General manager, Parkpoint Health Club, 1200 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa 95401, 707-578-1640, parkpointhealthclub.com
Age: 54
Residence: Glen Ellen
Professional background: Twenty-eight years in the fitness industry, two in law and two in medical recruiting.
Education: B.A., economics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Staff: 200
Tell us about yourself and your company: I have been with Parkpoint Health Clubs for 19 years and have been in the fitness industry for over 25. Parkpoint clubs celebrated 30 years in Santa Rosa last year in 2013. Our Sonoma club is celebrating 25 years this year and our youngest club is in its eighth year. I got into the fitness business after completing college and working in a corporate law office for a year, thinking I wanted to continue on to law school. After deciding that wasn’t for me, I took a job at a health club, and that started me down the path of a profession that I love. I work out regularly -- “as much for my mental health as for physical conditioning." In my other life, I am a mother, with one son, Colin, and two cats, Skippy and Rose.
Is there a major accomplishment in the past year or so that you would like to share?: Parkpoint Clubs in collaboration with Sonoma Valley Hospital has opened Compass Health Assessment Center, designed to give clients a very individualized approach to better health and lifestyle change.
What is the achievement you are most proud of?: Creating an environment where staff and members want to be and look forward to coming to … we have many staff members that have been with us for 10 years and more, several over 20, and charter members at each of our clubs that have been with us for 20 and 30 years.
What is your biggest challenge today?: Managing increased costs while still providing our high level of customer service
Words that best describe you: Available, collaborative, genuine, strong and fun-loving.
As a successful female professional, what were the biggest obstacles you faced and how did you overcome them?: I don’t identify myself as a “female” professional but simply as a professional. I have been fortunate in my career -- I don’t feel that I was ever treated differently because I was a female.
How do you think your profession will change in the next five years?: The world just seems to keep getting faster and faster and people are busier and busier. We provide a way to relax, escape and recharge from their busy lives. We need to keep morphing and changing our focus to keep people motivated so they will make time to escape, keep fit and take care of themselves.
What advice would you give to a young woman entering your profession or the work world today?: The main focus of our business is our relationships with our members. We have an opportunity to make a positive impact in peoples lives.
Current reading: The Litigators by John Grisham
Stress relievers: Exercise and time with friends.
Favorite hobbies: Hiking and running.
