home town [ behind the biz ]
Fotis Papamichael
T
Co-owner, MiChael’s Body sCenes
here is a Greek island called Icaria in the Aegean Sea that is known as a “Blue Zone,” a place with an inordinate number of centenarians (people who live to be 100 or more). It’s from people on this island that Fotis and Michael Papamichael are descended—which may help explain their longevity in the health-club industry. This year, the brothers’ gym, Michael’s Body Scenes, celebrates its 25th year in Boca Raton. It may not be a designated Blue Zone yet, but it’s a place that has given a new lease on life to people young and old through its no-nonsense approach to healthy exercise via weight training, cardio programs and a dizzying
■ [When it comes to working together], my brother
and I are very different. There is a 10-year gap, which has its challenges. In Greek families, the eldest brother leads the family once the father gets older or dies. He tries to be more of a father figure than a brother at times—and that has its moments. But in the end ... we’re brothers, and there isn’t a thing that the business could possibly do to come between us.
■ What gives me the most fulfillment
is to know we are making a difference in people’s lives, whether it be a single mom, a wealthy entrepreneur or someone’s grandmother. ... It’s amazing to see what exercise can do.
number of group classes—from spinning and Pilates to trapeze training and a craze called Insanity (as covered in the November issue of Boca Raton). Michael Papamichael, 55, caught the fitness bug back in Pittsburgh with a job after college at a local racquetball club that also featured aerobics and Nautilus equipment. Eventually, he found his way to Boca, where he amassed the resources to start his own club in 1988. His brother, Fotis, 45, followed in 1990, and the two became synonymous with the town’s hottest gym. We asked Fotis why Michael’s has succeeded in an increasingly competitive marketplace—and what the brothers have in mind for the next 25 years. —MARIE SPEED
■ What we see nowadays as opposed to 25 years ago
is a more diverse clientele. It’s not just the yuppies who are trying get in shape and impress somebody. There are families with children who are trying to stay healthy.
■ Michael’s is like “Cheers” ... You’re
not dealing with a corporate chain; you are dealing with a privately owned health club that takes pride in educating its members, in giving them a program to follow. ... It’s not a meathead gym or a pick-up joint.
■ I have a lady [in my boot
who went into cardiac arrest in the hallway. My brother, one of our personal trainers and I rushed to him, broke out the paddles, hit the shock button, administered CPR and resuscitated him. It was amazing. What we did saved a man’s life. It’s hard to describe the adrenaline. The rest of the day I could have jumped a building—that’s how strong I felt.
AAron Bristol
■ A few years ago we had an older gentleman
camp class] on her second bout with cancer. She fought and won the first time. They found more cancer within the last year, and she has been going through treatments; she’s lost her hair. But she still comes in; she wants to see that morning crew at the gym. It is a family. It makes me proud to be a part of it.