Exercise Coach Debuts in Buckhead

Moss Robertson, 62, and his daughter Katie Sanders, 34, are part of one of Atlanta’s oldest and most prominent local business families, known for Boomershine automotive dealerships in Atlanta since 1929.

Robertson’s father-in-law, Walter Boomershine, made the decision to end their business after about 70 years in the automotive industry. After 31 years of running Moss Robertson Cadillac-Mazda in Gainesville, Robertson made a decision to sell his dealership as well, ending a long family tradition in the automotive industry.

They will now lend their experience in business ownership to growing a new fitness concept in the Atlanta market. Moss Robertson and his wife Dr. Tricia Robertson just opened the very first Exercise Coach location in Georgia at 458 East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead.

Katie Sanders and her husband Jason Sanders will open the second location in April-May 2014 in Johns Creek. In total, the family will open eight locations over the next four years.

“We decided as a family to make a change,” said Robertson in a press release. “I considered retirement, but when we discovered The Exercise Coach we were so impressed. It really energized me thinking about going into the future in the health and fitness field.”

The Exercise Coach is a national franchise that offers a unique, comprehensive approach to fitness designed with the unlikely exerciser in mind and which promises results in a short amount of time. Clients perform just two 20-minute sessions per week, combining bio-adaptive exercise technology using specialized exercise equipment and with the wisdom and encouragement of personal coaches. The centers create a dynamic exercise experience that is suitable for people of all fitness and confidence levels.

“Dad and Tricia brought up the idea to me and my husband Jason,” said Sanders in the release, “and we thought it was a great plan. Making the change to franchising was even more appealing.”

Sanders and her husband both worked for the family business for years. Sanders started at one of the dealerships when she was in high school and then returned again after graduating from University of Georgia. Her father, also an Atlanta native, attended Henry Grady High School, is a graduate of Georgia State University, and has worked in his family’s car business his whole life. His wife has been practicing orthodontics in Atlanta for the last 13 years.

Buying a franchise was appealing to the family because it gave them an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a company in a growing industry. It also allowed them to invest in a turnkey operation, thus enabling them to devote their time and effort to working on the business and not in the business.

“People are more focused on health and fitness than ever before and they’re looking for programs that are safe and will really help to make a change in their lifestyle,” said Sanders. “The Exercise Coach is a tried and true system that was created for regular people using highly researched exercise technology. With this program, we know we can really help make a difference for the Atlanta community.”

Together, the family defined their goals with The Exercise Coach as helping individuals in their community find better health. They also wanted a simple business model that would allow them to be more involved with their clients and be on the cutting-edge of the fitness industry. They see these goals as highly complementary. “Our product is not just the exercise,” explained Robertson, “it’s getting the results the clients want to achieve from the exercise.”

The Robertson and Sanders family signed a franchise agreement to open eight Exercise Coach locations throughout the Atlanta area, with each of them opening four. In addition to the Buckhead and Johns Creek locations, the Robertsons plan to expand their footprint throughout Atlanta into Sandy Springs, Vinings, Brookhaven and Druid Hills, while the Sanders are eyeing North Atlanta territories including Alpharetta, Cumming and Dunwoody for growth. They plan to have all eight locations open within the next four years.

Founded in 2000, The Exercise Coach currently has 17 locations operating in Illinois, Texas, North Carolina and Arizona, with another 33 in development in Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, D.C., Missouri and Arizona. The Exercise Coach expects to have a total of 30 locations open by the end of 2014and an eventual goal of 250 total locations in 35 states by 2017.