By ESTHER YU
Powerhouse Gym in Provo and the two Gold’s Gyms in Lindon and Provo have recently merged their businesses to allow members to access any of the three clubs with their single memberships.
Plans have been underway for the past few months but the three owners, Keith Clearwater of Gold’s Gym and Scott Felsted and Dean Viertel of Powerhouse Gym did not officially combine their businesses until the beginning of April. Powerhouse Gym’s sign will be changed so that all three companies bear the name “Gold’s Gym,” said Patrick Baum, who has been working as club director at Powerhouse Gym.
The two gyms merged to create a stronger business.
“It eliminates competition,” said Troy Peterson, the vice president of operations who has been working at Gold’s Gym in Provo.
Beside eliminating competition, the businesses were able to focus on benefitting from their different strengths and disabling their weaknesses, Peterson said.
Also, access to any of the three gyms gives members more flexibility with when they work out or where they live.
“They can buy a multi-year membership and get a discounted price so that if they move around they can work out at one gym and them move to another,” Baum said.
“I think the merge is good because I can go to whichever gym I want but I wish they had better membership policy,” said Marnae Thompson, 21, a senior from Portland, Oregon majoring in health and p.e. education who has been going to Gold’s Gym for a year.
Thompson’s roommate is also enrolled at Gold’s Gym.
“I think it will be more convenient to be able to go whichever gym is closest and have access to more equipment but I would like better enrollment offers rather than just having a full-year contract or more available,” said Joni Miles, 20, a senior from Woodland, Utah majoring health promotions.
Powerhouse Gym has been in the area for three years but has maintained members from its prior location in a different part of Provo as Bodyfirm. So, it has members that have been coming for up to about sixteen years, Felsted said. The move from Bodyfirm to Powerhouse to Gold’s is just a part of business to Felsted.
“It is just kind of what is happening to the business world these days,” Felsted said. “It solidifies us because of the strength of the three gyms. You don’t need three separate bookkeepers. You can save those costs and benefit the people.”
The gyms have spent nearly $40 thousand on a new computer system that will link the information between the gyms so that members can easily access any of the three, Felsted said.
“We think its just positive for everybody because students and others in the community have the freedom to use multi-facilities,” Viertel said.
Though April has been one of the gym’s slowest months for new memberships in the past and January the highest, more people have joined this month than any other month in this past year, Peterson said.
Owners hope to expand the gyms in time, Baum said. Currently, they are doing some remodeling that has been in planning for a while for the gym still formerly known as Powerhouse.
Though prices may eventually go up, the three gyms have not increased their price of membership yet. Special promotions are running to encourage new members to take advantage of the merge. Included in this are free one-week trials if students call for details.
