The Club celebrates 38 years with new Kealakekua gym opening

A 7,000-square-foot gym in Kealakekua now gives South Kona a fuller set of fitness options, and The Club used the opening to mark 38 years as one of Kona’s long-running homegrown businesses. The new facility at Kealakekua Ranch Center, below ChoiceMart, brought premium weight equipment, a dedicated Olympic lifting station, turf for sled pulls, showers, changing rooms, saunas and a group room with Les Mills virtual classes.

Jeff Lee, owner and president of The Club, said the company’s start was rooted in commitment to the community, not just in square footage or equipment. He said the business was about being “a part of this community” and staying focused on doing “the right thing.” The first location opened in 1988 in an old Foodland space now associated with Kona Center, and Lee said it was financed with pooled family resources and grandparent savings.

The grand opening on Saturday drew community members and officials including Merrick Nishimoto, Wendy Laros, Anna Akaka, Roxie Zendezas, Daniel Akaka Jr. and Kira Kamamalu. That turnout underscored how deeply the gym brand has been woven into West Hawaiʻi since Lee moved to Kona in 1983 after growing up in Hilo. A City Lifestyle profile of the business also identified Roxie Zendezas as vice president and said she joined The Club nine years ago.

The expansion matters beyond the business itself. A new fitness center in Kealakekua gives nearby residents a shorter trip for workouts, group classes and strength training, which can help fill a gap in South Kona’s health and recreation access. It also adds a private investment to the local economy through front-desk, trainer and management jobs, while potentially drawing more foot traffic to surrounding retail businesses in the Kealakekua Ranch Center.

The Club’s broader footprint shows how much the brand has grown since September 1, 1988, the business start date listed by the Better Business Bureau. The BBB also lists its Kailua-Kona club at 20,000 square feet, with a restaurant, rehab center, spa, spin room, outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, a scale that helps explain why the Kealakekua site is being framed as a continuation of a long-built local model rather than a one-off opening.