Family Fitness Jackson Square

[IronWarrior]

I heard the Family Fitness in Jackson Square has been bought out by Goodlife Fitness...? I wonder how much truth there is to this??? I heard they got bought out in Febuary... but nothing has changed as of yet!

[markbarbera]

From Saturday's Spec:

A weight off his shoulders
Entrepreneur Gene Kay is newly retired at age 54. The Family Fitness chain he helped forge begins its next phase under different owners

July 26, 2008
Carli Whitwell
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton entrepreneur Gene Kay credits his success to a friend who told him to find a career he was passionate about.

Looks like Kay's a good listener.

In November, Kay -- the co-creator of local fitness chain Family Fitness -- and his partners sold their company to two chains: 10 clubs to Ontario's GoodLife, based in London and the rest to California-based L.A. Fitness.

Next month, local fitness centres Exclusively Women's and Family Fitness will be co-branded with GoodLife.

"We definitely had mixed feelings," says Kay, 54, about the sale of a club he had owned for almost 30 years. "But two of the most highly reputable health club experts in the North American industry approached us. We were happy to do the sale so our members could continue to have the best facilities available."

The local fitness company and baby of Kay and former partner Mike Watson opened in 1981. Kay later incorporated it with Exclusively Women's Centres to make the Alliance Fitness Corporation in 1999.

Kay wouldn't disclose the selling price to GoodLife and L.A. Fitness, but says he and his partners were "very pleased."

At the time of the sale, Alliance Fitness was generating $40 million a year in sales.

Except for a name change, the retired entrepreneur doesn't seem much different from the ambitious youth who grew up in Hamilton's east end.

He is friendly, confident, still in great shape (he works out seven days a week) and is reluctant to talk about the wealth he has accumulated over the years.

Kay was born Gene Kwiatkowski -- he changed his surname to his football nickname in the '90s after finding out his father was adopted -- and attended Glendale Secondary School and the University of Guelph before dropping out after a semester.

"I lasted the football season," he laughs.

Kay balks at the reference to alleged ties to the Parkdale Gang. "If you lived in the east end, you were automatically in the Parkdale Gang."

He played for the Hamilton Hurricanes in the Canadian Junior Football League and the Stoney Creek Patriots and tried out twice for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but fate would not have him wearing gold and black.

Instead, the trajectory of this hardworking young man who moonlighted as a bouncer and later climbed the ranks at Corby's Wiser distillery would veer in a different direction entirely.

In the mid-'70s, Kay and his now ex-business partner Watson, a Canadian bodybuilding champion at the time, travelled to the original Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif.

Called the mecca of bodybuilding, Gold's Gym attracted the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Incredible Hulk's Lou Ferrigno.

Spotting a trend that wouldn't hit Hamilton for another five years, Kay and Watson decided to bring the fitness craze north.

Getting it off the ground would be another story.

"We didn't have much money in those days and fitness was really a foreign concept for banks to lend money to, so it was very difficult to start up," Kay says.

Undaunted, he and Watson enlisted family and friends as their first customers, took the deposit to the bank and got a loan of $250,000.

In 1981, the 5,000-square-foot Champion Fitness opened on Stone Church Road East near Upper Ottawa Street. After 18 months, they had 1,000 members, Kay recalls.

Business grew fast. Within 10 years, they had outgrown two locations and opened centres on Barton Street and in Jackson Square.

They also changed the name of the company -- first adding "family" to the title and then dropping "champion" -- to invite a broader demographic to the clubs.

Kay and Watson parted ways in 1999, and Kay went on to set up a Family Fitness flagship centre in Oakville before he was approached by Joe Ertel of Exclusively Women's Centres to merge their companies.

By 2007, they had more than 100,000 members.

Despite some scandal, including a 1989 assault charge that was later dropped and a $5,000 fine in 1992 for misleading advertising, over the years Kay kept his company active in the community.

They have donated used equipment to area high schools and more than half a million dollars cumulatively to the Special Olympics and Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Kay also served as a member and later chairman of Hamilton's entertainment superboard HECFI in the early '90s.

Newly retired, he says he is spending time with his family and friends and working on keeping in shape. He and his wife Lori, 44 -- they recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary -- live in Burlington with their "daughter" Molly, a Yorkshire terrier.

[IronWarrior]

I seen the notices today at the front desk in the Jackson Square FF...membership fee's are supposed to remain the same I heard, I hope the take over brings with it some upgrades in equipment for the JS location.:)

[raisethehammer]

"alleged ties to the Parkdale gang". Lol.

My grandfather is a retired cop.
He was ticked off several years ago when my family joined FF.
He would always bother us about it - "do you know who this guy is??", "why are you giving money to a criminal? I've been chasing him around for years" etc.....

my Dad grew up in the eastend and attended the same schools and has never, not once been said to have been in the parkdale gang.

But I digress....the most successful business folks in Hamilton are often the most crooked (I hear it helps out at city hall).

[markbarbera]

I seen the notices today at the front desk in the Jackson Square FF...membership fee's are supposed to remain the same I heard, I hope the take over brings with it some upgrades in equipment for the JS location.:)

Let's hope. I am happy to finally be able to use my GoodLife membership at a location in Hamilton. And, it's nice to see a big fitness chain taking up hte downtown location. It is a long-needed vote of confidence in downtown by a major business chain.

[emge]

That's great news for me as well -- I gave up the Goodlife membership when I moved here, but I'd think about joining again if it was under that brand and especially at a location I walk by every day.

And I agree.. a great vote of confidence.

