Jeff Spencer says he and his wife, Shelley, who operate franchise Snap Fitness centers on the South Hill and in Pullman, Wash., plan to open a third outlet this summer, in northwest Spokane, and hope to open a fourth, in Spokane Valley, in about a year.


Meanwhile, other franchisees are said to be planning two more Snap Fitness facilities here, both on the North Side, and Jeff Spencer says he believes another half-dozen or so could open here over the next several years.


Part of a fast-growing Minnesota-based chain, Snap Fitness centers are designed to be stripped-down, quick-workout neighborhood alternatives to big box fitness centers, says the franchise companys Web site. Theyre lightly staffed, because members can use electronic key cards to enter the centers whenever they want, and theyre equipped with safety features such as surveillance and emergency-alert systems to help members feel secure. Also, members dont have to sign contracts.


Spencer says he and his wife have agreed to buy the assets of Indian Trail Fitness Center, at 8801 N. Indian Trail Road, from Dan and Grace Lund and plan to expand it and convert it into a Snap Fitness facility by around the middle of next month.


Indian Trail Fitness, which opened in the fall of 2006, occupies a 2,400-square-foot space in a multitenant satellite building at the Sundance Plaza Shopping Center. Spencer says he and his wife are leasing another 1,500 square feet of space in that building, and are removing some walls to give the center a more open floor plan. Remodeling work on the project already has begun. Spencer says he plans to install some additional exercise equipment for the outlet, and he estimates the total cost of opening the center will be about $250,000.


Grace Lund will stay on to manage the facility, which also will have one other employee, he says. The fitness center currently has about 225 members, and Spencer says he hopes to boost that to about 1,000 members, counting a family as one membership.


He says he and his wife opened a 3,100-square-foot Snap Fitness center at 3717 S. Grand on Jan. 1 and the 3,600-square-foot center at 745 N. Grand Street in Pullman last July. He says he hasnt determined a location yet for the center he plans to open in the Valley.


Spencer is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who last was stationed at the Pentagon, but says he and his wife both are from the Northwest and wanted to return here.


Snap Fitness was founded four years ago and now has more than 1,300 franchisees in the U.S. and Canada, its Web site says. The Web site indicates there now are eight of the fitness centers operating in Washington state, with 22 more currently planned, including two more on Spokanes North Sideone at Division and Wellesley and the other at Northwest Boulevard and F Street. Spencer says those fitness centers will be owned by other franchisees.


Other than his hopes to open a Valley center, he says, I dont have any plans right now, but there will be more. Id bet you that within three or four years youll see up to 10 of these things in the Spokane area.


Contact Kim Crompton at (509) 344-1263 or via e-mail at [email protected].