Every month, Club Solutions sits down with an industry expert to share in their knowledge. This issue, we sat down with Matt Remick, the president of Rochester Athletic Club.
1. How did you get your start in the fitness industry?
I am a second generation in our family business, the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC). My dad and partners started planning, building and opening the RAC while I was in college. I have a degree in entrepreneurship as my plan was to own my own business someday — originally movie theaters, which would have been no better during the pandemic. After graduation I worked for another company. Following a few years there I met my wife and I was traveling about 50% of the time. Once we were expecting our son, I reached out to my dad and asked if there was a need or fit at the RAC as I didn’t want to travel that much as a father. There was a need to convert club software and set up a completely different network. This was a fit with my previous job and I have never looked back. I love being part of the team at the RAC.
2. What’s been a key to your organization’s success? What are you most proud of?
I believe our culture is one of the most important keys to our success. About 10 years ago, most of the executive team and I took a retreat out of the club and wrote new club values. We updated the new associate orientation and handbook to reflect the new team and values. We were working together for about a year in those roles. Since then, we’ve used the values we created to guide hiring and decision making in the RAC. Our business consists of many teams and the organization as a whole. These values allow us to have a safe space to share feedback and success while we are moving toward the same target. I am extremely proud of how well we work together and how often I hear how the RAC is a special place to work.
3. What has been one of the biggest accomplishments of your career?
We put a lot of time and effort into renovating the RAC from 2013 to 2019. We managed most of the renovations out of our cash flow and became debt free on December 31, 2019. Due to our financial management and work during those years, we were fortunate enough to have the RAC in a financial position to pay all RAC associates during the two closures we had in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. We paid all associates 80% of their previous two months’ average pay during the first closure and 75% of their previous two months during the second closure. This was done before the Employee Retention Credit and Paycheck Protection Program were offered by the government.
4. What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge of my career. It required teamwork, learning and adjustments like never before. Due to our culture, strong teamwork, leaning on the learning of others in the industry, luck and grit, we came out the other end. Today we are stronger as an organization by having gone through it.
5.What is one lesson you have learned that other fitness professionals can learn from?
Get connected with peers in your same role. There are many opportunities to do so: IHRSA, events like the Club Solutions Leadership Retreat, REX or local groups. I’m in a local family business roundtable and a REX roundtable. Both have made me a better person and leader. Connecting with other fitness industry leaders during the pandemic was one of the most important uses of my time and reasons we were able to navigate the pandemic.
6. Tell us a fact about yourself others may not know.
My maternal grandfather played for the 1927 World Champion New York Yankees. He played with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other greats. His name was Julie (Julian) Wera. He passed when I was young but I loved hearing stories from my grandmother.
Connect with Matt Remick on LinkedIn.
