• Jim Mizes, CEO at Club One in San Francisco, completed a 500-mile charity bike ride in November in Israel. The ride, called Wheels of Love, benefits the Alyn Children's Hospital in Jerusalem. The hospital provides services to children from any country who have been injured in acts of terrorism and war. This year's ride included 500 riders from 18 countries (and armed guards at the front and back of the groups). The riders raised $4 million.

• Personal Training Institute's (PTI) Westchester, NY, franchisee, Arnold Scacchi, was recently awarded the area development rights to develop and operate multiple clubs throughout Westchester. Twelve PTI facilities have been established from Maine to New York. Twenty-two franchise locations are in development throughout New York and Pennsylvania.

• The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and the European Health and Fitness Association (EHFA) have formed a working group with two representatives from each organization to improve global health. Hans Muench and Alison O'Kane will represent IHRSA, and Herman Rutgers and Jean-Ann Marnoch will represent EHFA.

• Equinox Fitness Clubs will open a new location in a former Dallas automobile dealership, according to The Dallas Morning News. The New York-based company plans a gym and spa with up to 45,000 square feet, plus 17,000 square feet of shopping space. This will be the first Texas club for Equinox, which operates 41 fitness centers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Florida, Boston and San Francisco.

• During the recent holiday season, sailors and their family members stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, had a new way to burn calories and stay fit. The 12 Cardio Days Before Christmas fitness program was developed by Morale, Welfare and Recreation and was designed to motivate sailors to embrace the Navy's Culture of Fitness — even during the holidays. Participants logged the number of minutes they spent exercising each day. Those who exercised for at least 20 minutes a day for all 12 days of the program received a T-shirt designed especially for the event. About 100 people signed up for the program.

• The University of Pittsburgh's property and facilities committee recently approved a $20.2 million renovation of the former University Club in the heart of the campus. The renovation includes a 4,000-square-foot fitness center.

• The Tri-State Athletic Club, Evansville, IN, was recently purchased by a group of Evansville-area investors for about $750,000, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. The previous owners were Bill Butterfield, who founded the club 33 years ago, and Chicago-based Tennis Corp. of America.

• Washington Sports Clubs, which is owned by New York-based Town Sports International, relocated its Bethesda, MD, club to a new 35,000-square-foot facility in that city. The facility features state-of-the-art equipment with audiovisual entertainment and a dedicated personal training area.

• The Atlantic Club, Manasquan, NJ, is heading an effort to get health clubs across the country to hold one event at their facilities between now and March 7, 2008, to raise money for Augie's Quest. Augie's Quest raises money to fund research to cure amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that Augie Nieto, founder of Life Fitness and Augie's Quest, was diagnosed with in 2005. Kevin McHugh, COO at the Atlantic Club, says the company has a goal of raising $3 million for ALS research. To participate in an event, contact Patricia Laus, CEO at the Atlantic Club, at 732-292-4379 or patl@theatlanticclub.com, or visit www.clubsforthecure.com.

• The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently created the Industry Advisory Panel (IAP), bringing together experts from academia, fitness, wellness and recreation to help provide direction to ACE. IAP chair and ACE board member Ted Vickey, president of FitWell Inc. LLC in Vienna, VA, leads the group that is scheduled to meet several times each year. Additional members of the panel are Lisa Coors, owner, Coors Core Fitness LLC, Cincinnati, OH; Michael Hewitt, Canyon Ranch, Tucson, AZ; Carol Kennedy-Armbruster, lecturer, fitness specialist program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; Sol Mandel, head fitness trainer, Quail West Country Club, Naples, FL; William McBride, COO, Club One Inc., San Francisco; Anthony Slayen, continental health and fitness consultant, Jewish Community Center, New York; Michael Spezzano, vice president program and membership, YMCA of Greater NYC, New York; Lisa Stuppy, assistant director, fitness programs exam developer, Boise State University, Boise, ID; Cary Wing, executive director, Medical Fitness Association, Richmond, VA; and Jeff Zwiefel, senior vice president, Life Time University, Life Time Fitness, Eden Prairie, MN.

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