Meet Jeff Cozart | Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Cozart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
This is a very interesting question for me. I think the key word in this question was value. The value or principle that matters to me the most is loyalty. My initial thought when I heard this question was to answer with something like honesty or kindness. Those are obviously very positive and strong values to appreciate, but loyalty tends to encompass those values and also has tangible value. When life is going great and you have control of your life everything seems great. But when life jumps up and punches you in the throat your best defense is to lean on the core of people you have put around you. At times like that loyalty to each other becomes a vital tool for survival. Loyalty is like a rainy day savings account that you draw on when times are tough. This year has been extremely hard for a lot people, me included, and the loyalty of my family, friends and associates has been a wealth of strength I have drawn on all year.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is The Belmont Athletic Club located in Long Beach, CA. We are a true community club because we have been here for 40 years in the same location and we are also employee owned. I am the Principal Partner of the group of employee owners. I got to where i am today by always trying to do whats right and to focus on serving the needs of our clients. Loyalty towards your clients and your staff will take you further in business than any marketing promo you could ever come up with. Was it easy to get here? Yes! It was easy because its that I always wanted to do. Putting in the work never seemed like work because this business is part of who I am, and I just embraced it. If you follow what you truly enjoy doing in life you can write your own success story. Your brand is your calling card to the rest of the world telling them not only who you are but how you will treat them if you connect with them. If your brand is honest and true people will respond to you positively.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The places to eat would be Open Sesame and George’s Greek Cafe. As for a place to hang out for a couple drinks, I like sports so Legends Sports Bar would be one option and also my own pub Murphy’s Pub would be another. And depending on the time of the year we might also go sportfishing. I like taking charters out of Pierpoint Landing Sportfishing in Long Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am blessed with the fact that I could easily come up with 4-5 people who I could easily say have given me invaluable support over the years, starting with my wife and my parents. But my Shoutout for this article would go to John Doyle. I first met John when I went to work for him at a health club he owned in 1982. Thirty years later I purchased his business from him and I have used the years of mentoring and knowledge he gave me as my primary guide for running my business today.

Website: belmontathleticclub.com
Instagram: @thebelmontathleticclub
Facebook: @belmontathleticclub