Fitness: Movin’ & Shakin’ – Fitness4Home, Lifeline, Strive, Life Fitness, IF Holdings and more…
Check out what the industry's movers and shakers are doing, including a new general manager at Fitness4Home and the naming of an interim president at Life Fitness, as well as a Strive Smart Strength bankruptcy update.
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The Fitness4Home retail store chain in Arizona has hired Scott Logan as its general manager. Logan, former marketing director for SportsArt Fitness, started in April. As a part of his duties there, said owner Bob Lachniet, he will also take on marketing and public relations tasks. Lachniet and Logan have been industry friends for nearly two decades and, said Lachniet, always looked for an opportunity to work together. “Now that the economy is settling down, it’s move-forward time,” he said of the retail company. “I’m stoked,” Lachniet said. “At the end of the day, it’s a great opportunity, a real win-win, for us as a company and for Scott, too….”
Lifeline USA has hired Glenn Polinsky as director of product development and design. Polinsky had been serving as a design and engineering consultant on Lifeline USA’s new products for the past year. In this newly created role, Polinsky will be responsible for managing new products from design through production and will work closely with Lifeline founder Bobby Hinds…. Big 5 Sports will incorporate the G2 Lifestyles fitness program (www.g2lifestyles.com) into its stores, the company reported. It will be Big 5’s only self-depicted fitness. G2 Lifestyles has also finalized an agreement with Big 5 Sporting Goods to acquire the Trainermat for Abs & Trainermat for Yoga….
Strive Smart Strength, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2009, had its request to convert the case to Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation approved on April 9. The Pennsylvania company had requested the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, approve the request in March. (Click here to see a Feb. 5, 2010, SNEWS update on the company.)…. In other ongoing bankruptcy cases, Superior Fitness’ Chapter 7 liquidation is still winding its way through the North Carolina court’s western district. (Click here to see an Oct. 12, 2009, SNEWS short story.)
In mid-April, Life Fitness announced the departure of President John Stransky, coming as a surprise to many. Peter Hamilton, who had served as president for one year in 2005, had gone on to become Brunswick’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, and has returned to Life Fitness in an interim role. According to a company statement, “Mr. Stransky tendered his resignation, effective immediately. No reason was given.” … In other Life Fitness news, the company has namedTim McCarthy vice president for the Americas, responsible for performance in the United States, Canada and Latin America…. In addition, Life Fitness has announced its partnership with The Sports Authority to sell LF exercise equipment. Twelve of the stores in Northern California, Alaska and Hawaii are on tap to start with the “store-within-a-store” program, the company said. Sports Authority locations that will sell Life Fitness products include: Anchorage, Ala.; Honolulu; and Concord, East Palo Alto, Novato, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Rosa, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale, Calif…. Click here to read an April 16, 2010, SNEWS story about the realignment of the company’s distribution strategies….
Interactive Fitness Holdings, the company that acquired Expresso Fitness in late 2009, has hired Reina Reeves as its new regional sales director for the West coast and Texas. Reina had previously been with SportsArt Fitness for nearly five years. Reeves can now be reached at rreeves@ifholdings.com. Also new at IFH (www.ifholdings.com) as marketing director is Yuko Tanaka. Click here to see a March 5, 2010, SNEWS story summarizing IFH’s plans for the Expresso brand this year and beyond.
Päivi Antola has been appointed as director, investor relations and financial communications of Amer Sports Corp., Precor’s Finland-based parent. She will join Amer Sports on June 7, 2010, and be based in Helsinki, Finland…. MatrixFitness has been picked up by Fitness Resource in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, Matrix announced. Fitness Resource had been representing Life Fitness for the past 20+ years.
–Therese Iknoian
Got any news or tips about somebody, some product or some company doing some moving or shaking? Let us know so we can slip it into our occasional Movin’ & Shakin’ updates. Just email snewsbox@snewsnet.com.
