Fitness firm stays agile

Gyms and fitness clubs open and close every year. New methods of staying in shape come and go, burning out over time as fitness enthusiasts look to the next new facility or workout regimen for inspiration.

In the Tulsa area, a handful of clubs and centers facing financial problems and declining memberships have closed in the past few years. Yet one local entrepreneur -- with a knack for what it takes to compete -- has seen his fitness business stay on track and expand for almost 32 years.

Jim Benien's All American Fitness has held steady against an influx of out-of-state chains, huge family-oriented health centers and smaller specialty facilities since he founded his business in 1976.

In January, he will open his 14th location in Owasso, choosing that growing city for a new, almost 14,000-square-foot center offering nursery services, group fitness including mat yoga and pilates, weight training machines and personal training packages.

For Benien,
success has come from quickly capitalizing on emerging trends and understanding the Oklahoma market.

"It all just evolves, and competition forces you to change," he said.

All American began as Benien Courts, the racquetball club at 69th Street and Lewis Avenue. Benien, an Oklahoma State University business graduate, opened it in 1976.

Racquetball was all the rage back then, and in the late 1970s and early '80s it was America's fastest growing sport.

"Racquet sports were really big," Benien said. "I went to OSU and developed a passion for racquetball."

A second Benien Courts opened in 1978, but just a few years later interest in the sport began to wane.

"In 1982, we saw that a one-dimensional facility wasn't enough; we needed to offer more," Benien said.

What was appearing nationwide were combination racquet and health clubs, he said. "We saw that trend and knew we had to change."

Both clubs were reconfigured and enlarged, some racquetball courts were taken out, and space for pools, weight training and the latest craze -- group aerobics -- was added.

And the name was changed to All American Fitness.

Yet as All American thrived and moved into the Oklahoma City area, other companies' franchises, such as the Curves chain that offers quick and convenient workouts for women, began cropping up nationwide.

The success of Curves created dozens of knockoffs, Benien said, and soon the market was saturated with fitness centers. That shift in the industry had most cities offering a combination of smaller centers and larger clubs.

"About 3-1/2 years ago, we starting thinking about a smaller place," he said -- a more convenient concept, more neighborhood-oriented to accommodate members' busy lives.

What Benien created was Fitness Xpress 24/7 -- brightly lit, glass-fronted workout centers with high ceilings and brightly colored walls, showers, personal trainers and cardio equipment with television screens.

The 6,000- to 8,000-square-foot centers never close, and members use cards to enter after regular hours. They are also outfitted with video cameras for safety.

Benien has opened six Fitness Xpress clubs in the past four years, targeting swiftly growing neighborhoods and either building from the ground up or leasing space in cities such as Broken Arrow and Sand Springs.

"Time is so valuable; that's why smaller clubs have done well," he said. And perhaps the biggest draw is that members "can come and go when they please."

From his 10,000-square-foot warehouse and corporate office in Broken Arrow, Benien now oversees operations and a staff of approximately 300 full- and part-time employees.

A dedicated industry-savvy staff, including some who have been with All American for years, make the job much easier, he said.

That leaves Benien with time to focus on the business rather than the fitness side of All American.

As of last January, there were 29,357 fitness clubs in the United States, says the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. Total industry revenue for 2006 was $17.6 billion, the association said.

There are profits to be made, Benien said, but it's about more than making money.

Many failures came from "too many owners who didn't understand the business end of operating a club," he said. What often is not taught to newcomers is how to market the product, and how to retain members.

"It's easy when you're new and excited, but what happens three years later when it isn't new?"

The industry constantly evolves, he said, "and competition forces you to change."

Chains that enter a city often don't know the culture, he said, and money-driven ventures tend to fade away.

"We live here, and we're more in tune to the population here," Benien said. "That's one reason we've survived -- we saw the changes and we were willing to adapt."

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