Fitness Management New! A comprehensive resource for developing, leading, managing, and operating a successful health/fitness club. Includes sections on the health/fitness industry, membership, staffing, equipment, operational practices, and more. Stephen J. Tharrett, James A. Peterson. 2nd ed. 2006, 512 pgs.
Tharrett, M.S., is currently a management consultant and public speaker in the health/fitness club industry, providing club owners with an extensive array of services that include strategic planning, business, planning, employee development, marketing and facility and design. Prior to entering the consulting field, Stephen spent over 20 years working with ClubCorp, a billion-dollar Texas-based company that owned and operated private clubs, including business clubs, country clubs, and resorts and sports clubs. From 2002 to 2004 he was a senior vice president of athletics, golf and tennis, with responsibility for the educational and operating systems and revenue programs. During his tenure with ClubCorp, Stephen’s responsibilities included the development and management of over $30 million in construction projects, opening clubs in the U.S. and abroad, developing company-wide operating systems, and serving on the company’s leadership cabinet and business-planning committee.
Stephen has been involved in the fitness and sport industry for over 26 years. He has served on the board of the International Health, Racquet and Sportclub Association (IHRSA), was a member of IRHSA’s membership committee, and was IHRSA president from 1996 to 1997. He has served as a contributing editor for the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Health Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines, and has served the ACSM in several other capacities, including being a member of the ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal editorial advisory board, as well as chairing both the committee on health and fitness and the marketing sub-committee for the education and certification committees. He has been a member of the advisory boards for Star Trac and StairMaster. Finally, Stephen has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and a lecturer at the IHRSA Institute of Professional Management.
James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is a sports medicine consultant who resides in Monterey, California. A fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, he was a faculty member at the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1971-1990. From 1990 to 1995, he served as the director of sports medicine for StairMaster Sports/Medical Products, Inc. He has written or co-authored over 80 books and 200 articles on a variety of sports, health, and wellness topics. He holds two FDA-approved patents on back pain management measures. Since 1997, he has been a contributing editor to ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal ("Take 10" column). He served as the co-editor of both the second and the third editions of ACSM’s Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines. He has appeared on several national television shows, including ABC’s Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, and ABC’s Nightline. Since 1992, he has served as a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Jim and his wife, Susan, have been married for 38 years.
