David Sidell wants to make the new Sport&Health club in Frederick as familiar to local residents as Starbucks.  Sidell is the general manager of the Frederick location on Buckeystown Pike, which was previously occupied by Gold's Gym International of Irving, Texas. Gold's Gym sold the approximately 30,000-square-foot location to Sport&Health of McLean, Va., this month for an undisclosed amount.

Gold's Gym has more than 600 locations worldwide, according to its website. Company officials did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Sidell started managing the Frederick gym this month after previously running Sport&Health's Gainesville, Va., location, he said. Sport&Health officials have been eyeing the Frederick area for a new club for the past year, said Nancy Terry, the company's senior vice president of marketing.
"We wanted to expand our footprint [in Frederick]," Terry said. "This is a good lifestyle area."
 

Sport&Health looked at several Frederick locations but decided to purchase the Gold's Gym location because the company "liked the membership team, the overall product and the strength of the employees," Terry said.
 

The Gold's Gym in Frederick had about 55 employees, according to Sidell. All of them will be retained following the acquisition, Terry said, and "it will be business as usual."
 

Sport&Health wants to run the new Frederick club for the next month or two and get members' feedback before considering any changes, she said. However, the company is interested in opening a second club in Frederick and is exploring possible locations, Terry added.
Sport&Health also has locations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Waldorf. The club has 25 clubs in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, according to its website.

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