[realcity]

i attend this gym. nothing has changed. about a year ago it went through some minor renos to the locker rooms, mens is larger and now has a sauna and a hot tub that is always 'out of order'. I think GoodLife will manage it better.

There was plans years ago to expand into the old Pete and Martys. I'm still hoping a restaurant opens there, like a Keg.

[IronWarrior]

i attend this gym. nothing has changed. about a year ago it went through some minor renos to the locker rooms, mens is larger and now has a sauna and a hot tub that is always 'out of order'. I think GoodLife will manage it better.

There was plans years ago to expand into the old Pete and Martys. I'm still hoping a restaurant opens there, like a Keg.

I have gone to that gym for the last 13 years...hopefully Goodlife will manage it better! I first attended it when it was still Champions and it was great! always clean, equipment was always fixed ASAP, and the trainers knew what they were doing...lol..I also remember Pete and Martys although I was never inside the place I would have been underage back then:) a Keg would be cool! I can't really complain too much about the gym...although I would like to see them make a few equipment upgrades.

[raisethehammer]

no way a Keg will locate there. It's a bloody highway out front.

[markbarbera]

A great spot for a Keg would be in that big mansion at the corner of Main and Queen. It's a interior design shop right now but the owner is getting ready to retire and is winding down the business.

[thistleclub]

no way a Keg will locate there. It's a bloody highway out front (http://tinyurl.com/63ocxu).

Not the ideal location, but the stop lights at Park help. (Pete & Marty's clientele generally used the lot across the street.) Maybe a bit small, though. Agreed that the Villa would be a better fit, size and feel-wise. Better visibility, too.

Also in flashback mode, anyone remember when Pepper Jack Cafe was an O'Toole's?

[raisethehammer]

A great spot for a Keg would be in that big mansion at the corner of Main and Queen. It's a interior design shop right now but the owner is getting ready to retire and is winding down the business.

brilliant idea. perhaps a patio on Queen?? kind of noisy, but doable.

[adam]

Convert Queen to 2 way first

[bornagainbiking]

Even if they tried a Boston Pizza or Crappy Joes Sports bar for after after any Copps Event, Especially the Bulldogs, % off your order or free appitizer with your stub.  People already paid for parking for the game.  It works for the Station Mall plaza across from the Soo Greyhounds (Joe Calzones) also fee parking. 
Here's a secret check out Crappy Joes at Jackson & John at 5 p.m. just before a Friday night Bulldogs game.   As for a Keg great idea near Queen and make it two way, with a nice meal with your date then wander to Hess village for entertainment.  Majic concept...     

[highwater]

A great spot for a Keg would be in that big mansion at the corner of Main and Queen. It's a interior design shop right now but the owner is getting ready to retire and is winding down the business.

You're right. It's the perfect spot for a Keg. They redid a wonderful old sandstone industrial building in St. Catharines that had been derelict for years, so there's precedent for them redoing heritage buildings.

[IronWarrior]

Not the ideal location, but the stop lights at Park help. (Pete & Marty's clientele generally used the lot across the street.) Maybe a bit small, though. Agreed that the Villa would be a better fit, size and feel-wise. Better visibility, too.

Also in flashback mode, anyone remember when Pepper Jack Cafe was an O'Toole's?

I remember when it was O'Tooles! I have only been in Pepper Jack Cafe a few times,I saw a couple of good bands play there.

[raisethehammer]

the food at pepperjack is top notch. everyone should try it out sometime.

[realcity]

I can't picture the Main & QUeen corner. THere's a gas station (SW), a crappy illegal plaza (NW), dentists/opticians office (SE) and a methodone clinic (NE). what mansion? But mansions are cool for restaurants.

What about that old restaurant inside JS foodcourt on the way in from the Goodlife entrance. I think that spot is awesome, it still looks good from outside, I ate there once and it closed a few months later. Been closed for 10 years i think.

[Dundasguy]

You're right. It's the perfect spot for a Keg. They redid a wonderful old sandstone industrial building in St. Catharines that had been derelict for years, so there's precedent for them redoing heritage buildings.

I can still remember when the Keg was at the Slante (sp) building. I can't recall when it actually closed. A Keg would be ideal to come back downtown, best if incorporated into the Connaught if it ever gets redone.

I can't help but think that we are seeing Lister history repeat itself with Connaught. Purchased in good times, emptied out of tenants and then hit with a huge long economic downturn.

[markbarbera]

I can't picture the Main & QUeen corner. THere's a gas station (SW), a crappy illegal plaza (NW), dentists/opticians office (SE) and a methodone clinic (NE). what mansion? But mansions are cool for restaurants.

The northeast corner. It's a interior design shop right now. No methadone clinic on the NE corner.

[FairHamilton]

I can't picture the Main & QUeen corner. THere's a gas station (SW),

A former gas station. It's closed now, but at least the graffiti is painted over very quickly.

[adam]

NE corner used to be Camp Trillium office. The building needs to be torn down - its in really rough shape.

[markbarbera]

The former Camp trillium office site is the trailer of a former condo sales centre on the north side of Main between Hess and Caroline.

Trust me, the NE corner of Queen and Main has a grand old building that is currently home to SLC Interior Design. I think the street signage reads "Designers on Main".

Slow down as you go through this intersection and take a look - you guys are driving too fast along Main!

[flar]

I think this is it:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/victoriana/DSC_0031.jpg

[raisethehammer]

yup, that's NE corner of Main/Queen.
"Designers on Main" is actually a new business in the new development on the SE corner of Main/Queen in the beautiful old homes.
This store, shown above is retiring soon.