Gold’s Gym History
$200, a boom box, and two aerobics students. That’s all that was necessary to create a company that today claims 1 in every 10 Utahans as customers. With exceptional dedication to health and fitness and a passionate drive to offer anyone with those same fitness goals a gym unlike any other, that $200 and boom box were transformed into one of the most successful Gold’s Gym franchises in the world.
The risks were huge, to say the least – the Health Club industry was notorious for producing failed company after failed company. Many health clubs even literally pack up and leave their members overnight in order to cash in on their pre-paid contracts. Steadily building clubs, improving existing gyms, and even providing a place for members of other failed companies a place to workout has ingratiated this Utah Gold’s Gym franchise to those wary of another flaky health club moving into their town.
How Gold’s Revolutionized Fitness Clubs
Overcoming the stigma of the muscle-bound, steroid-injecting gym rat associated with Gold’s Gym was a real obstacle to success, especially in a state as conservative as Utah. In order to re-brand Gold’s Gym in Utah, its owners decided to take a risk by altering their growth strategy. This strategy was based, among other things, on two main ideas.
- One, building gyms with high ceilings and expansive, wall-less layouts in order to create an inviting, unrestrained area that doesn’t have the sweat-box atmosphere of the traditional gym.
- And two, these gyms with their huge, open floor spaces incorporate every imaginable amenity, including basketball and racquetball courts, and full-sized lap pools with spas.
Gold’s Gym Utah Charities
However, just building world-class facilities isn’t enough if your main goal is to improve the overall health and fitness levels of those in your community and state. Gold’s Gym is the title sponsor for the ADA’s (American Diabetes Association) Tour de Cure. Aiding the ADA in researching ways to educate and cure people with Type 2 diabetes makes sense for a company in the health and fitness industry, as diet and exercise are the only known ways to prevent and treat this new epidemic. Gold’s Gym Utah has been, for three years running, been the top contributing franchise worldwide. In 2006, Gold’s Gym Utah raised $76,000 and raised close to $100,000 in 2007. Through community driven events like the annual Spin-a-thon and participation in the ADA’s Tour de Cure bike event, Gold’s Gym Utah is doing its best to make type 2 diabetes a thing of the past.
