Probably one reason that Jeff relates so well to Owners and Managers of GymClubs of all sizes is because he has vivid memories of the seemingly unending business challenges young and old businesses face. His background typifies so many in our industry: starting first, as a young competitive gymnast; then, an instructor; a coach; a struggling GymClub Owner; and, finally, successful entrepreneur.

Currently, Jeff divides his professional time between his 86,000 sf, $4.5M Kids First Sports Center (home of Queen City Gymnastics)the Small Business BOOT CAMPS, and numerous speaking engagements. He and Penny, his wife, have five children, Wendy, Erica, Ashley, Matt and Joanie. Jeff's personal time is spent: spending time with family and friends; playing handball; woodworking; tending to the family log home 'compound;' and reading.

Jeff founded Queen City Gymnastics in 1975 more to satisfy his 'coaching habit' than to grow a business - something he considered to be 'a necessary evil'. Somewhere about 1980, his focus shifted when he realized - if he chose to - he could find as much gratification in building a 'bang-up' business as in coaching State Champions. In fact, he did choose the business path but he is always quick to point out that Queen City Gymnastics still has, perhaps, the best Jr. Olympic record in the nation (see Corporate Fact Sheet below)!

Now that coaching gymnastics is no longer a part of his daily life, Jeff satisfies his coaching urges through BOOT CAMP. Jeff stresses that the BOOT CAMP, like gymnastics, is first and foremost about getting control of your life: about finding a purpose, moving confidently toward that purpose and deeply enjoying life's relationships along the way.

"For me, there is no greater satisfaction than seeing my teaching efforts help others find greater satisfaction in life, whether they are Boot Campers; Kids First employees; students; or my own children. First and last, I am a teacher: that I have also learned to balance my teaching urge while at the same time becoming a successful entrepreneur is a huge bonus for me and my family. A major goal of Boot Camp is to share with others how to find this balance, for I know from experience, it can be elusive".

Allow me to debunk the MYTH that BOOT CAMP is for large clubs only:

Queen City Gymnastics Center Inc., dba Kids First Sports Center opened its doors in 1975 with zero enrollment. I remember each and every financial and psychological hurdle over our 30 years and each one was frustrating and sometimes seemed unsolvable. Lessons were learned, time has passed, and Kids First has grown to the largest single store business in our industry which has led to the MYTH that Boot Camp is for big clubs or for clubs who want to become as big as Kids First: Nothing could be further from the truth: Boot Camp is for career professionals who are responsible for moving their business or department forward and will benefit any business that desires to grow in revenue, profit and heart, including, especially, finding and developing responsible employees and engendering loyalty. I believe the best time to attend Boot Camp is BEFORE a business opens its doors: the next best time is NOW. Jeff Metzger

SCOPE

• At peak Total Enrollment of 5100 students (not including birthday parties, day camps, etc.), Kids First exceeds industry averages by 5.2x and the industry mean by 7.1x.
• At Peak Total Enrollment, Kids First has 'saturated' 16.6% of its primary market area, almost 4x the industry average in suburban markets and almost 2x the next closest club!
• At peak 'Gymnastics Only' Enrollment of 2525 students, Kids First exceeds industry averages by almost 3.5x and the industry mean by almost 4x.
• At Peak 'Gymnastics Only' Enrollment, Kids First 'saturates' 8.2% of its primary market area, over 2x industry average in suburban markets and 2x the next closest club!
• Peak Swim School Enrollment of 1450 puts Kids First among the largest and most respected Swim Schools in the industry.
• Kids First revenue exceeds industry averages by 5.2x and the mean by 7.5!
• Kids First's all-in profit exceeds industry averages by 16x (estimate)!
• Kids First Foot Traffic is 12,400 per week.

As important as demographics is for finding success in our industry, it must be stressed, there is nothing special about Kids First's demographics which are good but not great. There are many, many, many USA locations with stronger demographics. Like the Tortoise, Kids First's success comes from knowing what the basics are and doggedly tending to them. It is amazing what can happen when a business identifies a sound strategy and has the discipline to stay the course. Hint: the core of Kids First's strategy is its dedication to enlightened Leadership and its desire to share this knowledge with all.

RECORDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Olympic cycle be darned: in our 30 YEARS, our Company has NEVER experienced a year that did not have an increase in revenue (adjusted for any one time anomalies).  How many businesses in any industry can make that claim? It is interesting, but despite the way it looks from the outside looking in (to you), Kids First did not experienced this growth by doing anything particularly dramatic (other than, perhaps, identifying a unique Leadership Strategy). In a nutshell: we know who we are, we work together and we stay the course over the long haul.
• Since the 1998 Kids First 'evolution', Queen City Gymnastics has AVERAGED 2.6th place at ALL levels of Jr. Olympic State Meets of Ohio, a very tough state: this takes into account ALL Men's levels, ALL Women's levels and TnT. Over the decades, I doubt there is another club in the nation that has the long term competitive record as do we. The point: if you choose, you can run a great business and develop great teams.
• TWICE in our history, our Company experienced OVERNIGHT enrollment growth of 50+% (a result of new facilities) and handled it gracefully! At Boot Camp you will learn how we were able to 'hang on' to this growth AND continue to grow in all subsequent years, no small feat.

OUR PEOPLE

• With 150 employees, Kids First had to get a firm grasp on the art of hiring. It was laborious but, now, getting and developing great, responsible, loyal staff is the very thing Kids First is best at! This 'collective skill' happened gradually, over 30 years, but were we to start all over, now that we have 'cracked the code,' we feel we could cut the time it takes to build a world class staff down to 2-5 years.
• Kids First has 150 employees and 15 Department Level Leaders. Included in Kids First's Core Concept is a public proclamation that 'we train world class leaders.' It is fair to say, any one of our Department Level Leaders would be considered a first class 'plum' for probably any club in the nation. Fortunately, however, our Leaders seldom resign and when they do, typically it is with months of notice (note, we do NOT use contracts). While you are at Boot Camp you will find a huge amount of energy spent on the subject of building a loyal, responsible staff for it is the single most important skill a leader must learn. Period. Plus, at Boot Camp, you will be able to hear from 'the other side of the coin' and learn from Kids First Department Leaders how Kids First generates this loyalty ('compensation' will NOT be the first thing you hear out of their mouths).