Sportscenter Athletic Club - Article in "In The Carolinas Magazine" - May/June 2007 Edition

"More Than Just A Gym" was a phrase that resonated with Sammy Johnson for many years prior to opening his first athletic club. Being a member of numerous facilities that offered merely weight lifting, cardio equipment and aerobic classes, he had a vision of a one-stop upscale club that offered a wellness environment that would encompass the fitness needs of a broad customer base. He had a dream of opening a "country club" type facility that would offer any and all types of fitness opportunities for its clients, thus Sportscenter Athletic Club was born.

The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership athletic club located on twelve and a half acres in High Point, North Carolina. With Sportscenter Athletic Club's new facility in Kernersville, the only thing better than one Athletic Club Membership is TWO. Now your membership will get you access to each facility.

After Sammy retired from playing in the NFL he decided to pursue his dream. The first athletic club was built in 1982 in Concord, North Carolina. At that time, Concord was not a likely choice for such a club; however this was the hometown of Sammy's wife Linda. The athletic club is still there today and has proven to be a successful business model.

Sammy Johnson wasn't looking to build another athletic club, but an opportunity presented itself in High Point, North Carolina. Sammy was a High Point native and a number of his high school friends and fellow UNC graduates who were now prominent business men in the area approached him with a proposal. They wanted him to bring the vision to the Triad. After careful consideration, he decided to proceed. He relocated his entire family to High Point. This included his wife Linda, eldest son Sam, daughter Kelly, and youngest son Matt. The Sportscenter High Point opened in 2000 and at 75,000 square feet is one of the largest privately owned athletic clubs on the entire east coast. The amenities include: four racquetball courts, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, a state-of-the-art weight room, 100 pieces of cardio equipment, aerobics studio, cycling studio, yoga/pilates studio, indoor track, two steam rooms, two saunas, whirlpool, indoor lap pool, indoor activity pool, outdoor pool, outdoor kiddie pool, two outdoor sand volleyball courts, an indoor volleyball court, tanning beds, massage therapist, mini-European day spa, internet cafe and lounge, teenage game room, and nursery. The club has been successful in the High Point area and Sammy thought that it would be his last athletic club, but yet another opportunity presented itself.

Sportscenter Athletic Club in High Point has been leasing space within the facility to High Point Regional Hospital's Outpatient Physical Therapy Department for a number of years. The hospital liked the swimming pools and the weight room for the use of rehabilitating its patients that lived close to the north side of High Point. The hospital enjoyed the relationship with the Sportscenter Athletic Club and had an inside view of the club's staff, business practices, ownership and management team, overall business philosophy, club cleanliness and expertise within the athletic club industry. They liked what they saw and approached Sammy about a partnership to build an athletic club facility in Kernersville, North Carolina. High Point Regional Hospital is a pioneer in the growing trend of wellness and prevention for people versus merely being involved in medicine and treatment. They understood that they could help people stay well through fitness education and exercise as well as help clients get well through treatment. After careful consideration, Sammy decided to accept. Thus, a joint venture of combining prevention and medicine under one roof was born in Kernersville, North Carolina.

The Kernersville Sportscenter Regional Wellness facility began planning and construction in early 2005. The idea was new to this region and is a model that is destined for success. "An athletic club facility that combines both aspects (prevention and medicine) does not exist in this area so we are anxious to see how it is received and we are optimistic about how well it will work," say Sammy Johnson. "Our approach of customer-centered service and attention to detail along with High Point Regional's exceptional patient care and ground-breaking medical treatments should be a winning combination for the residents of Kernersville and the surrounding communities. Kernersville, North Carolina is a beautiful, quaint but rapidly growing community and we want to be a part of that and contribute to the quality of life for its residents. We also want to be a draw for people and other businesses that are looking to locate in that community and the future."

Sportscenter Athletic Club in Kernersville will have all of the same amenities as the High Point Athletic Club, scaled back slightly to accommodate 60,000 square feet of the athletic club portion and will have roughly 18,000 square feet of medical offices for specialists and a full physical therapy/rehab department. The overall environment of the new athletic club is modern, open, spacious and very state-of-the-art. It has an upscale feel and an inviting atmosphere. "We have gone to great lengths to keep our core customer in mind in the layout and design of the athletic club facility," says Mr. Johnson. "We have taken the best ideas from our past athletic facilities and improved them for this athletic club. We are continuing to learn and develop our business model to keep up with the growing needs and trends in fitness. We want our customers to have an experience in our athletic club not just be a member."

"We pride ourselves on hiring people with related degrees and experience to provide the best possible information and service within the fitness arena. Individual attention, wellness education, and a variety of exercise opportunities will help our client base stay motivated and not get complacent in their fitness quest," stated Mary Johnson. "As the Human Resources Manager and Director of Personal Training in both athletic clubs, I take my role very seriously in staffing our athletic clubs with the best, most educated and experienced fitness professionals I can find. We are only as good as out people and we have some of the finest employees in the athletic club and fitness business." The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a family business at its core. Sammy's eldest son Sam Johnson (featured in the cover photo) is the General Manager of both athletic clubs, his wife Linda Johnson, who has her Masters of Science in Nursing is the Wellness Director and a Personal Trainer in High Point, his youngest son Matt Johnson is the Facilities Manager in High Point, and his daughter-in-law Mary Johnson (featured in the cover photo) is the Human Resources Manager and Director of Personal Training for both athletic clubs. "There is an attention to detail and caring that comes when the family is involved in the day-to-day operations that I think makes our athletic club perform at a high level than most other gyms. I think it translates to better customer service, better athletic club facility management and an overall quality experience for the members of the Sportscenter Athletic Club."

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