There are some truly amazing people going above and beyond to get the club ready for Thursday’s opening. It’s been hard work and long hours and daily adventures, and we’re just getting started!! I know most in this group don’t like having their names called out, but after getting a 10pm celebratory picture of the now-gleaming basketball court floor I just had to post a HUGE THANK YOU!!!! To each and every team member working on this project, THANK YOU!!!! You are so very appreciated!!!
I’m so happy to be able to officially announce our expanded “no-joining” fees welcome promotion. During April and May, we will waive the new club’s joining fees for any former member of Hawthorn Sport & Spa or Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club.
We want you to come on in, meet our team, see the current and planned improvements and get back to your healthy lifestyle habits as quickly and easily as possible. Bring whatever form of documentation you have (a billing statement, a credit card charge line, a member agreement…) and talk to a team member once the doors open on April 2nd. There will be no pressure or sales tactics, just an invitation to join the club month-to-month and let us earn your ongoing business. There will be dues-consideration offered for the “soft opening”, available as soon as we open!
Just a few more days! We can’t wait to see you.
Be sure to stay up to date on the latest information by joining our email list and submitting your info here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6J2ZCNL
Membership types and dues rates have been posted at http://www.hfac.com/memberships.html and can be found at the bottom of this post. If you want more information on how these were created, please read on.
Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club is strongly committed to transparency and fair dealings. That’s why the dues are now and will remain posted online and offered equally to everyone. These rates were carefully crafted, looking at area demographics, industry information, ownership’s dues history from the Club we operated at Hawthorn Farm through 2012, and the more than 270 survey responses we received this month reporting dues that were being paid to Hawthorn Sport & Spa before their February closure.
There was a lot of variability in dues rates and fees in the survey responses, and our new rates hit the average. This means some people will find a dues reduction at the new club, and some people will find the prices are higher.
We have heard the feedback about lower cost Hillsboro competitors, and the higher end alternatives that are a bit further away. Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club’s business plan is a long-term health strategy to earn your membership through a high quality, community-based experience. We offer quality service from caring professionals, quality programming for all ages, and quality amenities that add to your overall Club experience.
Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club will charge a joining fee, and all memberships will be month-to-month. There won’t be annual renewal fees or hidden membership charges. The joining fee will be waived for anyone who can show they paid February dues to Hawthorn Sport & Spa. We invite any former member of the Hawthorn Farm location to come in and speak with us about joining fees once we open at 8am on Thursday, April 2nd.
Membership types were also carefully considered. Based on community input, we did away with the traditional “family” membership and instead allow either individual members or couple members to add their dependent children under the age of 23 to their account. We are offering a mature adult membership type for those age 65 and older. Again, our commitment to transparent, fair policies means membership policies will be open and equally offered.
As a new business, we do not have in place any corporate agreements with local businesses. This membership type will be investigated once the club is up and running, but is not currently available.
Our first email will be sent today (Friday, March 27th) to anyone who submitted an email address to our new business. If you would like to add your email address to our contact list, please submit it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6J2ZCNL
Early next week we plan to post and email the member enrollment form along with clear instructions in order to make joining our new club as easy as possible. We hope to see you next Thursday and beyond!
Questions and comments can be sent to hawthornfarmathleticclub@gmail.com
HAWTHORN FARM ATHLETIC CLUB MEMBERSHIP
HFAC MEMBERSHIP TYPES:
The following additions may be made to any Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club Membership:
HFAC JOINING FEES:
There will NOT be a Joining Fee for anyone who paid February 2015 dues with Hawthorn Sport & Spa.
HFAC MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP DUES:
This is not a transfer of business from the previous tenant, Sport & Spa. Business transactions like prepaid dues or training packages will have to be addressed directly with AllState Financial. The contact numbers we have are: Bethany Sport & Spa at 503.521.7700 or All State Financial at 425.286.1700.
the NEW Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club’s group exercise schedule has been posted at
http://www.hfac.com/forms/HFAC%20Group%20Fitness%20Schedule.pdf
We heard your feedback and worked hard to hire your favorite instructors and build a schedule that will entice you to join! We open a week from today, Thursday, April 2nd, at 8am, and the Club is jumping right in with a full schedule.
