Coming Attraction

Health is a big deal to Suzanne Lynch-the health of her clients, her business and her community. Lynch, 39, and her husband, Bob, own Mid-Cape Racquet & Health Club in Cape Coral, one of only a few clubs in Southwest Florida that combine tennis with a state-of-the-art fitness club.

"Right now we have about 200 members, and we opened [part of the operation] in October," says Lynch. "When the health club opens at the end of the year, we expect to have 1,500 to 2,000 members."

Family and location brought the native Rhode

Islander to Southwest Florida. "We looked at many different places to open our business, and Cape Coral had the land availability and growth potential we wanted," she says.

The city's name didn't hurt, either, because this is the second Mid-Cape Racquet & Health Club; the first is on Cape Cod. Lynch's family has owned it for 25 years, and her brother runs it now. "I've been able to leverage his experience in operating my club," says Lynch.

In turn, she is using her experience to help other small businesses get off the ground. "If I can help someone else and then learn from them, that's what it's all about," she says.

Lynch is a member of the Success Team at Florida Gulf Coast University's Small Business Development Center. "We get together as a group and try to come up with solutions to the challenges that small-business owners face," she says.

And as a member of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Lynch shares marketing ideas with other small-business owners in an effort to help them grow. "My goal is to be a part of this community, both personally and professionally," she says.

-Lauren Bernaldo