GENEVA, Ohio, Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Axxella, a Baltimore, Maryland based investment firm has officially acquired the SPIRE Institute sports complex in Geneva, Ohio. Spire is a world class, mega-facility specializing in athlete training, development and competition within a wide variety of sports.
The combination of superb indoor and outdoor training and competition facilities makes Spire unique within the track and field arena, and the indoor facilities can host up to 6 basketball courts or 12 volleyball courts. Spire also boasts two full-sized indoor soccer fields and one outdoor stadium field. The facility is also home to a state-of-the-art Olympic-sized pool.
The leadership team overseeing new projects and programs at Spire will include key members of Axxella, specifically Jonathan Ehrenfeld, CEO, and Michael Hannon, COO. In addition, Ted Meekma of Ted Meekma Consult LLC and Rich Odell of Heads Up Educational Consulting will play strategic roles within program/facility development and staffing/operations.
Brian Hurtuk and Mark Abood of Colliers International, a global leader in real estate investment management, brokered the transaction. The prior owners of the facility invested over 100M into the property, and Axxella seeks to build on this investment by expanding a number of strategic areas, including:
1. Athletics: academy sports, camp programs, leagues, club programming, as well as skills development and specialty training.
2. Academics: college prep education, academic camps, as well as personal growth and career development opportunities.
3. Events: special event and tournament opportunities within a broad array of sports.
4. Recreation: exciting new programs and activities for all ages.
5. Facilities: student residence housing, college prep academic center, and more.
"Our intent is to build upon the work already begun at Spire" said Jonathan Ehrenfeld, Axxella CEO. "We recognize the importance of this complex to Northeast Ohio. As we build out the programming and facility footprint of Spire to appeal to a broader local, regional, national and international audience, we will do so in ways that will cause the surrounding community to always be proud of the tremendous resource that is Spire."
About Axxella
Founded in 2018, Axxella was born with the purpose to expand upon already established assembly of service businesses. These businesses have expanded from nurturing the specific needs of those organizations to providing goods and services to many third-party partners. In addition, Axxella has partnered and/or acquired businesses that have complimented the strengths of the legacy companies.
About SPIRE Institute
Constructed on 177 acres of expansive land, at 750,000 square feet, SPIRE Institute is among the largest and best-equipped indoor sports facilities in North America. The Academy at Spire serves as a national & international academy for high school and postgraduate athletes. The academy is focused on performance training for all athletes & sports-specific training in swimming, track and field, & basketball. Spire's experienced coaching staff offers academy and camp training programs and hosts exceptional league play in a variety of sports. Spire has hosted countless sport competitions including those organized by the NCAA and the Big East, Big Ten, and Atlantic 10 conferences. Spire also hosts various Olympic trials and world championship qualifiers.
About Ted Meekma Consult, LLC
Ted Meekma Consult, LLC was created to provide sports facility programming, sales, marketing and operational consultation to select US/international clients. Ted Meekma's career parallels the evolution of the sports 'camp' business into the sports 'academy' industry. He was an original Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy coach when it opened in 1978. Ted earned his law degree in 1983, retired from coaching, and became NBTA Executive Director. He helped negotiate the sale of NBTA to sports management giant IMG in 1987. For the next two decades, Ted co-ran/developed what became IMG Academy, the world's #1 multi-sport, training and education, camp and academy.
About HeadsUp Educational Consulting
In 2014, Rich Odell created HeadsUp Educational Consulting LLC and has since worked with a large number of private schools around the world providing governance, finance, leadership, strategic planning. The organization also assists individuals and groups develop, design, and deliver new K-12 education models to better prepare graduates for life's opportunities. Mr. Odell has spent more than 40 years at the highest level of private school administration including 26 heading independent schools in the northeast, midwest and south. In 1999 he created the Pendleton School at IMG Academy, the world's largest academic and sports academy where he stayed until 2016, having sold it to IMG.
SOURCE Axxella
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