael Schwartz, owner of Smart Stop Self Storage and Strategic Storage Trust, Inc., has received municipal approval to build a $32.6 million athletic center on a plot of land adjacent to his 100,000-square-foot storage facility.
The complex will include a 56,000-square-foot gymnasium with eight basketball and volleyball courts. It will also expand Smart Stop’s operations, with 41,400 square feet of the new building dedicated to storage and 21,000 square feet set aside for Smart Shop’s office headquarters. Built-in features will include cameras on all courts, so that parents or sports scouts can log in remotely to watch games or practices. In addition, plans for the facility include the installation of rooftop solar panels and an architectural design that will stand out in the community.
Schwartz told the Orange County Register that the project fits in with the company’s vision for serving the community. “It’s not a small endeavor, but we really believe in the community,” he said. “The mixed-use financially makes sense. We can build the nicest indoor gymnasium in the U.S., and we need to expand storage space and offices for our growing operations.”
Eric Willin, COO, of EZFacility, a sports facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York, called the move an intriguing experiment. “Community-minded entrepreneurs look for ways to grow their businesses while also serving their localities. There is almost no community in the United States that would not benefit from having an easily accessible athletic center available for use. Situating such a center within an already established business stands to benefit all parties involved.”
Schwartz commented that anyone will be able to rent the athletic center, including the players and club teams of local basketball and volleyball leagues, as well as high school teams.

A three-year plan to renovate the student recreation center at the University of Colorado-Boulder is starting to bear fruit, with a new pool now on campus and new tennis courts slated to be operational at the end of July. The pool has been a focal point of the project, as it is uniquely shaped to resemble a charging buffalo, the university’s mascot.
In April 2011, more than 70 percent of students at the university voted to increase student fees in support of a $63.5 million recreation center overhaul. In addition to the pool and tennis courts, the overhaul has resulted in a strength and conditioning space double its original size, a much larger group exercise and fitness studio, a new ice rink, a refurbishing of existing gym spaces, a new climbing gym and bouldering wall, and a renovation of locker rooms, lobbies, and meeting spaces.
“Like many other universities, the University of Colorado at Boulder has recognized the need for a top-notch exercise facility,” said Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a fitness center management software developer in Woodbury, New York. “Prospective students weigh exercise facilities carefully when they’re comparing universities and deciding which one to attend. If a school lacks decent space with high-quality equipment and an array of classes and other offerings, prospectives go elsewhere. Also, as demonstrated by the buffalo-shaped pool, a school’s rec center is a mark of pride — it’s a center for school spirit.”
Annie Mulvaney, assistant director of marketing and external relations for Colorado’s recreation service, told the university’s newspaper, the Boulder Daily Camera, that the recreation center received some criticism for spending extra money on an elaborately shaped pool that, being outdoors, will be open for only a short time each year. But she noted that it’s a feature students have supported heartily.

YogaWorks, a Los Angeles-based company that operates 29 studios in California and New York, was sold to the Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners earlier this month.
The yoga studio’s parent firm, Highland Capital Partners, sold the company for about $45 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. In addition to studio-based classes, YogaWorks produces online courses and videos through MyYogaWorks and has an established teacher-training progam.
“The popularity of yoga is on the rise and has been for years,” says Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a fitness facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York. “Investing in a yoga studio is simply a good business decision, especially if the studio is an established brand with the potential to thrive in new markets.”
Great Hill Partners has more than $3 billion under management. A spokesperson for the firm told the Wall Street Journal that YogaWorks was an appealing acquisition because of its robust brand recognition. Also, Great Hill’s research reportedly has shown that yoga class attendance is increasing at a rate of more than 10 percent per year.

Weight Watchers International, Inc., the largest weight-management company in the world, recently combined its famous nutrition and diet programs with a remote fitness component. The company acquired Wello, an app that provides exercisers with online workouts and live classes.
“I’m impressed with Wello’s talent, their technology, and their platform to deliver personalized services,” Dan Crow, Weight Watchers chief technology officer, said in a statement. “We look forward to combining our technology and innovation capabilities to better meet the needs of today’s consumer.”
Eric Willin, COO, of EZFacility, a fitness facility management software developer, noted the growing presence of digital services in the fitness industry. “Every day, we’re seeing more and more businesses take advantage of technology to enhance exercise, increase options available to consumers, and expand their own offerings. Gyms, health clubs, and fitness centres have been at the forefront of this trend; it’s interesting to see a company like Weight Watchers taking part.”
Wello works much like the ride-sharing services that connect drivers with passengers, such as Lyft and Uber. In this case, the app makes use of browsers and webcams to connect trainers with people looking to get fit. Such digital systems offer the ability to scale quickly, providing a particular advantage to companies that use technology to provide health-management functions.
Weight Watchers is a Fortune 500 company that reported revenues of $1.72 billion for 2013.

