There was a definite warm spot in the cold Chicago winter, as elements launched the first club in the Chicagoland metro.

Chicago is an exciting market for us to enter. Not only does it represent one of America’s top cities, but it also geographically allows us to develop the midwest, and create support networks for the franchises using our “hub and spoke” approach.

We were very excited to see the brand new club featured on a major news segment. Watching the clip provides a great snapshot of a few things to me: the energy inside of an elements club, and the excitement of our owners. This club is locally owned by Kim Branch, who is a dynamic and talented owner. She was able to utilize her past business experience in real estate to supervise not only the construction, but also the successful launch of the club - which was able to pre-sell hundred memberships in the month prior to opening. Part of the fabric that makes elements a great national brand is the local expertise that is contributed by each elements club owner. Personal attention to detail, and higher levels of service help to continue to make elements the category leader in fitness clubs for women.

There are some moments where it becomes apparent that elements is truly a global brand. Today I was enjoying a healthy lunch on Ocean Drive, a few blocks from our offices. I was on a call with Mats Manderbaka, the CEO of the HUR Company, the manufacturer of our smartcard equipment. elements has renewed an exclusive agreement with HUR to feature the smartcard workout technology in our clubs, and we are also planning some very advanced technological enhancements to the system, including Blackberry and iPhone compatibility (our plan is to offer members the option to access and pre-set their workouts from home, the office, or on the go)

Mats mentioned that he was working from Dubai this week, as HUR continues to expand its international network of rehab and senior equipment dealers worldwide. We ended our conversation and I began my lunch.

By the end of my salad, I received another call, this one from a prospective franchisee… in Dubai.
We had spoken before, and she was calling to ask some final questions and move ahead with developing a club. Many of her questions related to the smartcard technology. I was able to take advantage of this great timing to put the two groups in touch… which resulted in a highly productive business meeting at a Dubai hotel lobby. We are very excited about our launch into the mid-east markets, as to our corporate team it represents how truly customizable the brand is, to be able to speak directly to women, and convey a message of wellness and empowerment, regardless of geography.

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One of the things, in my opinion, which truly sets elements apart from other wellness brands is our All Star Fitness Advisory Board. The board is a well rounded panel of true experts and leaders in various wellness fields. We refer to elements as a “living brand,” meaning that is is real, touchable, and attainable by our consumers, staff and team members, and community. Rather than a celebrity spokesperson, which to me seemed cold or fake, we choose to showcase personalities which we believe will enhance the experience and lifestyle of elements. We generally will feature our All Star panelists in media outlets, such as our elements living magazine, elements syndicated columns featured in other major online sites or magazines, news and television features, and radio programming. This allows us to market the brand, our advisory board members, while at the same time educating.

We were very proud to begin an association with Dr. Melina, “America’s Diet Doctor” from the Discovery Channel network. Dr. Melina began by discussing our new BalanceD diet on ABC, as one of the top “Diet Secrets for 2008″ this week. This was great timing, which coincided with the soft launch of the online diet and wellness mega-site. We have some very exciting major media announcements coming up this year, as elements begins its association with Pierce Maddie, one of the top public relations firms in the country… more to come on that!
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