In Episode 31, Marty Haberer, the president and CEO of the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, discusses a major campus reinvention centered on a new 22,000-square-foot facility with 9,000 square feet of outdoor space, including plans for an amphitheater and playground. The project stems from a strategic property swap of the JCC’s 100-acre campus and a successful $9.4 million fundraising effort. Demolition began on April 1 and reopening is targeted for November 2026.
Haberer also details the JCC’s strategic exit from traditional fitness due to local country club and gym popularity, while still maintaining a focus on wellness, culture, summer camp and preschool. He emphasizes thoughtful, data-driven planning — “ready, aim, fire” — and inclusive leadership engagement for any major capital project.
Enjoy!
Key Takeaways
- Strategic campus reinvention and ownership.
- Levis JCC leveraged a property swap with the Jewish Federation to leave an outdated, 40-year-old facility and invest in a 22,000-square-foot indoor space, plus 9,000-square-feet outdoors, now fully owned on a 100-acre campus.
- Significant fundraising and ambitious growth plan.
- Despite Haberer being new to the area, the JCC raised $9.4 million, launched demolition on April 1, and is targeting a November reopening, with a strategic plan to grow the budget from $12.5 million to $16 million by 2029.
- Clear mission: broad, inclusive community gateway.
- The vision is to be the widest doorway for Jewish and non-Jewish families through cultural arts, theater, engagement programs, summer camp and preschool, rather than a traditional fitness center.
- Purposeful exit from fitness to focus on wellness.
- Given strong local competition and country-club amenities, the JCC exited the fitness business, pivoting to non-gym wellness and community programs aligned with actual member needs.
- Operating through construction and leadership lessons
- By leveraging trailers, rented office space and shared campus facilities, programming continued largely uninterrupted. Haberer underscores thoughtful, data-informed “ready, aim, fire” planning, inclusive leadership and pausing before acting on big dreams.
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