Columbia Basin Racquet Club values its members and staff. Once a month, the blog will spotlight someone from the CBRC family to give readers an inside scope of the people in the community at the premier health club in town.
Meet Fred Shields, CBRC’s Retention Specialist. Fred has worked at CBRC for the past 15 years. His current position includes reaching out to new members in order to get them engaged in club activities from the very beginning. Fred’s main goal is to help new members “get started on a good path to their fitness goals.”
Fred’s favorite part about his job at the club is, “Talking to the members both old and new.” When asked about CBRC, Fred said, “I do work out here (not as much as I should) because I am here. I do recommend CBRC to everyone as a great club friendly helpful staff, clean, owners constantly keeping up with maintenance and updating the facility.”
Fred was born in Yakima and moved to Pasco in 1947, where he attended Pasco schools. After high school graduation, he continued his education at Whitman College in Walla Walla. Then, once completing his degree, Fred went into the Navy at Officers Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. On completion of OCS, Fred was assigned to a Carrier Air Group staff at Moffett Field in California and was deployed on two cruises to the western Pacific.
Fred is a true Tri-Citian. There was only a little over a decade, from 1956 to 1968, when Fred served in the Navy and worked for Singer Sewing Machine Co. and CARE Inc. He has traveled the world, working in Puerto Rico, Panama, Guatemala, Iran, Iraq and Chile. While Fred enjoyed living and working abroad, he was happy to return home in 1968 with his wife and oldest son to join the family business, which he then sold in 1987. Fred was married in Chile to his wonderful wife of 52 years and his oldest son was born in Santiago. Today, Fred has three children and five grandchildren.
When asked about community engagement, Fred said, “I participated in many community organizations when younger. Rotary, Chambers of Commerce, Tri-City Youth Soccer Association, Richland Cemetery Association and various industry specific trade organizations. I did take up golf when our children got older.” Even though Fred might not be as involved in organizations as he once was, you might be able to find him as his favorite restaurant in Tri-Cities, the Meadow Springs Country Club.
Fred is a great example of the kind of staff who work at CBRC. Feel free to reach out to Fred, if he hasn’t reached out to you first, to let him know how your enjoying your membership!
Thanks, Fred, for being part of the CBRC family!