Local businessmen Will Knecht and Russell Ebelherr launched two franchise locations of GameDay Men’s Health, a clinic targeted toward men, in Wilmington earlier this year.
The franchise partners also purchased the rights to open GameDay clinics in several other North and South Carolina territories, including Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, Chapel Hill, Durham, Hilton Head and Savannah. The clinic aims to offer efficient and stigma-free testing and treatment services for its customers, who are about 95% male, Knecht said.
In April, Knecht and Ebelherr opened their first GameDay Men’s Health in a nearly 2,700-square-foot former doctor’s office at 1776 Wellington Ave., Suite 1. Their second location opened its doors the next month in a roughly 1,200-square-foot retail space at 1319 Military Cutoff Road, Suite FF, inside Landfall Shopping Center.
The clinic features GameDay’s signature red-and-black color scheme, flat-screen TVs and complimentary snacks and drinks that aim to make customers feel more at ease. The brand has more than 125 franchise locations nationwide and is rapidly growing, Ebelherr said.
Blood tests are complimentary at GameDay, and new customers and regulars are quickly taken back for a blood draw after filling out the required paperwork, according to Knecht.
“We want to be methodical in our dealings with the guys,” he added, “but we don’t want them waiting.”
Knecht said the blood is tested for testosterone and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels on-site. Customers then meet with the clinic’s physician assistant or nurse practitioner to discuss the results and any needed treatment or referral.
“We try to let men and their families get ahead of what potentially is wrong with them,” Ebelherr said. “We’re trying to treat the issue, not just medicate or supplement.”
The clinic specializes in testosterone replacement, sexual performance enhancement, weight loss management and Brotox, which are Botox treatments for men.
Knecht and Ebelherr were friends for about 15 years before deciding to embark on a business venture together. They evaluated several other franchises before landing on the GameDay concept.
“It resonated because Russell and I are the guys that this brand speaks to,” Knecht said, “and so it just made all kinds of sense to us.”
With the Wilmington locations up and running, the business partners are eyeing expansion. They plan to open the Chapel Hill location of GameDay Men’s Health in September and the Durham location in October. They hope to open a franchise location in each territory within 10 to 16 months and eventually plan to open a Leland location, Knecht said.
“We basically have the market from Pender County down through Georgetown, South Carolina,” he said. “We went all in on the concept, and we wish we had purchased more territories, to be honest with you.”
