Genesis Health Clubs makes another big purchase, adds to ‘sports entertainment’ portfolio
It opened in December 2022, rolling out its restaurant first and then adding pickleball and sand volleyball.
Now, The Sandbox — a sports entertainment complex at 2412 N. Rock Road in Derby — already has new owners.
Genesis Health Clubs has just acquired The Sandbox venues in Derby and at 509 NW Barry Road in Kansas City, Missouri, said Jake McCabe, vice president of marketing for the company. It’s the latest big purchase for Genesis owner Rodney Steven II, who owns 70 health clubs in 10 states and has also been buying up sports entertainment venues that feature pickleball and more.
“It’s really kind of an acquisition that makes sense, both from a footprint standpoint and in terms of our increasing move into sports entertainment,” McCabe said. “It really complements the health clubs.”
Developer Chas Tulipana opened the Kansas City Sandbox first then followed it up with the much larger Derby location, which is spread out over 11.2 acres and features a two-level restaurant with an outdoor upstairs deck, four indoor and five outdoor pickleball courts, eight sand volleyball courts and several private meeting and party spaces.
The Sandbox in Derby was approved in early 2020 and paid for in part by $14.4 million in sales tax revenue bonds, or STAR bonds, which are a state incentive designed to be used for tourist attractions that draw new money into Kansas.
Contacted on Tuesday, Tulipana said that he decided to sell the businesses because of health issues he’s been experiencing since he had COVID-19 three years ago. He’s 70, he said, and he never really recovered.
But he said it was important to him that Derby knows he didn’t personally profit from the STAR bond money.
“We certainly didn’t sell it for more than what we had it in personally,” he said. “We didn’t take advantage of the bond money. That was never the intention. We tried to build the best facility we could, and I think we came close.”
Steven has been steadily adding to his sports entertainment portfolio over the past several years. His 100-acre Genesis Sports Complex at 19800 W. Kellogg in Goddard, which he’s been building in phases, includes the Blast Off Bay water park, 10 baseball and softball fields, a natatorium, a hotel, a preschool, an arcade, four sets of locker rooms and a gift shop.
Genesis also is in the process of building a sand sports and pickleball sports bar, which will be part of the Goddard complex. Construction has started, and McCabe said the company hopes it will be ready this year. It’s also building similar complexes in North Kansas City and Des Moines.
Last May, Genesis also purchased Volleyball Beach at 13105 Holmes Road in Kansas City, which features 14 sand volleyball courts and a restaurant and bar.
The sale of The Sandbox locations also includes Tulipana’s Power Play, a 47,000-square-foot indoor entertainment venue that opened in 2014 and includes arcade games, bumper cars, bowling and more. It operates alongside The Sandbox in Kansas City and shares an address.
McCabe said that both locations of The Sandbox will continue to operate uninterrupted. He said the company wasn’t yet ready to share details on any changes it has in store for the venues or whether it would change the name from The Sandbox.
“We bought both of them because they’re successful businesses that are doing well, and we want to continue that,” he said.
This story was originally published April 9, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
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