Ecova--a total energy and sustainability management company--today congratulated its client, 24 Hour Fitness, for earning the Environment Optimization Excellence Award from AOTMP. AOTMP is a leading authority on driving efficiency and performance into enterprise fixed and mobile telecom environments. The partnership between Ecova and 24 Hour Fitness spans nearly 12 years, in which the companies worked to eliminate billing errors and optimize the 24 Hour Fitness telecom environment for peak efficiency.

"We congratulate 24 Hour Fitness for recognition of their outstanding focus on telecom management," said Jeff Heggedahl, CEO of Ecova. "Working with 24 Hour Fitness has been exceptional. This relationship is a classic example of what can be achieved through partnership between an enterprise and trusted advisor. We are proud to play a role helping our client prioritize expenses and strengthen its financial fitness."

In 2008, 24 Hour Fitness established a savings goal of $1 million for its telecom services across its large network of more than 450 locations. To meet the company's ambitious targets, Bob Noriega, 24 Hour Fitness' Procurement Telecom & Utility Analyst, migrated to a converged data and voice VOIP service while enlisting Ecova to help audit and prioritize lines.

As a result of the partnership with Ecova, the fitness leader was able to:

  • Audit over 5,000 lines and place the information into a common system for ongoing tracking and maintenance.
  • Identify and disconnect over 2,500 lines that were no longer needed.
  • Cancel erroneous carrier fees on more than 1,600 lines, resulting in over $1.5 million in annual cost savings, more than 50 percent over the initial cost savings goal.

Additionally, using Ecova's telemanagement services, 24 Hour Fitness has captured over $4.5 million in audit recovery savings.

"Working with Ecova, I've been able to not only save 24 Hour Fitness time and money, but to expand my team's efforts to include utility expense management and other important areas," said Noriega. "During the recent recession it was even more important that 24 Hour Fitness find savings for the bottom line. Working with Ecova we were able to exceed our goals and focus on our customer experience in our large network of clubs."

About Ecova

Ecova is the total energy and sustainability management company whose sole purpose is to see more, save more, and sustain more for its clients. Using insights based on consumption, cost and carbon footprint data spanning thousands of utilities, hundreds of thousands of business sites and millions of households, Ecova provides fully managed, technology-optimized solutions for saving resources, which in turn increase returns, lower risks, and enhance reputations. Ecova is the largest non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp (NYSE: AVA and avistacorp.com). For more information, visit the company's website at ecova.com, on LinkedIn at linkd.in/ecovainc, or follow Ecova on Twitter at @ecovainc.

About 24 Hour Fitness

Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness is a leading health club industry pioneer, serving nearly four million members in approximately 420 clubs across the U.S. Founded in 1983 as a one-club operation, the company is dedicated to helping members change their lives and reach their individual fitness goals. With convenient club locations, personal training services, innovative group exercise classes and a variety of strength, cardio and functional training equipment - 24 Hour Fitness offers fitness solutions for everyone.

Ecova
Wendy Carhart, 503-525-2700 ext. 465
wcarhart@ecova.com