GREENFIELD — A local leader in the fitness community is earning national accolades.
David Flench, director of the Hancock Wellness Centers in Hancock County, was recently named the president-elect of the board of directors for the Medical Fitness Association, a national nonprofit organization that provides industry standards, educational programs, benchmarks, outcome measurements, professional development and networking opportunities for the medical fitness industry.
Hancock Health owns two accredited medical fitness centers, its Hancock Wellness Centers: one in Greenfield and one in McCordsville with plans to open a third in New Palestine in 2020.
Officials announced late last month a deal to purchase the equipment and membership contracts of Family Fun and Fitness, a Greenfield fitness center operating out of its location at 5151 W. U.S. 40 for more than 20 years. Leaders plan to implement medical fitness aspects at the gym.
The two medical fitness centers currently have about 7,100 members total; Family Fun and Fitness has about 2,000 memberships Hancock Health will acquire, Flench said.
Hancock Health CEO Steve Long said he’s excited Flench has been named in the leadership position, because he has an eye for strategy that has served Hancock Wellness and will serve the association well.
“It’s no surprise he was picked,” Long said. “He probably understands the complexities of medical fitness centers better than just about anybody in the country.”
Flench has led the Hancock Wellness Centers for more than seven years, he said. He has some 20 years of experience in the industry, previously serving as general manager of the Sarasota Memorial Healthplex in Florida; director of Mariners Wellness Center in Tavernier, Florida; and fitness manager at the McConnell Heart Health Center near Columbus, Ohio.
He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, and his bachelor’s of science with a concentration in exercise science from Ohio State University. Flench is also an American College of Sports Medicine certified exercise physiologist.
In the volunteer position as president-elect, Flench is one of a three-member committee that sets the strategic goals for the Medical Fitness Association and works with the president and CEO of the organization, he said.
In November, Flench and others attended a board retreat to establish the goals for the coming term, which include expanding the number of certified medical fitness facilities across the county. There are currently about 50, including Hancock Wellness Center’s two facilities, Flench said.
Flench said he’s also excited to see a new certification for medical fitness center directors being rolled out in the coming year; he was a member of the task force developing the certification, he said.
In his spare time, Flench is a member of the Greenfield Rotary Club and is a coach of his sons’ football and baseball teams.
