By Penny Parker
©2012 Blacktie Colorado
Andre van Hall, the popular CEO and general manager of the Denver Athletic Club who lost most of his eyesight, was dismissed by the board of directors Tuesday.
“It had been long coming,” van Hall told me Thursday. “There is a group wanting to do things very differently, so they pushed me out the door.” Presley Askew, the newly installed board president, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Van Hall, who knew most of the 2,000 club members by name, was hired to run the 128-year-old Denver institution 10 years ago. Nearly four years ago, van Hall was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that took most of the sight in his left eye. Then late last year, the disease attacked the other eye, rendering him legally blind.
I profiled van Hall’s journey into near darkness in this story for The Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/fitness/ci_19888681.
What struck me most at the time was not only his upbeat attitude, but his agility in getting around the massive building on Glenarm with all its stairs, narrow hallways and tricky turns.
When it was apparent that his eyesight was permanently impaired, the board of directors approved the purchase of special equipment van Hall needed to do his job. Equipment including a 32-inch monitor with a machine that enlarges letters to 3-inch type that he can still read.
When I spoke with him on Thursday, van Hall was at the club cleaning out his office. He called the experience “heart breaking”.
“They’re such a great group of people in this club, it’s a shame that a smaller group wants to do things their way,” he said. In the end, van Hall and the board of directors couldn’t agree on the direction of the club.
“They wanted me to eliminate staff and I didn’t think we should. They wanted the club to be more exclusive. I’m told they made some hurtful commments about my disability and ability to run the club. I was being undermined every step of the way.”
One long-time member, who asked not to be named, predicted a massive member exodus in the wake of van Hall’s firing.
“He’s one of the most popular GMs they’ve ever had,” the source said. “All of a sudden he loses his sight and they show him the door? That’s pretty bad.” The source added that there’s movement among the membership to potentially oust the board of directors.
But the future of the Denver Athletic Club is now out of van Hall’s hands. In his true fashion, the ousted CEO is staying positive about his future.
“I’m 58 and need to work another 10 or 12 years,” he said. “I’m very optimistic about the future and things are looking bright. I’m exploring a couple of opportunities.”
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