A commitment to helping members succeed is the underlying theme for winners in this year's Best of the Best contest. From comprehensive medical-based fitness programs to all-inclusive corporate wellness plans, the winning 2010 clubs take an integrated approach to health and wellness while focusing on building strong relationships with members.

Club Industry's Best of the Best competition recognizes the best programming at fitness facilities in the United States and provides concrete examples of programs that have proven, successful results.

The 2010 Best of the Best winners are: HealthQuest, Flemington, NJ, for Best Member Appreciation Program; ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers, Charlottesville, VA, for Best Nonmember Program; Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO, for Best Community-based Program; Club One Fitness, Pittsburgh, for Best New Member Integration Program; Chesapeake Energy Fitness Center, Oklahoma City, for Best Behavior Modification Program; and Right Fit Sport Fitness Wellness, Willowbrook, IL, for Best Children's Program.

The PREP program at ACAC is a physician-referred exercise program that allows patients to work with medical fitness specialists in a club environment. By giving physicians periodic progress reports, the program has earned the trust of the local medical community. Another medical-based winner, Right Fit's Raise the Bar program, uses individualized training and motivational techniques to provide a fitness program for young people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s corporate wellness program uses a full-time fitness staff, health screenings, financial incentives and nutritional counseling to nourish the health of its nearly 9,000 employees nationwide.

Building strong bonds with members is key to the new member tutorial program at Club One, which includes fitness consultations, machine circuits and staff-member interaction to integrate new members. HealthQuest hosts an annual member appreciation event each April to say thanks to its membership base, celebrate the anniversary of its opening date, generate excitement for new programming options and raise money for charity. And the Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club builds community while raising money for charity with its Roadless Ride, a 12-hour group-cycle marathon that raises money for Brent's Place — an organization that houses families with kids suffering from cancer.

All of the Best of the Best entries were rated by a panel of judges who were chosen for their expertise in certain categories. To determine the winners, judges looked at the program's innovation, goal setting and goal attainment, budgeting, member or nonmember participation, marketing, program effectiveness and the club's follow-up efforts. The judges also looked at the programs' uniqueness.

The judges in this year's contest were: Ed Tock, owner of Eddie Tock Health Club Sales and Marketing Consulting; Thomas Kulp, chief motivational officer for Universal Athletic Club; Blair McHaney, CEO of Confluence Fitness Partners Inc.; Sandy Coffman, president of Programming for Profit; Phil Wendel, owner of ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers; Laurie Cingle, owner of Laurie Cingle Consulting and Coaching; Bonnie Patrick Mattalian, president of Club Synergy Group Consultants; Terry Dezzutti, chief operating officer of Merritt Athletic Clubs; Karen Woodard-Chavez, president of Premium Performance Training; and Pat Laus, owner of The Atlantic Club.

BEST OF THE BEST

NONMEMBER PROGRAM:
ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers, Charlottesville, VA

BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM: Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City

NEW MEMBER INTEGRATION PROGRAM:
Club One Fitness, Pittsburgh

MEMBER APPRECIATION PROGRAM: HealthQuest, Flemington, NJ

CHILDREN'S PROGRAM:
Right Fit Sport Fitness Wellness, Willowbrook, IL

COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM:
Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO

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