APOGEE Life Style, LLC, owners of APOGEE Pilates & Wellness Centers and this site, announced today that it has acquired Pilates education company Power Pilates. APOGEE, a new brand in the wellness and Pilates industries, opened two facilities in Westchester County, NY, earlier this year.

“Fueled by many conversations, shared philosophies and passion to positively impact people’s health and happiness, we are particularly pleased to formalize our collective vision in this dynamic new relationship,” said Irv Cohen, President of APOGEE Life Style.

Dr. Howard Sichel, Power Pilates’ founder, will continue his leadership of Power Pilates, LLC, under the title of President and CEO of Power Pilates. “At Power Pilates, it has always been our vision to provide extraordinary places for consumers and professionals to share their passion for movement and healthy living,” said Sichel. “This new relationship reinforces our commitment to complete health and to being a leader in wellness education in the U.S. and beyond.”

APOGEE’s membership-based centers have Pilates at their core, but also incorporate yoga and wellness services, such as nutritional counseling, massage and life coaching, as well as community programs, retail products and cafes serving healthy food. Professional Pilates education has also been part of APOGEE’s formula from the beginning. With this acquisition, APOGEE will now offer Power Pilates teacher training and continuing education exclusively, as well as workshops by various Pilates industry leaders and other healthcare and wellness experts. All of the centers’ Pilates instructors will also be trained by Power Pilates.

Sichel was prompted to look for outside investors because of the tremendous growth his business has seen since he entered the industry 20 years ago. Now one of the largest providers of classical Pilates training in the world, Power Pilates has certified over 7,000 teachers in 10 countries and currently owns and operates three studios and has over 100 affiliated and participating studio partners around the world. “The demands of creating something like that became extraordinary,” Sichel said.

“We had a lot of people who were interested in our community and what we’d built up,” Sichel said, “and it just never was a good fit. Everyone was looking for a quick buck and didn’t want to support my vision, which is to create a community of professionals and consumers that believe in the classical form of Pilates and to also be able to introduce all of those professionals to other healthcare and wellness experts in different fields.”

Sichel found a shared vision when he met with APOGEE co-founders Cohen, Stacy Ciaravella and A. Jon Prusmack. “It seemed that very quickly their vision of creating a healthy lifestyle brand that involves fitness as one component was very symbiotic with our community,” said Sichel.

Cohen and Sichel both said that this partnership will give each company access to new resources and expertise to help their networks grow. APOGEE Life Style gains an established brand of Pilates training, which will help as it works to open new centers and partner with existing studios. Sichel said his network of educators will benefit from greater exposure, opportunities and brand presence. Both companies are committed to working together to elevate Pilates in general. “We see Pilates as one of the modalities that’s important to a healthy lifestyle,” said Cohen. “And we see long-term, that as people become more and more exposed to it, they’re going to understand the benefits of it. We want to help drive that message.”

Both companies share a mission to giving back to local communities as well. APOGEE recently launched the APOGEE Fit Kids Challenge, which encouraged Westchester-area children and their parents to make positive nutrition and exercise changes. Likewise, Power Pilates recently developed a program that provides free Pilates mat classes to children through the New York City Parks Afterschool Program, which he wants to make available to any instructors who want to run their own program.

“Power Pilates’ exceptional management team and 20 years of Pilates education expertise combined with APOGEE’s integrative wellness approach centered upon movement and nutrition makes for a partnership that will set the new standard in health and wellness programming in the market,” said Cohen.

View a video announcement about the new partnership.

Pilates teaching has become a second career of choice for many former dancers, which makes perfect sense. Many dancers have been doing the exercises since childhood or have used Pilates to heal from injuries. Plus, it’s a way to keep movement in their lives long after they’ve retired from the stage. In recognition of this tradition, Power Pilates, an international Pilates education organization, is teaming up with Career Transition For Dancers (CTFD) to offer matching grants up to $2,000 for enrollment in Power Pilates certification programs offered in more than 40 U.S. cities.

“We at Power Pilates feel that it is both an obligation and an honor to support the dance community. Many of our top instructors have dance backgrounds and we welcome those dancers seeking to become Power Pilates instructors,” says Dr. Howard Sichel, chairman of Power Pilates.

CTFD, a nonprofit with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, helps professional dancers transition into new careers when dance is no longer an option. The organization offers career counseling, seminars, workshops, support groups and other services free of charge and has helped over 4,100 dancers since it was founded in 1985.

If you’re interested in learning more about or applying for the grant, you can contact Career Transitions for Dancers.