RECHARGE
Health & Wellness
body recharging station
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
the dream
Club Recharge started with a dream to create something special that would change the way people thought about wellness and how they took care of their bodies. The formula was simple, gather as many science-backed therapies as possible, put them all at one location and drive the costs for our customers down as low as we could get them. This proved to be easier said then done, but we were certainly up for the challenge and we were all in.
Signing My Life Away
2/19/2020
Finding The Blank Canvas
3/14/2020
Transforming The Idea Into Blueprints
4/1/2020
Assembling
The Dreamers
4/2/2020
The first step in any new business idea is to find the money or to sell your dream to the bank. Fortunately for me the very first bank I approached loved the concept and trusted us enough to make it happen.
We knew one of the key ingredients to our success would be our pricing model, so finding a location that was big enough, centrally located and cost effective was a little more challenging of a task then originally thought.
Since the entire idea for Club Recharge was completely designed and developed inside my brain, translating these ideas into paper required a great deal of time, energy and drawing changes to accomplish and still mistakes were made.
Every good idea starts with a group of dreamers that believe that if they build it, they will come. Dreamers can often see things that don't exist in the real world, but do exist inside their minds. This group of dreamers were all part of the same family.
Laying Out The Club
4/5/2020
After we finished the architectural drawings we needed to layout the rooms to ensure room sizes were adequate, door swings were proper and the equipment would fit into the rooms. Several changes were required to door openings, etc.
Sizing The Rooms
4/8/2020
Once we confirmed all of the room sizing, door openings, door swings, electrical requirements, plumbing requirements, etc. We went back to the Architect and City Planning with the final drawing changes and began construction.
Let The Framing Begin
4/10/2020
The drawings were approved for construction on April 10th and the framing began. Because we were operating a wellness business. The city requirements to keep our clients safe in case of fire or emergency were extremely comprehensive.
Launch The Website
4/15/2020
Each night after a 12-14 hour day of construction when I got home I would take a shower and grab some dinner and then head to the computer to continue to build the Club Recharge website. Organizing a first of its kind wellness center with over 95 therapies did not have a boiler plate website to copy, so it was on my shoulders to build it.
Looking For Better Help
4/17/2020
In order to keep our construction costs as low as possible I decided to hire some free labor and I guess learned the oldest rule in the book, that you get what you pay for, lol. My dog Butler began to accompany me to the job-site each day after his sister suddenly passed away and we couldn't help his sadness.
Signed The Purchase Order
4/19/2020
We officially signed all of the purchase orders releasing all of the payments to our equipment vendors. We signed off on all of the purchase order planning on a late June or early July grand opening which ended up being pushed back several times, because of COVID.
Wiring And Network Cabling
4/28/2020
By then end of April framing was well under way and electrical wiring began along with network cabling and all new HVAC system installation. Their was no turning back now and the club was beginning to take shape. Several unforeseen construction problems required creative ways to be dealt with.
Framing Complete
5/7/2020
Rough construction framing was nearly complete by May 7, 2020, but there were some tricky area's that required carpentry skills that I have used in a long time. The custom waterfall backsplash in the Bubble Lab required a custom approach after plumbing requirements changed our design.
Using All Of My Skills
5/12/2020
We ordered the oxygen bath early because we knew that design and installation was going to be an on the job custom build out. We had to coordinate our framing design around the cities plumbing requirements, which meant a 5' shift forward and a custom waterfall backsplash.
Butler's Sadness Not Improving
5/18/2020
We were all sad when Butler's sister Chauffeur passed away, but Butler took it especially hard. He cried and slept a lot and whenever we gave him treats he would not eat them, instead he would hid them in the furniture at home to give to his sister when she returned.
Oxygen Bath Installed
5/26/2020
We had some pretty special therapies coming to Club Recharge, many of which have never been offered to the public before, and the Oxygen Bath was on that list. Needless to say we had plenty of people that agreed to test it out.
Drywall Delivered
5/28/2020
The end of May brought to the club a great deal of progress and the shaping up into an actual business. Fire rated drywall was required throughout the club to meet Strongsville very strict fire code, Over 500 sheets were delivered and breaks were needed.
Drywall & Insulation Begins
6/3/2020
In June we began insulating and hanging drywall throughout the club. The walls that needed sound protection and noise reduction required insulation to help dampen sound waves. These rooms included float lab, oxygen bath, etc..
Doors Are Selected
6/10/2020
Because of the City of Strongsville high fire safety standards Club Recharge was required to fire rate all of the hallways and common area's throughout the club for 90 minutes. That's why all of the doors are so heavy when you visit the club.
Equipment Starts Arriving
6/18/2020
Equipment began arriving at the club in late June. We were originally planning for an July grand opening but because of the COVID virus the city had reduced hours for inspections and each day material became harder or impossible to find.
Found Butler's Happiness
6/20/2020
We were not able to handle Butler's sadness any longer so out of an act of desperation we found Butler a new sister to pal around with and it instantly did the trick. Even today they are the best of friends. Butler's sister is named Boo.
