Announcing the New Owner of Ballard Health Club
February 2025
Dear Members,
I am very happy and excited to announce the new owner of Ballard Health Club - Kyle Hyde.
Kyle came to work at Ballard Health Club at the end of 2023 after working 10 years at Olympic Athletic Club. Kyle was the Fitness Director at OAC overseeing their Personal Training Department along with managing classes. Kyle has had the same role here at BHC this past year and has also been assisting in the overall management of the Club which has allowed us to get to know each other well.
With me looking at my 70th birthday coming this year, I have been trying to establish a succession plan for the Club. What normally happens in this case, for a business like BHC, is that a business broker is hired to find a “suitable” buyer for the business and that transaction quietly happens and then I’m out the door with (most likely) a stranger or another fitness business owning and running the Club. Even though that may be the most profitable and “cleanest” way of moving on, it just did not sit well with how I would like to leave the ownership and management of the BHC.
So, I worked out a plan for who I thought would be the best person to take the BHC into the future while understanding the precious culture that has been Ballard Health Club for the past 26 years. The plan I formulated and presented to Kyle a couple of months ago, involved a fair amount of investment and business risk on his part. After evaluating the proposal, Kyle and his wife, Amanda, decided to go “ALL IN.”
Kyle and I have worked out a plan where I remain at BHC as an employee and continue with my role as General Manager and Kyle continues to be the Fitness Director. Over the next year, I will work with Kyle to eventually have him take over the job of General Manager. At that point, I will then focus on special projects like other enhancements to the Club which I have been very much involved with these past 11 years.
Ballard Health Club is in a very good place with its best year ever in 2024. Our stable business environment is attributed to our attention to the many different member areas and member interests we focus on such as:
High value for the cost of membership
Attention to detail in the maintenance and cleanliness of the facility
A broad variety of quality classes, both online, in-studio and hybrid (online AND in-studio at the same time)
A strong personal training program
Nutrition coaching program
Medicare insurance provided senior memberships and senior focused classes
Sauna and showers with complimentary towels
Large, fully equipped gym with 24 / 7 access
Olympic rated racks and bench presses
100% Local Ballard-based Ownership and Management
I am looking forward to working with Kyle and the rest of our staff to continue the success of Ballard Health Club. Being the owner and General Manager of BHC these past 11 years have been the most rewarding time of my life and I look forward to starting Kyle off on that same wonderful experience.
See you at the Club!
Sincerely,
Pat Gilbrough
General Manager
Ballard Health Club