Today we’d like to introduce you to Herb Lipsman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Herb. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began as a tennis pro (teaching pro) at an indoor tennis club in Dubuque, IA. then invited to become the Head Pro/General Manager of a second indoor tennis club, owned by the same owner, in Cedar Rapids, IA… Spent four years in this role and then was recruited to become GM/Head Pro at a tennis and swim club in Littleon, CO, working for a start-up sports club management company. They moved me to Vail, CO after four years to oversee a brand new 70,000 square foot athletic club.
My next move, with the same company, was to be GM for Green Valley Athletic Club, a 112,000 square foot new sports club in Henderson, NV, (suburb of Las Vegas). Spent five years in this role and was then recruited by a search firm to interview for The Houston Club GM position here in Houston. I worked for The Redstone Companies here in Houston for 13 years, managing The Houstonian Club initially and later as a VP of Business Development for The Houstonian and eventually for The Redstone Companies.
Left Redstone in 2006 and struck out on my own as a consultant for country clubs seeking to add fitness facilities. My two most notable projects were the fitness centers at River Oaks Country Club and Lakeside Country Club. The recession forced me back into a more traditional COO role with Houston Oaks Country Club and then as GM for Golf Club of Houston. In the fall of 2013, I came across a short article in The Houston Business Journal announcing the development of VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa in Cypress, TX, just 10 minutes from my home. After commuting an hour each way for three years to Humble, TX, the thought of getting back to my first love (health/sports clubs) and have a 10 minute drive was very appealing to me.
I made a few phone calls to determine who was leading this company and found that it was a professional friend that I had known for many years. I called her and began the interview process and within a relatively short period of time, I was flying to San Rafael, CA to their headquarters for interviews. I started with VillaSport on November 1, 2016, and it has been a labor of love putting a team together from scratch and executing from the VillaSport playbook, which matches up almost perfectly with my values.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The sports club/country club industries are all about people. It takes members to make a club financially viable. It takes employees to operate these clubs successfully. And it takes capital (owners) to develop and fund these businesses. There is a very delicate balance that must be maintained between these three groups who have differing needs and desires, to achieve and sustain success.
With so many built-in conflicts, the road is rarely smooth. It is the job of the leadership team in any large club to stay close to the expressed needs and desires of each of these three stakeholders to ensure that all three feel their needs are being met. This is rarely a smooth ride because the members want what they want. The employees want what they want. And, the owners want what they want. Most of these wants require financial resources and those resources are not infinite.
Although, managing this nearly-continuous battle for financial and human resources between these three stakeholder groups, is a challenge, the most challenging issue for me has been the one-on-one struggles with some very difficult personalities along the way. My greatest challenges/struggles over the years have been in dealing with bad actors from mean/greedy owners, to untrustworthy employees, to a very small minority of crazy members. This is a people business and a small group of very difficult people can at times monopolize the time of a club GM.
Don’t get me wrong, the good people have far outnumbered the bad actors, but the bad actors consume our time and can make life miserable at times.
VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa in Cypress, TX is the fourth club in a growing group of five multi-purpose family sports clubs. Each of our clubs have in excess of 100,000 square feet of luxurious amenities for our members. Our clubs feel like being at a luxury resort. Although health and fitness facilities, programs and services attract our members, we pride ourselves on the sense of family and community that our members and employees feel as part of VillaSport.
Our VillaKids facilities and programs for ages six weeks to 12 years; our nearly 200 group exercise classes per week that are included with the membership dues; our four swimming pools with competitive swim team and extensive swim lesson programs; our NBA size gymnasium used for basketball, volleyball and pickleball; our luxurious VillaSpa day spa that is open to members and non-members; and our resort-style locker rooms complete with whirlpool, steam room and dry sauna in both men’s and women’s locker rooms, make VillaSport such a special place.
Our facilities are extraordinary, but what sets VillaSport apart from other clubs is our people. Our members tell us over and over again that we have the kindest and friendliest people working at our clubs that they have ever experienced.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I am speaking for myself, but I truly believe that our owners and executive team have similar views:
My belief after 40 years of managing different clubs in several different markets is that if you take care of the people (employees and members), the money will come. This is very different than most in our industry who subscribe to the theory that if you take care of the money (bottom line profit), the people will come.
If we do our jobs well, we will help a young mom or dad get some desperately-needed “me time” to recharge their batteries regularly to make them better at home and at work. We will help our older members make new friends and feel a renewed zest for life as they remain active while aging. We will help our hundreds of young children and teens grow up as better human beings, due to what they learned in their many years of spending time at VillaSport.
We will help our hundreds of employees realize that work can be much more meaningful than just a paycheck. And, we can provide our owners with a great sense of pride in what their investment has created for so many, while also producing an enviable ROI.
Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? If so – who are they and what role did they plan / how did they help.
Joe Lipsman and Flo Lipsman – My Dad and My Mom – Taught me about work ethic that has served me well my entire adult life. Taught me the importance of family. · John McCarthy – Former Executive Director of IHRSA – Taught me how to take the high road in all interactions with all kinds of people and make all of them feel good, regardless of opposing views. · Greg Nielson – I mentored Greg for 25 years and then he mentored me! Maybe the best human being I have ever known. · Greg Clark – My favorite boss because he provided daily encouragement and made work both fun and interesting. · Mark Yanke – Former colleague who was a master at paying attention to aesthetic details…something that I needed and learned to a much higher degree working with him. · Gay Roane – Kind, caring and generous…and smart. · Laurie Smith – Key executive leading VillaSport. Laurie is smart, driven, kind and caring, just an all-around excellent leader and role model for our company. · Susan Lipsman – My wife of 34 years, the mother of our four children and grandmother to our seven grandchildren. Continues to keep me grounded and forces me to not always focus on work. Family first. · My siblings (Bill, Mike, Carol and Steve) are all brilliant. I was the lone jock in the family, but I’m grateful that a little of their smarts rubbed off on me.
Pricing:
- Our dues begin at $115 for an individual; $190 for a couple; and $28 per month for each child under the age of 23.
- Our one-time enrollment fees range from $300 for an individual to $400 for a couple and $50 additional for each child under age 23. Our dues include nearly 200 complimentary group exercise classes per week and there is no additional charge for children age 12 – under to visit each day in VillaKids for up to two hours.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12951 Barker Cypress
- Website: www.villasport.com
- Phone: 832-225-3030
- Email: gm_cy@villasport.com
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
