Biography
Roger Wittenberns ranks as one of the most well recognized business men names in the health club industry. Roger began his career in the early 70’s with Jack Lallanes Health Spas. Moving up from a beginning position as a lifeguard Roger was promoted to a fitness instructor position. Later Roger was offered an opportunity to advance with the company which included extensive sales training required of any person representing Mr. Jack Lallanes.
Roger excelled in sales and was soon promoted to club manager. He was transferred to several clubs which he set sales records that had not been seen before. Rogers success afforded him a promotion to Area Director of the 40 club chain. Roger’s success was highly publicized and news of his success quickly traveled throughout the industry.
One day Roger received a call from the president of European Health Spas, a chain of 150 mega clubs located in nearly every major city in the United States. Roger was offered a Vice President position with European Health Spas. Roger accepted and for several years Roger traveled to most of the 150 clubs in the chain hiring entire staffs, training them and then moving on to another club.
Following several successful years with European Health Spas Roger was approached by a group of Houston Texas real estate developers that suggested he could never become wealth working for a company and simultaneously offered to build Roger his own brand of health clubs in their Houston area shopping centers. By the late 80’s Roger owned and operated 40 successful Lady of America clubs designed to his specifications.
In late 1989 Roger was approached by a team of franchise attorneys and business brokers that suggested that Roger should franchise his concept nationwide. After several meetings with franchise attorneys and business brokers Roger the legal team reported back that it would be much more difficult than anyone expected since nobody had ever franchised fitness centers. agreed to take the necessary steps and expense required to become a franchisor. Roger accepted the challenge and went down in the record books as the first individual to offer franchise opportunities in the health club industry. By 2005, 15 years later, Rogers company, Lady of America Franchise Corporation was at the top of the fitness franchise charts generating over 250 new franchise prospects per day. The team of 10 franchise sales people averaged 25-50 new discovery day attendees per week. By early 2005 Lady of America was opening an average of 50+ clubs per month. The chain was adding over 13,000 new members worldwide per week or an average of 600,000+ new members annually joining and committing to pay the franchisees an average dues base of $29 per member
