As a business that operates within the youth sports sector, Open Gym Premier was hit hard by Covid-19-related closures.
The Orange-based company was forced to shut down all of its youth basketball camps, tournaments and programs. The entire staff was furloughed for eight months.
But CEO Matthew Kanne would say that challenging period allowed him and Open Gym management team to take a step back and evaluate the business with a fresh set of eyes.
Open Gym Premier came out on the other side of the pandemic restructured and with a new focus. It not only expanded its reach and programming, but Kanne and his team earned the respect of their 75 employees, which resulted in the company making its first appearance on the Top Workplaces list this year — and among the top honorees.
Employees in the survey lauded the company leadership for offering flexibility and creativity at work.
“I love my job because I feel appreciated and I have been able to move up quickly within the company,” wrote one employee. “We have grown to a larger company but it still feels like a small company, which I like. My job allows me to have creative freedom that I don’t feel like I would have in a more corporate setting.”
Open Gym Premier CEO, Matthew Kanne poses for a photograph at the Open Gym Premier in Anaheim on Thursday, November 10, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
We spoke with Kanne to find out how Open Gym Premier pivoted its business model over the last two years and how that has resonated with the staff. His answers have been edited for length.
Q: Since Open Gym Premier is a youth sports business, what were the effects of the Covid work stoppages on your company?
A: We completely stopped and did not try to bend the rules. We were very respectful of the situation. We recognized early on the severity of it because of our industry. And we had a really transparent approach that I think was critical to building trust from the beginning with our team. That resonates in our culture today – a lot of transparency, a lot of communication, a lot of trust.
Q: How did you adjust your business coming out of the pandemic, and what does that look like for Open Gym Premier today?
A: We’ve dramatically restructured the company. Prior to Covid, we did not operate sports facilities. We strictly operated programming. We were simply renting out courts.
Through Covid, we had the opportunity to assume control of the building that we were in (in Anaheim). That opened up a whole kind of new business of not only running tournaments, camps and teams, but now operating a sports venue that has admission, food, parking, sponsorship and technology. We found a lot of success in doing that.
We expanded to another permanent long-term location in Oakland, and then we recently added another location in Ladera Ranch.
And it encouraged us to expand from basketball to volleyball. For years we tossed around the idea. It’s the same kind of court, and that’s very natural. But we never did. With Covid, it was the time is now to do this. So we’ve become a really balanced business between basketball and volleyball, which helps offset seasonality and just brings more stability to the model. It’s now truly multi-sport and has a facility dimension.
Q: Has all of your staff returned to work in person? Do you have those who work hybrid or remote?
A: We’ve always functioned at a hybrid capacity. I started the business as a freshman in college, so I’ve always had schedule limitations in person. We’ve always had our office structure where we’re Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in-person. And we’ve got this hybrid structure where Fridays and Mondays are totally flexible.
The reason that it’s structured that way is because we run a lot of weekend events, and there’s an evening component. We’re really kind of on at all times.
Q: With the uncertainty of the economic landscape, do you see any effects in your area of youth sports?
A: I’m not overly concerned about the recession from a business standpoint. I think that parents will continue to invest in their kids. We’ve had a more difficult time with inflation and policies around wages. We’re reliant on a lot of support staff to run our business – referees, scorekeepers, janitors, coaches – and the inflation and rapid increase of wages at that level have been extremely challenging for the business to absorb.
Q: How do you maintain what looks to be a successful workplace culture?
A: That we are steadfast in our commitment to improving youth sports is an easy rallying point for a team, especially a team comprised of a lot of former athletes. I think transparency and authenticity are as critical, or more critical, than a hybrid workplace.
I think people want to feel connected to the strategy. They want to feel connected to the financials. And I think the level of transparency and the respect that follows as it relates to growth and strategy are really critical. People want to grow. They want to be challenged, but they want to be given the support and communication and resources to be able to do those things.
No. 5 small company
Open Gym Premier
Founded: 2011
Headquarters: Anaheim
Industry: Youth sports
OC employees: 75
Website: opengympremier.com
Quote: “We had a really transparent approach that I think was critical to building trust from the beginning with our team.” — Matthew Kanne, CEO of Open Gym Premier