Tomorrow HFAC’s dues categories and rates will be posted at http://www.hfac.com and an email will be sent to everyone who’s submitted email addresses to us in the last couple of weeks.
You can enter your email address now by following this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6J2ZCNL
Early next week we’ll post clear instructions on how to join on http://www.hfac.com along with a member enrollment form. This information will also be emailed to the contact list. Our goal is to make enrollment as easy as possible so as soon as the doors open, you can be welcomed in and back to your workout.
Thank you again for all your support! We hope to see you next week!
The web page WWW.HFAC.COM is developing along with all the other elements of your Club.
One fun, early announcement that’s been posted at http://hfac.com/amenities.html is that the new Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club will have TaeKwonDo with Christine Beckel. The traditional Korean art of Tae Kwon Do is a fun, full-body workout for students of all ages and abilities. It is a perfect reflection of Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club’s family friendly approach. Check out the schedule up now at http://www.hfac.com.
As the April 2nd opening approaches and information rolls out, you’ll find many more familiar faces like Christine’s.
More coming soon….
Your hardworking HFAC start up team is delighted to announce that we will open our doors on Thursday April 2nd. That first Thursday the club will open at 8am, rolling right into regular business hours of :
The club will be closed on Easter Sunday.
This is one day later than originally hoped for, but the good news is that work is progressing well. Here are some things new members can expect:
The start up team has been laser focused on getting key fitness areas ready to welcome members on April 2nd. The following areas will be in progress.
We will continue to improve and enhance the amenities over our opening weeks, with a heavy emphasis on careful planning and communication so members know what to expect.
Membership information will be rolling out quickly. Check back here regularly for ongoing updates!
A very thoughtful commenter asked for an explanation of the past and ownership’s vision of the future. I thought I’d share it.
Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club was built by DW Sivers Company during a time when the company had an overall focus on athletic facility development. DWS was development partners on other projects locally and nationally. HFAC was such a great property and opportunity, DWS decided to invest in opening the operations within the building as well. Based on that positive experience, over the following decade plus DWS created the Oregon Athletic Clubs organization with three operating businesses and the infrastructure to grow. We were minority partners in the ownership of the Bethany building, and purchased the historic RiverPlace building.
The company was considering opportunities to build and operate in new locations when an offer to purchase the Oregon Athletic Club (OAC) operations came in 2012. The offer came with a very short time line, and a grand vision for the future, that would benefit the members, employees and the business.
At the time the offer was accepted, DWS sold our interest in the Bethany building as well. In 2014 the RiverPlace property was sold. We retained ownership of the Hawthorn Farm building because it’s a great facility, location and there is strong business potential.
As for the future, where OAC had a strong emphasis on infrastructure for growth, the new Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club will be an independent location rooted in the local demographics and community. The club already has a foundation of a management team that shares HFAC’s original core values and has success with and supports that single location approach. We feel confident that the club will once again build an outstanding employee family and build back the trust and loyalty of a strong member group. No one can predict the future, including in business. But everything about how we have invested in and approached the new Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club is with a long term vision. We are “all in”.
Many people are wondering what updates are happening at Hawthorn Farm beyond just a deep clean and stocking supplies (yes, we’ll have TOWELS!). This week we’re continuing painting and floor maintenance that started last week, replacing the two large hot water heaters that serviced the whole club with four more efficient heaters, and replacing the carpet and flooring in the back office areas.
Pushing for the April opening meant we wouldn’t be able to replace all club carpeting or worn seating before we start signing up members, but we’re working with the building’s original interior designer to get a comprehensive design update on carpet, furniture and accessories that can be carefully implemented over the coming months with minimal disruption.
Since this is an Athletic Club, you are probably more interested in the fitness amenities. Last week we placed an order for 25 new pieces of Precor cardio equipment with personal viewing screens that should be installed the last week in March. Pictures of three types selected are below. Weight equipment is being rearranged to create a dedicated stretching area. Interviews with fitness staff are well underway and we will be excited to share our opening group exercise schedule soon!
