1. Name one person you look up to or admire. Why do you admire them? It would have to be my father, a true entrepreneur. He saw the future and went for it in numerous businesses and never gave up.
2. What milestone are you most proud of? In 1989, we added on 32,000 square feet to a successful tennis club and reinvented it into a multi-purpose family club. And since, we have purchased four more tennis clubs and converted them. We will be under construction this year on our latest purchase, River Glen.
3. When did you start to see yourself as successful? I think every year always brings new challenges. I felt really successful after the purchase of our first club.
4. On a typical day, what do you enjoy most outside of work? Many of my activities over the years have involved tennis, biking, running and swimming. But my real love is horseback riding. I have been riding for over 50 years — I started riding with my father as a child.
5. What book are you currently reading? I generally read business articles or business books, but my doctor recently recommended the Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter.
6. What is Elite Sport Clubs’ main differentiating factor? Elite is the high-end lifestyle club for the entire family. Our great tennis and children’s programs help round out the whole family experience.
7. Has your vision for Elite Sport Clubs changed over the years? And if so, how? I don’t think my main vision for the clubs has changed, but the techniques to achieve our vision has changed as the market has changed.
8. What is your vision for Elite Sport Clubs over the next five years? It is to continue to grow and take a bigger share of the greater Milwaukee market.
9. What’s the most exciting thing you did last year? I love to travel. Last Thanksgiving we took our family to the Galapagos Islands.
10. What are you looking forward to doing this year? I love construction and watching a club change right before our eyes. We will be completely changing our latest club, River Glen, to an unbelievable family club.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
