A family-owned business that began nearly three decades ago, Sun Country Sports Center was first envisioned as a place where children could dance in a studio or cartwheel in the gymnasium, all while being involved in athletic programs of the highest quality. Today, Sun Country and its original owners continue to flourish and fulfill their dream.
Sun Country was established as a locally owned and operated business that has an active presence in the community — a business that cared for each child enrolled in its programs.
In 1986, Phil and Linda Bennett returned to Gainesville after living in Cleveland, Ohio for several years. Linda had previously taught preschool gymnastics, so after the move, Phil encouraged her to open a gym, which the couple believed would provide unique opportunities for children in the area.
“We opened in July of 1987 with two partners, and we’ve just been going great guns ever since,” Linda said. “We bought out our partners a few years after opening and now own the company independently.”
The Bennett/Hunt Tradition
The owners believe that the family-centered focus of the business is what distinguishes Sun Country from other sports centers in the area.
“We are the board — we make the decisions, and we deal with the aches and pains personally,” Linda said.
While Phil and Linda are the owners, their daughter, Jodi Bennett Hunt, is the director of marketing and operations.
When Jodi first began working for the Sports Center, she didn’t think it would turn into a permanent job.
“After I graduated from college, I decided to work for my mom temporarily and then never left,” Jodi said. “We’re not just family owned — we’re a family-owned business that’s actively involved in interacting day to day with the business.”
Jodi said Sun Country will be passed down to her and her children and hopefully their grandchildren. It’s an inheritance they can be proud of, as she believes the Center consistently upholds the highest levels of integrity, honesty and sincerity through its staff, customers and vendors.
“We want the names Sun Country and Bennett/Hunt family to be intertwined and be associated with the high values that we represent,” she said.
Working with Sunny
Sun Country has one of the strictest training and hiring processes in the county, which allows the Sports Center to provide quality within its programs, Linda said.
“When I started in ‘87, I had the craziest concept that I wouldn’t hire anybody that I would not let coach my child, and I still feel that way today,” she said.
When hiring, they look at the character of a person and decide how well they would fit with the Center, Jodi said, adding that while they are willing to train new employees, first they have to make sure that the character of each person fits the close-knit business model.
Once employed, all employees are adopted into the Sun Country family and are expected to treat their customers with the same courtesy and respect that they would give a close family member, she said.
“We have 65 employees, and they’re all our family,” Linda said.
A Place for Children
Through Sun Country’s mission, Jodi said it continues to provide an opportunity for every person to develop his or her potential through fitness, sports and community through quality programs in a safe, inspiring environment. In addition, each program works to instill the practices of a healthy lifestyle in children.
“Most importantly, we hope that by creating an environment where our core values of integrity, honesty and sincerity are put into practice, our students will be exposed to this and apply them to their own lives,” Jodi said.
Amy Blanchard is a mother of two children who have attended Sun Country for five years.
She chose to enroll her children at Sun Country because the Center offers multiple activities for children and families to be involved with the community.
“Because Sun Country is family-owned, they’re more in tune with the community,” Blanchard said. “(The employees are) more personal and down to earth with their customers.”
The Center aims to work hand in hand with its customers and provide the best learning experience for children throughout the county.
“We highly value the support that Sun Country has received from the people of North Central Florida over the past 27 years,” Jodi said. “The fact that Sun Country has grown from a small sports club specializing in gymnastics training of only a handful of gymnasts to a large, multi-functional family Center offering sports, dance, camps, parties and family activities to literally thousands of people is a testament to the trust that the community has placed in us over the years.”
“Everything that we have done has been for the love of family, the love of community and the love of children,” Linda said.
When it first began, Sun Country Sports Center offered six programs. Today, it offers over twenty-three programs that include competitive teams, family activities, afterschool and home school programs, day camps and birthday party packages.
Sun Country has a location in Jonesville as well as a second location in Gainesville. Between the two facilities, it has 55,000 square-feet of space and works with more than 1,500 children annually.
Programs offered by Sun Country include gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, swimming, rock climbing, martial arts, fencing, the Sun Country Gym Bus, afterschool, homeschool, day camp, summer camp, birthday parties, and tons of family activities such as Family Fun Night and Family Swim. Parents Night Out, Sleepovers and boot camps to learn specific skills are offered throughout the year. The annual FunFest Summer Camp also offers an apprenticeship program for 12- to 15-year-olds to teach leadership skills and train campers to be future counselors.