Genesis Health Clubs has purchased both VASA Fitness locations in Wichita, Kansas. The brand now boasts 57 clubs in six states including Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa, making it the largest privately-owned health club organization in the U.S.
According to Genesis, the acquisition of the VASA clubs strengthens the company’s footprint around its home base in Wichita, where its corporate headquarters is based. Genesis now has seven clubs in Wichita, and the company plans to continue its expansion efforts in the metro area moving forward.
“Genesis is a family-owned business that has operated in Wichita for over 30 years,” said Rodney Steven II, the owner and president of Genesis, in a statement. “We started with one location and grew gradually. Then around six years ago, our company doubled in size overnight. That day, we went from being a local company to a regional one, and put tremendous focus on new markets like Kansas City, Omaha and Tulsa. One by one, we purchased buildings, found strategic acquisitions and remodeled aging clubs into beautiful new facilities. Now we have 57 clubs in six states with nearly 5,000 employees, but we never forgot about where we came from.”
VASA is a high-value, low-priced national chain. As a result, Genesis will make enhancements to the newly acquired clubs so they fit within Genesis’ premier model.
“These clubs will no longer be a low-price model,” explained Steven. “We’ve always built our clubs around a high level of service, and thankfully these clubs have lots of amenities like swimming pools, racquetball and group fitness. Low-cost has its place, but we firmly believe the traditional health club model is best for operators and member experience. We’ll enhance the current pricing model and upgrade the level of service to justify the price. Thankfully for the existing members, Genesis grandfathers rates for the life of all memberships, so they’ll be able to keep using these clubs without any rate increases.”
Genesis Health Club was founded in 1986. In addition to its recent acquisitions, a new location and Blast Off Bay Waterpark are scheduled to open in the coming weeks in Goddard, Kansas.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
