“I started working in fitness clubs while finishing my degree in physical education,” High NRG Ladies Health & Fitness owner Val Keats says. “Initially, I thought I’d be a Phys. Ed. teacher, but I just fell in love with the fitness business.”
Spending 15 years working at a fitness club taught Val a lot about all aspects of the fitness industry, but her duties changed when she became their city manager. “My job ended up managing other managers and being responsible for sales," she recalls. "I had lost touch with what I really loved about this job, which is helping people succeed and become stronger and take pride in what they’re doing.” When Val realized this, she set about planning her own fitness club. “We opened on January 1st of 2000. Fellow trainers from local spa clubs came to work with me because they believed in my vision and believed that we would succeed. My husband and my staff have all been a huge help,” Val says. “They supported me and believed in the vision from the start.”