Drywall Continues
6/29/2020
There was a lot of drywall installed at Club Recharge. To be exact there was 543 sheets of drywall ordered, unloaded, installed and finished at the club. This was honestly the most back breaking part of the job and I am so glad its over.
Fire Rating Begins
7/10/2020
Because of the City of Strongsville high fire safety standards Club Recharge was required to fire rate all of the hallways and common area's throughout the club for 90 minutes. That's why all of the doors are so heavy when you visit the club.
Accent Walls
Selected
7/18/2020
We had a general design for the club with specific materials selected when we developed the concept of Club Recharge. Unfortunately COVID turned that plan upside down when materials become hard to get and prices went sky high.
Selecting Finish Materials
7/25/2020
Because of the COVID pandemic we were forced to change the entire theme of the club. The materials originally selected quickly went out of stock and the few places that had them wanted triple the price, which sent us back to the drawing board selecting all new materials.
The Sign Finally Goes Up
7/29/2020
The Club Recharge sign finally was installed in late July making the announcement to the community official. We immediately saw an uptick in website traffic and the number of clients pledging to become members had surpassed 500.
Drywall Complete
8/5/2020
The nastiest part of the job as far as I was concerned was finally over. Hanging, taping and sanding 21,720 square feet of drywall was the biggest project in my career to complete. Of course I had plenty of help when we had to finally hang all of the ceilings.
Accent Walls
Installed
8/8/2020
Lexi Wallace and myself went room by room and wall by wall and selected the accent materials we were going to use throughout the club. Lexi has very good taste and eye for design, but unfortunately for me her design taste is very expensive.
More Equipment Testing
8/14/2020
My children showed a lot of interest in the Club Recharge business, so much so that I made them my business partners. Teaching them about how business works and understanding your customers needs came naturally to my children.
Flooring & Painting Begins
8/19/2020
Now we are through all of the cities permitting phase things begins to speed up and to do list items are being checked off rapidly. There was over 4,900 square foot of flooring installed and over 650 gallons of paint used to complete the project.
Steel Doors Are Installed
8/25/2020
We completed about 90% of the work on the project ourselves which both saved a lot of money and a great deal of time. When it came to solid steel doors we decided to subcontract that part of the project out to a team that would complete it much faster.
Uniforms & Company Colors
9/8/2020
My daughter Lexi was from the beginning was in charge of what the club would look like both inside and out. She also decided on the company uniforms and company colors and logo. She has a real knack for design so I just stayed out of her way.
Finishing Touches
9/22/2020
By the end of September things had rapidly progressed to 1,000 small details that needed to be completed. There were over 60 TV's to install, connect and program along with 1000's of small details to make the club perfect.
Cleaning Up The Mess Begins
9/24/2020
By the end of September we were down to the finishing touches and a monster of a mess to clean up. Friends of mine began showing up with work clothes on prepared to help me finish this project and get the show on the road.
Assembling & Installation
9/26/2020
Simultaneously while we began the deep cleaning of the club we began to assemble and install each of the over 95 therapies. These days were filled with 16-18 hour work days, knowing that everything not only needed to look good but also work good.
Testing All Of The Equipment
9/29/2020
As each piece of equipment was assembled and installed someone from the team would test to make sure it worked properly and function as it was intended. There were ample numbers of people willing to test each therapy by this time.
Training All Of Our Staff
9/30/2020
Each member of the staff was trained for two weeks before we opened to insure not only did they know what therapy was used to treat but also knew what it was like to receive the treatment.
Final Piece Of Equipment
9/31/2020
The final piece of equipment was installed and tested on the last day of September and we almost ready for show time. By now there were over 750 people that went online to our website to get in line to become part of the club.
Three Days Of Testing
10/3/2020
Before we opened to the public and had our grand opening we spent three days testing the equipment and all of our processes to ensure that our first customers experience with the club was excellent.
Our First Celebrity Guest
11/5/2020
After our grand opening word began to travel very quickly and people began coming in at a steady pace. Very soon after opening local celebrities began to visit the club including Cleveland's hometown hero Bernie Kosar.
Our First Olympic Athletes
11/30/2020
As the days progressed the club began to grow and people from all over the USA began coming into the club. When the Olympic Athletes were in town training for the 2021 Games they heard about Club Recharge and they became everyday clients.
Recharge Expands Therapy
1/21/2021
Club Recharge opens its doors with over 70 science backed therapies. We began expanding our base of therapies and currently we have surpassed 95+ specialized therapie with a goal of having over 125 therapies by 2023.
Selected our Logo
2/23/2021
Club Recharge has been searching for the right identity and have finally adopted our logo officially.
Celebrated Our One Year
10/1/2021
Club Recharge celebrated our one year anniversary. We were over the top excited to receive the flood of support from our clients. By the end of the first year Club Recharge surpassed 1,200 members.
We Begin Our Expansion
1/30/2022
Club Recharge had an amazing welcoming reception to our wellness business concept. We formally began discussions for expanding the footprint of the Club Recharge business.