Fitness franchise enters market

Overland Park, Kan.-based Title Boxing Club last week entered the Springfield market with a 5,000-square-foot gym at the multitenant Shadow Wood center south of James River Freeway and South Campbell Avenue.

Under Quality Boxing Clubs LLC, franchisees Dean and Rozanne Prather on Sept. 4 opened the group fitness concept at 4560 S. Campbell Ave., Ste. 108. Rozanne Prather said the couple bought the Springfield franchise rights two years ago for an undisclosed amount, and they are slated to open a second in the market. The Prathers also own Title Boxing Club rights in Edmond, Okla., where they opened in April and plan to operate three centers in the market.

The fitness club, built on the global Title Boxing equipment and apparel brand, offers group classes, and Rozanne Prather said members work with personal trainers to reach individual fitness goals. The space is outfitted with 54 heavy bag stations hanging from a ceiling grid system, and she said workouts include 30 minutes of boxing and kickboxing techniques with eight rounds of moves at various bags.

Prather said the Springfield club, managed by Ryan Byar, employs more than a dozen trainers and sales staff. “As we start getting more people in, we’ll add to our ranks,” Prather said.

The Prathers live in the Kansas City area, where Dean owns and operates food distributor Quality Vending and Rozanne works full time as communications director for Truman Medical Centers. They are 1987 graduates of Missouri State University, and their niece, Kaly Prather, is assistant manager of the Springfield club.

“We have a lot of connections there,” Rozanne Prather said. “My husband has a lot of fraternity brothers who are businessmen now.”

She said they were introduced to the five-year-old franchise when they joined the Title Boxing Club in Liberty.

“The first shot is always free,” she said of the club’s “power hour” offer, noting loaner gloves are available. “Once you join, you can go to any of them.”

Prather said the starter kit issued at sign-up includes gloves, a bag and a T-shirt. She declined to disclose membership rates, calling them competitive to the market.

The franchise has sold the rights to open 500 clubs and 112 are up and running, according to TitleBoxingClub.com.