Rodney Steven II celebrates the big 5-0 even though it’s not his birthday

Rodney Steven II is still in his 40s, but this week he is celebrating the big 5-0.

On Tuesday, the Genesis Health Clubs owner closed a deal to buy four athletic clubs in Des Moines.

“This takes us to our 50th club, basically,” Steven says.

It also makes the sixth state in which Genesis is operating.

Steven says he’s been working for years to buy four Aspen Athletic Clubs sites.

“It takes time for these things to come through.”

He says the Hickman Road Aspen Athletic Club used to be a tennis center and grew into a full athletic club.

“It’s a landmark in the community already. It just needs to be reinvested in.”

Steven says Genesis will “be spending millions of dollars remodeling” the Des Moines clubs, which also include ones in West Glen, on 14th Street and on Merle Hay Road.

He’s also looking to make some new deals there. Three of the clubs are at leased properties.

“We traditionally don’t lease for very long,” Steven says.

He’ll either try to buy the buildings or move the clubs, he says.

Genesis has been on a major growth kick for the last few years and now, along with Iowa, is in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri in addition to Kansas.

“Geographically,” Steven says, the Des Moines clubs are “a great fit for us.”

He says he sees more growth coming in 2020 as well, though Steven says, “We’re busy with a lot of construction.”

Construction generally is difficult because he tries to keep clubs open as they’re renovated.

However, Steven says, “It’s exciting . . . when you see them come full circle.”

Steven says rain set construction back a bit on the new aquatic center in Goddard, but three out of the five baseball fields are now completed there and walls should start going up on the aquatic center next week.

Look for a late first quarter opening next year.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 4:03 PM.