SUCCESSstories
Inspiring Tales of Startups,
Growth and Overcoming Hardships
Seeing an Opportunity in Change
MICHELE & JEFF KOHL
Spa & Club Ideations LLC • Las Vegas, Nevada
pa & Club Ideations, LLC was founded in 2001 by
husband-and-wife team Jeff and Michele Kohl out of a
passion to deliver wellness solutions across the
corporate and private sectors. Building a successful business
requires the ability to see when an industry is changing and
understanding how to take advantage of that change. They
recall a mentor asking them if they were willing to go out and
play in traffic—they both replied with a resounding yes—so
they formed their company.
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Early Roots
Jeff and Michele’s passion for the industry goes back to the
early 1980’s were they were founders of Firm Fitness, Inc., a
business that brought fitness and wellness services into private
homes and businesses. It was not just a personal fitness
training business—Michele hired massage therapists and
athletic trainers, bringing spa-style fitness and wellness to
many private clients, plus a handful of high-profile businesses,
including Walt Disney World Resorts, Isleworth Country Club
and NFL Quarterback Challenge. Firm Fitness, Inc. was among
the first to bring this now widely available concept to the
market.
From those early days of providing fitness and wellnessspecific services, the company has evolved to deliver
cutting-edge solutions to spa clients across a broad range of
services. From marketing and strategy planning, staffing wage
analysis and new facility construction to spa menu and
product line development, the company delivers solutions with
a “customer first” mentality.
Building Connections with Clients
One of the many defining moments for the business is the
couple’s close association with Walt Disney World in Florida
over the last two decades. In fact, Jeff was invited to become a
founding “cast member” of the Disney Institute, the entertainment giant’s first foray into the world of spa and wellness.
Its success led Jeff to play a significant role in the first Disney
cruise ships—where the team truly developed the values that
still drive their company today.
The Kohl’s relationship with Mayo Clinic, which started in
2013, has solidified their reputation as a serious, dedicated and
results-driven development partner. Over the past two years,
the team has had the pleasure of opening the first-of-its-kind
spa facility with Mayo Clinic. As part of Mayo Clinic’s Healthy
Living Program, it marks the first time a top U.S. health-care
provider entered into the spa business.
The relationship with Mayo Clinic has also led Michele to
publish a white paper. Entitled “Spa Cleanliness – Multiple
Steps,” it is based on her 10-month experience of opening
Mayo Clinic’s spa.
Keys to Success
As business partners, the couple learned the importance of
playing up each other’s strengths. Jeff is the big-thinker and
progressive project-mover, while Michele is more focused on
the detail and project programming and processes.
Together, their greatest strength is having a business model that
they firmly believe in and a passion for the development of the
industry. Both have frequently mentored young business
owners. Michele, in particular, finds gratification in looking into
the future of their clients’ businesses, both large and small. The
couple finds it most rewarding to bring new projects and
products to their partners, to connect with businesses and
individuals, and proactively connect these same businesses and
individuals to others. ■
NOTE: One of ISPA’s most active veteran members, Jeff is a former three-term
chairman and treasurer of ISPA and a multiple-term chairman of the ISPA Foundation.
March/April 2016
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