by Kirby Lindsay, posted 19 December 2011
Since it opened in November of 2006, the Fremont Anytime Fitness has been tucked into Fremont Village Square. By the end of December, the gym will relocate and as 2012 dawns, it will be the backdrop of the ‘Late for the Interurban’ statue, where two clowns – J.P. Patches and Gertrude’ – dance an endless do-si-do, at 837 North 34th Street.
From Member To Management
“I’ve been here since almost the beginning, as a member,” Sean Erhardt explained. He started working out at Anytime while employed, for four years, at the Fremont PCC. When he sought additional, part-time work, the original Fremont Anytime owner, Noel Nishi, asked him to join the staff. As Erhardt built a rapport among members, and demonstrated an interest in improving the gym, his hours steadily increased.
In August 2011, Erhardt bought the club, from Nishi, with business partner Darren Gillespie. “We’re improving the self-esteem of America,” Erhardt said of the Anytime Fitness model. “What I’m excited about going forward,” he explained, “is targeting the 85% of the population that don’t join a gym,” by providing a positive environment – a place for those who want to exercise.
Relocate, Redesign
The new location will increase the gym’s visibility, but it also gives Erhardt and Gillespie a chance to redesign the facility following current standards of the world-wide franchise. Since 2006, “we’ve expanded twice,” Erhardt observed, and increased the space available for members to work out, but “we haven’t added any new equipment.”
Members will encounter new, upgraded equipment, and more of it – especially in cardio – in the new location. The cardio equipment will have views of North 34th Street, the People Waiting for the Interurban sculpture and Solstice Plaza. For those who don’t find the comings and goings of Fremont (and the interactive decorations on the ‘People Waiting…’) compelling, machines will also have individual TV consoles.
“Everything is totally condensed,” in the new space, Erhardt reported. They’ve shrunk, slightly, the classroom space, but they plan to schedule more, smaller classes, and thereby increase accessibility. Also, they’ve shrunk the office and meeting room for personal trainers and their clients – allowing Erhardt more reason to be out on the floor, meeting members.
The new space still has a tanning room, and shower facilities. However, rather than a large men’s and a large women’s locker room, this facility has three unisex, private changing rooms. “That’s what the franchise said is working best,” Erhardt reported.
Finally, the new building sits, literally, the distance of a poorly thrown rock from the Burke-Gilman bike trail, offers more parking, and has on-site, 24-hour private security.
Pride Of Ownership For All
“I’m so proud of the gym I use,” Erhardt said, “and I want you to be proud of it too. We want you to have a gym that you use,” he explained; a gym clean, safe, and able to meet the needs of its members.
An international franchise, the Anytime Fitness model creates gyms of small size with limited staff. Yet, ‘Anytime’ refers to the 24-hour facility access available to members, as they use a key fob to get in rather than depending on staff.
This means low overhead, and “we can be very successful with a modest member base,” admitted Erhardt. “In the time that we’ve been open, we spread out our usage way more than most gyms,” he explained, “Overcrowding has never been an issue.” With 24-hour access, members gain access at a variety of times, and Erhardt admitted, he doesn’t need, “a million memberships to cover the overhead.”
Yet, members come from a 1 – 2 mile radius, Erhardt discovered, a larger field than might be expected in a neighborhood gym. “People are willing to drive [here] because they can’t find this atmosphere anywhere else,” he observed.
“I think Fremont is so unique,” Erhardt said, “people will see you, make eye contact, connect here – and that’s really cool!” He sees that dynamic echoed in the gym – a low-key place, where friendships can form. Even as the gym relocates, Erhardt has promised to maintain the Fremont Anytime as a place where, “people to feel a sense of ownership. This is their home.”
Author Disclosure: Kirby Lindsay has been a member at the Fremont Anytime Fitness since December 2006.
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©2011 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.