Clubhaus to Join Healthy Bodies with Fitter Planet

The T-shirts Stuart Walker plans to make available at Clubhaus Fitness Center express a logical progression.

“Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Planet” is a slogan Walker has chosen to reflect the ideals behind his new business. It stands to reason people committed to improving their minds and bodies through exercise would share a similar devotion to the environment, right?

“It is a natural fit, but it’s easier not to do it,” Walker said of marrying a healthy lifestyle to environmentally friendly practices.

This has been especially true in the health-club business, Walker said, explaining how huge gyms built on the cheap allow lower membership prices and therefore higher profits. Walker aims to change at least part of that equation.

Clubhaus Fitness Center, located near the heart of Dickson Street, will be the first privately owned, LEED-certified fitness center in Arkansas. Its operational practices will be designed to make Clubhaus Fitness Center as lean and mean as the people pumping iron inside it.

“If we can raise the bar and build a nicer facility, do it green, then I’m banking on the fact that there are people out there who will appreciate the fact we did it,” Walker said.

Walker’s facility, projected to open on Sept. 1, is located at 612 W. Dickson. The space originally was a grocery store and most recently an arts and crafts store.

With the help of C.R. Crawford Construction Co., the building has been gutted and is in the process of a major transformation. Among the changes are a new white roof, walls constructed in part with materials torn from the old ceiling, and a drainage system designed to “grab shower water and run it back through toilets for second use,” Walker said.

Walker and his wife, Missi, have had their eyes on such a project for years, they said. Now with the help of a Small Business Administration loan, the Walkers are on the verge of mixing an entrepreneurial spirit with an environmentally friendly mindset.

“Part of our philosophy is that if you’re not part of the solution, then you just might be part of the problem,” Stuart Walker said. “We decided you can’t [gripe] about anything if you’re not going to take steps to get a little bit better every day.”

Missi Walker, an interior designer, earned LEED AP status as part of the process. She said the cost of building Clubhaus Fitness to LEED standards has only been 1 to 2 percent more than it would have been using traditional methods.

“And it pays you back down the road,” she said.

That payoff could come in many forms, including lower utility costs. Stuart Walker said larger health clubs can have yearly utility bills approaching $300,000.

The Walkers also hope patrons will like new windows along the center’s storefront that will allow treadmill users to look out onto Dickson Street. A ground-level basement will feature a studio backed by a glass garage door that can be opened when weather permits, and a staff of 10 personal trainers will incorporate bicycle rides on nearby trails as part of certain programs.

Stuart Walker said he chose Technogym when selecting some machines because they are more energy efficient. A small lounge area will be located next to a smoothie bar.

“It’s not just doing two or three things and saying, ‘I’m green,'” Walker said of seeking LEED certification. “You’ve got to measure it and follow the standards and do it right.”