We are quickly approaching the one-year anniversary of Rich Novelli’s arrival as the General Manager of Midtown Bannockburn. 

Over the past eleven months, Rich has impacted many different areas of the club, from landscaping to securing new workout equipment. He truly hit the ground running. 

You’ve likely seen him working out or in his office planning and working to improve Midtown.  But, have you had the chance to stop and talk with California native? 

If not, I encourage you to stop by his office, (located at the top of the stairs) and get to know your General Manager. Recently, I sat down with Rich to talk a about the past year, plans for the future, and a little bit about flying planes.

Tim: What were you doing before you came to Midtown?

Rich: I spent the last 10 years with a private equity firm that purchased private health club operations and provided transitional leadership as they would grow and get ready for the next stage in their evolution. Most recently, I was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as the Chief Operating Officer of a 25-club chain.

Tim: What has been your favorite part of the past year?

Rich: Building a team of managers and leaders with a passion for Midtown as well as getting to know the members while learning how to best serve the members of this club.

Tim: Is there anything you had to adjust to when you arrived here? Anything you didn’t expect?

Rich:Well, it had been about 10 years since I was really doing the day-to-day operational role of running a club, so it took a little bit of time to get back into handling the daily responsibilities and being around the club all the time. It was nice to get back into that rhythm and remind myself how much I enjoy rolling up my sleeves and being part of everything. It was kind of like riding a bike and has been really fun getting back to doing that.  I just came back from Calgary so weather was not a huge issue. 

I had heard a lot about the support that Midtown as a company offers its senior management to help them succeed.  It has been so good  to be part of a company that is always reinvesting in its clubs both financially and personally.  They have really given me the freedom to run Midtown Bannockburn as my own business while at the same time assimilating the Midtown brand and its reputation as one of the top health club companies in the country, if not the world, into the product.

Tim: Who are some leaders you try to emulate or have learned from?

Rich: I have been fortunate enough to have some very strong mentors in my professional experience. Thomas Peters and his books Search of Excellence, Passion for Excellence, and really anything he has writing have been  great driving forces for me. I worked at Citibank as the Director of Human Resources and learned a lot from my boss, John Phillips.  He taught me a lot about hard work and making sure you have the right team around you and a good mix of people for support and to accomplish more than you could by yourself. 

He taught me that business is much more than making money; it’s about people and making connections and relationships.  You can run on a treadmill anywhere, but people (both members and associates) come to Midtown because of the relationships.

Tim: What are some of your goals for the next year at Midtown?

Rich: I really want to continue to evolve the business and elevate what we do.  I want to continue to raise the bar in the way we care for our members and provide them with a  unique experience through the evolution of new programs and services as well as building events that hit us where we are socially.

Tim:What do you do for fun and to relax?

Rich:Anyone who is a regular here has seen that I am a exercise fanatic. I like to practice what I preach. I really think the benefits of a healthy lifestyle extend beyond just the physical to emotional and almost spiritual effects.  I enjoy all outdoor activies. I love football. I have my pilot’s license but I haven’t flown in a really long time. When you are flying a plane you can’t really be thinking about anything else other than flying; it has to be your priority.

Tim: Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Rich: I think that we have only begun to scratch the surface of regaining our spot as the jewel in the crown of not only the Midtown company but among the North Shore. I want to continue to strive to make this the third place for our members (work, home, and Midtown) and a great place to work for our associates. I want to create an environment where members enjoy working out, and employees enjoy working within.

What would you like to ask Rich?