Genesis Health Clubs, Wichita, Kansas, has acquired all seven of The Athletic Clubs (formerly Prairie Life Fitness) for an undisclosed amount, Genesis Health Clubs announced.
“Opportunities like this don’t come along very often,” Genesis Health Club owner Rodney Steven said, noting that the purchase had been in the works since last year. “The Athletic Clubs are a strong, amenity-rich organization that fits our model perfectly, and they are present in key markets for us. This helps us to really consolidate and strengthen our footprint in an almost perfect way. You couldn’t make up a better acquisition for us.”
The Athletic Clubs had locations in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. For Genesis Health Clubs, the purchase adds two more clubs in Kansas, four more in Nebraska and a fifth location in Iowa.
Some of the new locations are near existing Genesis Health Club locations, and Steven told Club Industry that the company will consolidate one facility each in Overland Park, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; and Des Moines, Iowa.
“We’ve enjoyed competing with Genesis,” The Athletic Clubs Owner Tony Dahmen said. “You want the best for your members, so it was important to us that they ended up with a great operator and got real value from the transition. I’m so glad we were able to accomplish that.”
The Athletic Clubs are large clubs with swimming pools, top-of-the-line equipment, and lots of space and programming, Steven said, but the acquisition will mean members of some of the small leased facilities will get an upgrade with more amenities.
“Giving people some room to move is more important than ever now, and we’re happy to provide that,” Steven said.
Steven said he is focused on consolidating and strengthening the markets in which Genesis already exists, but that doesn’t mean more purchases won’t happen, since the COVID-19 pandemic is creating opportunities.
“We’ve built, rebranded, and remodeled so much that it’s time to really focus on being the best operator we possibly can," Steven said. "Show people results and a genuine community, and they’ll be a loyal member for life. Plus, they’ll tell their friends.”
Genesis Health Clubs now has 57 locations across six states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa, making it the largest health club and tennis organization in the Midwest and one of the top five largest tennis organizations in the United States, according to the company.