The Richard E. Workman Sports & Wellness Complex will soon be under the management of a new company as the Effingham Park District and Effingham Park District Board look to boost membership.
The facility is currently operated by Rink Management Services Corp., but as of Sept. 16, the facility will be managed by Trophy Fitness, a company based in Dallas, Texas.
“They are trying to grow, and they’re one of the few companies that I met with and talked to about it. And I was really impressed with how they run their facilities,” Effingham Park District Director Jeff Althoff said in an interview Tuesday. “Most of them are down in the Texas area.”
The park district’s three-year contract with Trophy Fitness for the management of the facility will cost a total of $8,000 per month.
The Effingham Park District Board unanimously approved the change in management during its meeting in July, but Althoff said that the park district and its board had been thinking about switching management companies for quite some time.
“We just felt it was time to get some new leadership in there,” he said. “Things were OK, but we want them to be better. And we just felt like this company had a lot more expertise in the fitness part of it, so we wanted to go that direction.
Althoff further explained that the park district and its board believe an increased focus on fitness at the facility will have a positive impact on membership, and he is optimistic that the change in management will not disrupt the day-to-day operations of the facility.
“The membership numbers just aren’t where we want them to be or need them to be, and this wasn’t doing enough to attract new members. So, we just felt like it was time for a change,” he said. “We’re just looking forward to a change, and hopefully, this will work out great for everyone. We’re just trying to make it as smooth as possible for the members and the staff.”
Although Trophy Fitness will be taking over for Rink Management, the facility’s staff is not expected to change as a result.
“I think right now, they’re planning on keeping all the current staff that are there and just retraining them to fit how they would like things to be run,” Althoff said.
The founder and CEO of Trophy Fitness, Kelley Gray, said in an interview Tuesday that he is looking forward to having the company come to Effingham to manage the sports complex, in part, because it reminds him of the small town outside of Dallas that he grew up in.
“I just love the community,” he said of Effingham.
Gray is also happy to see Trophy Fitness expand into Illinois and noted that the company already operates 23 facilities which are located in Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
“We actually operate facilities that we own, and they’re for-profit facilities,” Gray said. “We’re forced to generate revenue and make money, so we know how to do that.”
One of Trophy Fitness’s goals as it prepares to take over the facility is to get more involved in local youth sports and other health-related activities or events taking place in the area.
“We’re going to be there, and we want the Workman Sports Complex to be a part of it,” Gray said. “Our goal is to have a stronger bond with the community.”
“We really need to be the go-to place for people in the community that want to live healthier lives.”
Additionally, Gray said the company is looking to extend the facility’s hours, at least on weekdays.