Six questions with Bob Rodger, the CEO of ENDO Fitness.
1. How did you get your start in the fitness industry?
I’ve been fortunate to work with some exceptional people. Like my partner and mentor, Paul Rice, who gave me my start. Paul recruited me into the business fresh out of college. Over the years, I’ve filled just about every role a person could fill in this business. I was there when we sold the first membership. I started near the bottom, but the fitness industry and our new organization gave me the vehicle for the growth I wanted. To have the opportunity to pursue a career in an industry that benefited so many was attractive.
2. What’s been a key to your organization’s success? What are you most proud of?
Our team has carefully cultivated our leadership, been disciplined in our approach to growth, and remained focused on delivering value to our members. I’m increasingly fortunate to enjoy the people I work with, but none of that has happened by accident. We have a great team and I have great partners.
We also look at every new club as its own stand-alone opportunity. We’ve always believed our job as business owners and service providers is to find a need and fill it. We’ll only move forward with a new opening if we believe we have the right product and amenity mix for the marketplace. If we don’t fit, we don’t fit. Waste breeds waste and we’re careful with every dollar as we’re completely self-financed. Finally, we believe our product provides real and actual value to the communities we serve. We continue to invest when it makes sense, and we keep rates low.
3. What has been one of the biggest accomplishments of your career?
The way we came through the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to seize the once in a lifetime opportunity. We asked ourselves a question — what can we do as an organization while we are closed that we can’t do while open? With that in mind, we remodeled and expanded clubs without inconveniencing members, we completely reimagined our approach to personal training, we instituted new technologies, and we moved several of our people into creative new roles and taught them new skills.
As we reopened, our in-club teams came back excited and ready to learn about the changes we made. Our personal training has been on a different level ever since and our organization felt grown up and prepared for the future in a way it never had before.
4. What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
Competition and the inevitable pressure that brings on price and/or product evolution. For over a decade we’ve been working on closing, expanding or relocating our smaller clubs that have a product not as relevant as it was. This has been an exercise in patience, but overall, the clubs in our portfolio are bigger, nicer and offer a more competitive product than ever before. The HVLP segment is crowded. You need a product that connects with the member and a price that surprises.
5. What is one lesson you have learned that other fitness professionals can learn from?
Always ask yourself, “Would I join?” The “I” here is for a reason. Be critical. Pick yourself apart as if you were a potential member. The job isn’t over when the lead is acquired with an eye-catching promotion, great equipment or a skilled salesperson. Then ask yourself and your teams, “Would I stay?” After the initial excitement diminishes, what’s the member feeling? Is the price, service, social connection, cleanliness, quality of instruction, ease and access to equipment, and everything else the member expects up to your standard? Also, remember it’s not who you hire but who you keep. If a new hire isn’t a fit move on as quickly as practical. However, if you’ve got the right person, you must keep them. Mentor, praise, train, promote and reward them. Be proactive about their job satisfaction. People always remember how you make them feel.
6. Tell us a fact about yourself others may not know.
I have an identical twin brother. No, I don’t know what he is thinking right now.
