EquiVita - Week 1

Client Stories
As EquiVita reached a major milestone in celebrating their 10th anniversary, they gathered some important moments from its ten year history that highlights what makes the clients so special. So sit back and enjoy reading through some of these cool stories.

In the summer of 2003 it was becoming painfully obvious that the transitional fitness company was outgrowing the space we were leasing. So, I started looking at options and found many spaces around Grandview but I was looking for a space that wasn't a retail store front nor an office space and since our existing space was about 300 sq.ft., I was looking for around 1000 sq.ft. - a size I thought was doable. Then the realtor showed me 1508 Hess St, admittedly he was first showing me the upstairs suite because it fit the size we were looking for, but I think he really knew that the much larger Suite D would be far more appealing. (Thank you EJ!)

10 Weeks to 10 Years: Week 4

Week 5

Week 3

When we first found Suite D it was fantastic and had lots of potential. The front of the building has the small off-main-street appeal that fits within the neighborhood, providing the feel of the place that people in the know go to - not the typical store front - and is deceptively small compared to the inside. Suite D itself is nearly 10x the amount of space that we were moving from - and 3x larger than the size I was looking for.

The idea of moving to a space that was 10x larger and figuring out how to gradually fill the space as we grew without it seeming desolate was a serious challenge. And as anyone who has been involved in a small business knows, this type of challenge is extremely stressful. It is one of those "fly or flop" opportunities.

Did I mention that the space was fantastic? That it fit the model of creating a comfortable environment where people could focus on taking care of themselves without feeling on display? This model is similar to the model of many serious bodybuilders I used to lift with: they would have two memberships where they would workout: one for work (the place for building your body) and one for show (the more fitness-ey gym).

I saw the business developing into this model of providing a place where people would feel comfortable being themselves and pushing themselves without the feeling that they were on display nor being judged. From the comfort of this space those that chose could transition to using what they had learned to workout at the more showy places.

Thankfully with the combined efforts of our fantastic staff, clients and our new landlord we were able to build out the entire 3000 sq.ft. and move in about a month - crazy fast.

Meet one of our clients: Joe

Since its inception, EquiVita has prided itself on an ability to draw a variety of people with a multitude of fitness goals. From clients with injury rehabilitation needs and acute aches and pains to clients with simple desires to get back into shape or improve posture, the spectrum is immense and EquiVita's adept staff knows how to accommodate anyone who walks through its doors-including those seeking a properly guided thrashing.

"When you do something during your free time you want to see and feel results and that's never been a question at EquiVita. When I work out there it's always ass kicking," said long-time client Joe Sabo. "Right now it's a lot of high-rep-, low-weight stuff. It keeps my heart rate up and burns calories and helps maintain muscle."

When the 37-year-old runner, downtown Columbus resident and IT consultant isn't applying techniques learned at EquiVita to his own physical fitness regimen Joe works out with EquiVita founder Adam Milligan or Transitional Fitness Trainer Christopher Yeoman at least once a week. During a typical session, Joe will do 30 minutes of "intense" cardio, and then with Adam or Chris as a guide will do 45 to 60 minutes of resistance training.

Joe is a self-motivated recreational athlete but he deems EquiVita necessary for a number of reasons. "Working with someone who has a vested interest in my results motivates me," he said. "Also, this is something I'm paying for and it's something I'm doing with my free time. There's never enough of free time, so if I'm using it I'm going to make sure I'm squeezing the most out of it."

Although a member of a "regular" gym, Joe said he truly appreciates the refreshing atmosphere and spirit of EquiVita.

"EquiVita isn't full of meatheads or completely full of people with perfect physiques. It's full of people with all kinds of backgrounds. It's sort of a community thing and people are very accepting of one another. I also like that you can't hide at EquiVita the way you can at a regular gym. There's no opportunity to slack at EquiVita so you get results. If a trainer sees another trainer letting some slack they'll say, 'Hey, maybe he should do this now' and then you hurt again-in a good way."

"There's always a vested interest in how I'm doing and what I'm doing and that's why I keep coming back."