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A really exciting development is that this week demo will also begin on two of the four upstairs conference rooms. This beautiful, sun-filled space is becoming a dedicated 1000 square foot Mind-Body studio for yoga, Barre, mat pilates classes and similar. The room darkening curtains, dimmer lights and adjustable thermostat will allow the atmosphere to be adapted for each class’s unique format. This work will be well underway by the April opening but we are currently estimating a total timeline of 6 weeks until completion.
The club will now have 1000 square feet of dedicated party and meeting space, dividable into two rooms as needed. Event rentals will be added in to HFAC’s offerings shortly, but our initial focus is on those core fitness amenities!
I know we’re all eagerly awaiting the update on the pools. We plan to have the pools up and operable at opening, but are waiting on final word from our pool maintenance specialist vendors. I’ll post updates as soon as I have them.
Finally, I want to address a concern that has been brought to my attention about the building being listed online for sale. In January of this year, DW Sivers Company signed a 6-month listing agreement on the club to review purchase or sublease offers. This was a good faith effort at the request of the then-tenant who felt that would assist them in creating a business turn-around plan.
During the entire time we acted as Landlord for other operators at Hawthorn Farm, DW Sivers held ourselves to the legal obligations of our lease agreement. When the most recent tenant declared bankruptcy, we invested fully in the court supervised process, not wanting to do anything to complicate an already difficult situation. That means the decision to return to an owner-operated Athletic Club was not finalized until February 27th, the day we received the court’s approval to terminate the AllState lease, and the same day the doors were locked. Clearly a transfer from one operator to another would have been a smoother way to transition but it was simply not appropriate to the complexity of the situation. Starting a new club up in a month’s time is a huge undertaking. Since our decision was made on February 27th we have been laser-focused on and fully invested-in creating the new Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club and excited for the clean, fresh start!
We’re deeply committee to transparency and clear communication. Any questions or comments are welcomed at hawthornfarmathleticclub@gmail.com
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN OUR DUES SURVEY – THIS HAS NOW BEEN CLOSED.
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Many people have asked that we don’t make a big jump in monthly dues. We don’t have the data on what the former Hawthorn Farm tenant was actually charging. After a few people emailed me information on where their dues were, I realized I could organize a quick survey to get a good sampling of data all in one place. If you have just a couple of minutes, please consider completing the survey by following this link: (link no longer active)
THANK YOU!
I just wanted to post a quick update to stay in touch. It’s been a busy few days.
Job interviews have started, with a focus on key leadership positions first. Please help spread the word that the “new original” HFAC is hiring, we’re especially looking to hear from the dedicated professionals who made a positive impact on prior membership experiences. Information on how to apply can be found at https://hawthornfarmathleticclub.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/how-to-apply-for-a-job-with-the-new-hawthorn-farm-athletic-club/
We’ve appreciated hearing about the programs that make a difference to you, including TaeKwon Do, Les Mills, cycling and Aquatics. Any additional information you want to share is welcome at hawthornfarmathleticclub@gmail.com
Another huge effort surrounds a deep cleaning of the entire facility. The focus is identifying what we can do immediately for an April opening, and then what short and long term projects are needed. The pools have been drained, light bulbs are being changed, floors and locker rooms being deep cleaned. We’re meeting several vendors a day. For example, our pool professional has been out and we’re waiting to hear back from them on what needs to be done. Several of you have asked if the indoor pools will be open beginning of April as well. It’s a goal, but we will confirm as soon as we know.
In addition to staff and building work, we need equipment. Much of the cardio that was here has been removed by the former tenant, and we will have a mix of familiar fitness equipment and new fitness equipment. It’s a big job sorting through what’s on site, what condition its in, and what new is needed.
The membership software lets members join, make purchases, check in, book appointments… That’s being selected and set up. We need this to be in place before we can share the system for member enrollment. Again, this will be an “opt-in” situation, not something where we’re rolling over the former businesses clients and charging people whether they are coming in or not. HFAC will be completely transparent, with dues rates clearly stated and equally available. Many of you are eager to here what those will be, and we will post them as soon as they are finalized.
Any other questions or comments, don’t hesitate to email hawthornfarmathleticclub@gmail.com. We also encourage you to send us your email address there so as soon as we’re ready to start signing people up our membership representatives can be in touch.
As always, THANK YOU for the interest and support. It is VERY APPRECIATED.
Hawthorn Farm Athletic Club BLOG 