This press release was provided by Leap Fitness. The Club Industry editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.
When Bobby Verdun took over as CEO of Leap Fitness three months ago, he was tasked with replacing aging equipment, instilling new management teams, injecting cutting edge class offerings and overseeing major facility upgrades — for each of Leap Fitness’ locations. Now, following a string of successful moves, Verdun is building a partnership with the esteemed physical therapy group, Boston Sports Medicine, to create a total wellness experience within club walls.
Verdun says the magic of the relationship is the ability to create a true medical model through complimentary programing. With extreme fitness trends repeatedly making headlines for the amount of injuries involved in the workouts, Verdun believes collaborating with a Sports Medicine practice communicates the brand’s belief in developing a strong, healthy foundation for a lifetime of growth.
States Verdun: “Living an active and healthy lifestyle is a marathon filled with sprints. Leap is committed to creating an exceptional experience for our members that encourages, supports, and educates people unlike any other club in the country. From live music while people work out, to bringing in experts such as Michael and his talented team, we continue to develop a model that gives each community housing a Leap club a unique, tailored feel. With Boston Sports Medicine on our team, we now become not only a fun place to stay active, but arguably the safest club to be at.”
Boston Sports Medicine director Michael Velsmid agrees. When launching the brand 15 years ago, Velsmid says the priority was to get people back to full strength so they could achieve their goals.
The challenge, however, was being able to gauge whether people were ultimately successful.
States Versmid: “This partnership with Leap is exceptional because now we can follow our patients from start to finish. We can see the results and the fruits of our team’s labor to make people well. You don’t get to do that a lot on in medicine. We see the before, not always the after. But now our patients can stay within arms reach. We can monitor them in the short term, coach them in the long term, and make sure their able to achieve their goals. That’s fun for us. That’s what this is all about.”
This partnership serves Leap members and non-members alike. Most health insurance providers cover the cost of physical therapy and subsidize a health club membership as well. With both offerings available at Leap, patients and members can leverage both services in a single location.
With an ambition to build 25 clubs in the next three years, Velsmid says Leap’s vision and energy was exactly what he was looking for in a longterm partner to grow the brand. “We’ve been providing top-notch care in the Boston area since 1999,” says Velsmid. “With our partnership with Leap, we can create a full-service wellness experience. As we grow with Leap, we can work with more people and improve more outcomes. That’s a win-win. I think it’s the future of our industry.”