To say that Cheetah Gym's Angie Frank has had an up-and-down week might be the understatement of the year. After now-former chief David Wilshire abruptly shut down all three locations, alleging employee corruption, the sites reopened a few days later and Frank—the regional general manager—is making sure that all the facilities are running smoothly. She spoke with Windy City Times at the Andersonville site last week about moving on.
Windy City Times: How is membership after what happened?
Angie Frank: Things are really good. Everybody's responded very positively. Of course, there was a little hesitation, but they see that the doors are open and that the staff hasn't changed. I would say that we got 99 percent of our staff back; I think that says a lot. Things have changed, but not that much.
Cheetah Gym has always had a name, and I think that we've always been that neighborhood facility—and that's what we're trying to do.
WCT: Once Cheetah closed down, people wondered about the surrounding businesses.
AF: Well, I know that the Starbucks [ at 5300 N. Clark ] is one of the busier ones in the city; people either stop there on the way in or out. So, it affects business all over; it does.
WCT: And how are the other [ Cheetah ] locations doing?
AF: Good. Bucktown opened the same [ day ] that Andersonville did.
I think that each facility is stuck in the neighborhood. I have to say that I've had some positive experiences out of this, and I'm trying to move forward from this. At Edgewater, I had families calling in to see how they could help and take care of staff; some people dropped off gift cards to some of my staff because they knew that [ the employees ] hadn't been paid.
We had employees who had to feed their children. I think that [ the employees not getting paid ] was the hardest part for me. I knew I'd get paid, eventually, and I have other resources—but not everyone does.
WCT: So everything will be fine regarding employees?
AF: Yeah! MB Financial has been more than fantastic; they've gone above and beyond. They've paid us from our last payday ahead and have taken care up to the day we closed.
Accounts were put on hold and the bank had to step forward and take over, and we had to take everything that was supposedly paid for on the day we closed...we had to redo everything. It was a lot for [ MB Financial ] , but they've been fantastic.
WCT: At this point, what will happen with plans to build a Cheetah Gym in Logan Square?
AF: Honestly, my main concern is to make sure that these three facilities are up and running. It's only been week one, and we're trying to prioritize. Not that Logan Square isn't important, but we [ need to ] make sure that these three facilities are running soundly; then, we can reach out to the community and let them know what we decide to do with Logan Square.
WCT: So the plans [ with Logan Square ] are on hold?
AF: Correct.
WCT: You've talked about moving forward. Of course, part of moving forward is reconciling with the past—so have you done that?
AF: I've had numerous people ask me about that and, for me, being silent isn't necessarily a bad thing. People who know me know what I've done for Cheetah Gym for the past six or seven years, and I don't have anything to prove to anybody but that and to move forward.
I wish no one any ill will. It is what it is, and I'm just going to make the best of what it is. I think the members appreciate the few things we have changed, like the free towel service we have now. I just want members to be able to come in, work out and go home. Hopefully, those who did leave [ to go to other gyms ] will come back; if they don't, I don't blame them.
WCT: What's a typical day for you?
AF: [ Smiles ] It's been nothing but work, but it's OK. I actually had my first morning off today and had breakfast with my girlfriend.
It's going to be tough for the first couple months; I only had so much of the business before and now I have to go over everything with the consulting company that's through the bank. It's going well. It's like picking everything apart and trying to figure it out; it's like a puzzle.
See www.cheetahgym.com for more info. Those with questions should e-mail Kristen at cheetah@cheetahgym.com .
