Augie In Action! Augie In Action! - Ihrsa

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Göthberg Steps Down
from SATS
Andreas Göthberg, l.
Andreas Göthberg, the CEO of SATS Holding
AB, the second-largest fitness provider in
Europe, will step down this month to
become the CEO of OneMed Group, the leading
healthcare product distributor in the Baltic Rim.
He assumes his new position May 1.
Göthberg, who joined SATS as managing director
in 2000, has been credited with creating a solid
foundation for growth for that company and helping
it to become the leading fitness chain in Scandinavia.
He was featured in the February issue of CBI (see
“IHRSA: The One for All,” pg. 64) for his increasing
involvement in IHRSA.
SATS, based in Loerenskog, Norway, currently
has 104 corporate-owned facilities, as well as 44
franchised or licensed sites, in Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, and Finland, and serves more than
230,000 members. —|
BBB: Health Club Complaints
on the Rise
> The Better Business Bureau (BBB), a national consumer advocate group,
recently reported that complaints against health clubs have increased more
than 90% nationwide over the last five years. The most common grievances?
Contract disputes (42%) and billing problems (32%). Another cause for
customer dissatisfaction is clubs that sell membership contracts and then
go out of business (15%), according to the BBB. However, there is a silver
lining for the consumer: 77% of all health club complaints in 2006 were resolved.
For additional information—including your club’s current BBB rating
and whether any complaints have been filed against your company—log
on to www.bbb.org. —|
24 Club Business International | MARCH 2008 | www.ihrsa.org
Personnel Shifts
in TSI’s Executive Suite
> In January, Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. [NASDAQ:
CLUB], the New York-based chain, announced additional personnel
changes following the departure, last October, of CEO Robert
Giardina. The company said that Randall Stephen, its chief
operating officer (COO), had resigned, effective immediately, and
that Richard Pyle, its chief financial officer (CFO), would resign
from that post at the end of this month. No reason was given for
Stephen’s departure, but Town Sports International (TSI) indicated
that Pyle was leaving to “pursue other interests.” Stephen’s duties
will be assumed by other TSI executives, according to a company
spokesperson, while Pyle will be replaced by Daniel Gallagher,
who had been serving as senior vice president of finance.
“Richard (Pyle) has made an enormous contribution to the
growth and success of our company,” notes Alex Alimanestianu,
who succeeded Giardina as CEO and is also the president of TSI.
“Richard was essential in strengthening our balance sheet with
his involvement, over the past several years, in our IPO and debt
refinancing, which provided us with strong liquidity and positioned
us for future growth.” Of Gallagher, Alimanestianu said, “This
promotion is a natural progression for Dan, as well as part of a
succession plan for TSI, as we continue to build a highly talented
management team to lead the company over the coming years.”
The company’s stock, which had enjoyed a 52-week high of
$24 per share, was down to $8.01 shortly after the announcement
of the most recent changes.
TSI operates some 158 facilities, under four brand names, in
the U.S., as well as three clubs in Switzerland. —|