In a move toward expanding its services, Pomerene Hospital in Millersburg, Ohio, is finalizing a deal to take over a local fitness center. The deal, still in the works, will give the hospital management over Kinetics Fitness for Life, which offers exercise equipment, studio classes, cardio programs, and wellness sessions to nearly 500 members.
According to the newspaper The Daily Record, Pomerene’s chief financial officer, Jason Justus, said during a recent hospital board meeting that managing and running the fitness center would allow the hospital to align its services with reform in the health industry, emphasizing wellness and preventative care. “With the recent passing of the ACA [Affordable Care Act] health reform, one of the changes has been extending care beyond the actual four walls of the hospital,” Justus said. “That’s the natural evolution in wellness, and this step will help us model that change.”
Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a fitness center management software developer in Woodbury, New York, said the move promised to be advantageous for all parties involved. “We have seen more and more gyms, health clubs, fitness centres, and sports facilities partnering with other kinds of institutions and businesses to deliver wellness to communities. Pomerene Hospital’s decision to manage Kinetics Fitness for Life could help bring prevention to the forefront of people’s attention, and it will be exciting to see how this partnership develops.”
The owner of Kinetics, Staush Cass, reportedly approached the hospital, saying he was seeking a community collaborator. Cass said in a statement issued by the hospital that he believes the transition will benefit the center’s current members as well as the wider community. As the agreement is still under negotiation, no decisions have yet been made regarding the details of running Kinetics, according to a the statement.

The State of New Jersey has awarded the Philadelphia 76ers $82 million in tax credits over 10 years to build a practice facility in Camden, New Jersey. The deal has been called one of the most generous in state history.
In a dollar-for-dollar exchange, the Sixers are allowed to recoup their costs, up to $82 million, for construction of a cutting-edge facility that will serve as team headquarters. Slated to occupy 120,000 square feet on Camden’s waterfront, the facility will provide practice space and equipment to the Sixers, and will include two basketball courts, a fitness training and rehabilitation space, player and coaching staff locker rooms, an audio-video review room, broadcast media facilities, a player lounge, support facilities, and office space. Eventually athletic camps for children and other, similar programming may be offered.
“The scope of this project bodes well for both parties,” said Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a sports facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York. “The team will benefit from having a state-of-the-art space in which to train and develop as athletes. And Camden will benefit from an influx of new jobs and the presence of a facility that will draw attention and business to a depressed area.”
Officials estimate that the new facility will create 250 new jobs and hope it lures additional developers to the area. A tax revenue-strapped city, Camden could net $76.6 million over 35 years, the state predicts. According to the terms of the deal, made possible by the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013, the Sixers can use or sell the tax credits from the state as long as they employ 250 people in Camden and stay in the city for 15 years.
Naysayers have questioned how much the facility’s construction will benefit residents and whether a state struggling with budget problems should be offering large-scale tax credits that, in effect, give money away. But supporters are adamant about the facility’s potential to improve the Camden area. “It’s a catalyst for change,” said Camden’s mayor, Dana L. Redd. “I am elated for my city.”

Towson University, in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland, recently announced a $34 million expansion of its recreation center.
The expansion will add 90,000 square feet to the center, known as Burdick Hall. It will include two multipurpose athletic courts, group exercise studios, and a three-lane indoor running track. The courts will be used for indoor soccer and lacrosse, and the studios will serve cycling classes, martial arts, and personal training. As it exists now, Burdick Hall contains a swimming pool, basketball courts, and a 33-foot indoor climbing wall.
“It’s always gratifying to see a university commit to improving its athletic facilities,” said Eric Willin, COO of EZFacility, a sports facility management software developer in Woodbury, New York. “Doing so sends a message to students, faculty, staff, and alumni that sports and fitness are of primary importance, and it gives members of the school’s community an opportunity to work out or compete to the limits of their abilities. This addition is sure to enhance Townson’s athletics a great deal.”
Towson University fields 19 NCAA Division I varsity teams that compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. In 2013, it constructed a 5,200-seat, state-of-the-art sports arena, which hosts the school’s basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball team. The university also boasts the Baltimore metro area’s third-largest outdoor stadium and a freestanding baseball park.