Club guarantees results, maintains renewal rate

Kent Morrison, owner of The Fitness Club, said helping people attain their fitness goals has been his company's goal since he and his father, Steve Morrison, opened for business in September 1994.

According to fitness industry statistics, Morrison said, 90 percent of the American public has never been in a fitness center. But he said The Fitness Club offers several options for getting people involved in exercise and physical fitness.

This includes classes at all levels in yoga, cycling and cardio-kickboxing, in addition to personal trainers and custom menu planning.

Morrison said he goes so far as to guarantee The Fitness Club's program.

"If somebody was to come in here today and wanted to purchase our training, we will guarantee that they will get results ... as far as I know, we're the only club in town with that guarantee.

Morrison said the growth of membership at his club has been steady through the years, and he attributes that partly to the fact that, aside from a free, two-week trial membership, The Fitness Club doesn't offer one-time specials or discounts. The cost to join the club is $44 per person, and Morrison said he feels offering specials and discounts would be unfair to existing members.

He added that the industry average for renewal rates is about 20 percent, but The Fitness Club's renewal rate is about 50 percent.

"If we can keep members, we don't have to add as many new members and we aren't as reliant on sales," he said.