October 2023 Club of the Month, presented by ABC Fitness:
ATC Fitness Memphis, Tennessee, est. 1992
ATC Fitness in Memphis, Tennessee, has grown a lot since its opening more than 30 years ago, but its values that stem from being a family business have never been lost. They offer a welcoming and encouraging space for members and staff, treating everyone who walks through their doors like family.
Below, Spencer McDaniel, the owner of ATC Fitness, tells how the 18 facilities in the company are serving members, how to make your club stand out and more.
How did ATC Fitness come about? When was the club established?
ATC Fitness was founded January 4, 1992. Keith Patterson, after a long career with Vic Tanning and Bally Total Fitness, decided to go out on his own and open his first club. The first space was approximately 15,000 square feet in Bartlett, Tennessee. Since then, we have expanded to 18 facilities in Tennessee and north Mississippi.
What is the mission of ATC Fitness?
To make sure that the people in our markets have an opportunity to get a good quality fitness experience 24 hours a day and at a price most can afford.
What makes ATC Fitness unique?
What we feel makes us unique in our markets is the fact that we are a family business. Being a family business also gives us the opportunity to be closer with the amazing staff inside the clubs. Another unique feature to add, and a big plus in our book, is the amount of time our employees have been with us. Over half of our ATC teammates have been with us 5+ years, many 10+, which is unique in the fitness industry. Our fitness family is truly what makes us unique.
How has technology improved the member’s fitness experience?
It has certainly changed over the last five years tremendously. The additions to online programming, and guided workouts have helped our members take their fitness to a whole new level.
What is your favorite thing about partnering with ABC Fitness?
ABC Fitness is a part of our family. We have worked together as we’ve grown from one location to 18. We have tweaked many aspects throughout the years to help us get to where we are now, and ABC has played an integral part in many of our decisions. However, our dynamic doesn’t stop there. Something unique about ABC is the mutual partnership. Just as they have helped us, we have made suggestions that impacted their direction as well.
What excites you most about the fitness industry in 2023?
Since 2020, fitness is on a path it deserves. The population, since the pandemic, is finding out their health is more important than ever. We love seeing that awareness start to take shape. We are indeed all in the fitness industry together, and the more the population realizes that, the smarter we will all be toward fitness and health.
What advice or encouragement can you give other club owners looking to start new clubs/franchises?
Our advice to anyone starting a new club would be to find out what you are going to be good at and do that. Come up with the identity you want your club to have in your market. One of my favorite things to say about fitness is this: we can all thrive in fitness due to the unlimited number of flavors. I, like many, happen to think we have a pretty good flavor, and we serve it well to the customer.
Created in partnership with ABC Fitness. Visit abcfitness.com for more information on how they can help your fitness business.
