Company Profile
The Sports Club/LA
Company Overview
www.TheSportsClubLA.com
Company History
The Sports Club Company was founded in 1977 by Michael Talla and Nanette Pattee Francini. The first Club – The Sports Connection in Santa Monica – debuted on April 16, 1979. At the time, few people were involved in fitness. Those who were, ran on beach or worked out in small “sweatshop” gyms. Talla and Pattee Francini had a bigger concept. They dreamed of creating a place that was more than a health club. They wanted to create a Club where people could find many different fitness options under one roof – a multi-faceted facility – a Club that was the best of its kind. A Club where “It isn’t just exercise, it’s fun.”
Their concept statement was, “It’s more than a health club, it’s a lifestyle.” They began with good friends working with them who believed in that concept. They knew that although most people had not yet discovered fitness, they all liked to have fun. And they knew that if they could get them into the Club, they could excite them about what they were doing. By offering lots of ways to exercise, elevating it to the level of sport, and setting it in a social environment, they could succeed.
Dedicated to fulfilling the needs of this new market, Talla and Pattee Francini went on to create the upscale Spectrum Club Collection and then, their jewel in the crown, The Sports Club/LA. In 1990, The Sports Club/Irvine was opened. In 1994, The Sports Club Company created a unique new concept in healthcare with The SportsMed Company, physical therapy and wellness centers integrated within the Clubs. In 1995, The Sports Club Company went bicoastal to great fanfare with Reebok Sports Club/NY. In its most significant expansion to date, The Sports Club Company moved into the new millennium with its premiere brand, The Sports Club/LA, in New York, Washington D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Miami and Beverly Hills. The Sports Club Company currently owns and operates The Sports Clu/LA in West LA, Orange County, Rockefeller Center and Beverly Hills.
Each year, The Sports Club Company’s Good Neighbor Policy donates substantially in monetary and membership contributions to charities and other non-profit organizations – children at risk, education, medical research, the environment and more. We encourage our staff and Members to reach out and make our community a healthier and happier place.
A membership at our Clubs is a long standing membership where a Member is guaranteed the highest standard in facilities, services, programming and staff professionalism, where friendships and business contacts are formed, where Members know one another, where they are greeted by name when they come in, and our professional staff directs and monitors them toward their goals. Our Clubs are a home away from home – a warm spot in the middle of the big city where everyone “knows your name” – a place where our Members virtually drop their cares at the door.
In 1977 our dream was to build the ultimate in sports and fitness clubs. Our dream has now become reality. We started with some good ideas and lots of hard work. We were fortunate enough to surround ourselves with people who helped us achieve our dream. From one Club we have grown to many. From ten employees we have grown to thousands. The Sports Club Company is recognized as the finest and best operated club company in the world, acknowledged by the Executive Director of IHRSA – the international association of quality clubs – as setting the standards for the Health Club industry throughout the past two decades. Our Clubs are more than just health clubs – they are the finest sports and fitness complexes in the world.
Notable Products / Brands
The Sports Club/LA
Benefits
Club Membership
Complimentary Continuing Education (CEU's) provided by The Sports Club/LA Master Trainers