Over the past 10 months we have been working to secure financing to move Vitality to a new location. As of a few weeks ago, we were finally approved and able to move forward on this development. For over 4 years Jess and I have been able to watch Vitality grow into an amazing community. Before we started this journey, I had always dreamed that I would be able to wake up each morning and do what I love. I found this first with the Marine Corps but after 8 years, I realized that it was something that I loved but my family would most definitely have to sacrifice in order for me to do what I love. Leaving the Marine Corps, I never would have thought I could find something that I loved doing and that provided me with the same feeling of usefulness that the Marine Corps had given me. We took the plunge and opened up Vitality in our garage, not knowing where it would lead us. It has led us into something our entire family can do together and provide us a funnel to help others achieve their goals. After making some mistakes along the way, I feel as though we have Vitality heading in the right direction but I also realize that if I could have a blank canvas, I could make Vitality available for more people without sacrificing the quality that we have worked so hard to create.
We purchased some land at the intersection of Poplar Tent and Derita Road and will be breaking ground on a 31,000 S/F multi-level development in the coming weeks. The expected date of opening will be April/May 2015.
This will allow us to have 3 separate areas to run classes. This will ensure that we can keep our class sizes the same and not sacrifice our ability to coach our members. This will also give us the option to add additional class times during our busy morning hours as well as our evening hours. We will be able to stagger our classes to give more flexibility to those with busy schedules that don’t have the option to come to multiple class times.
This will also open the door to a variety of specialty classes that we have been unable to run do to space constraints as well as timing issues. As we get closer, we will share some of the different classes that we will be running.
The move will be less than 1 mile from our current location which shouldn’t impact anyone’s drive to Vitality. With the roadwork being done on Poplar Tent which should be completed prior to our building being completed, it should alleviate some of the issues that Poplar Tent Road experiences in the evenings.
Vitality will occupy the back of the building with (2), 6,000 S/F spaces along with an additional 2,220 S/F space that will be utilized for Foundations, Personal Training, and Specialty Seminars. The interior plans of the space are nearly complete and I will share that with you in the coming weeks. There will also be a mezzanine, similar to our current space, that will have an additional 17,000 S/F of space that will be available for lease as well as having a conference room able to seat 65 people This will be great for our Paleo Seminars along with a number of other events that we will have the ability to hold.
One thing that I want to make abundantly clear. This expansion will not affect the quality of what we do here at Vitality. I am confident that we will be able to provide more value to all of you than you have ever experienced. With the set-up of the new spaces, the same 22 person class size at our current space will feel like a 14 person class at the new space. The layout will be more efficient and allow for a better experience as an athlete.
Throughout this process, we have had some exciting opportunities to partner with businesses that will complement Vitality and create an atmosphere that will be like no other. We have already leased 60% of the retail space at the front of the building and, as I mentioned, we are super excited to have them on board. The second floor will be subdivided into +/- 200 S/F executive suites that will include utilities/phone/internet/conference room access along with a full kitchen at their disposal. I will post a floor plan shortly that will show what it looks like.
I will be posting updates frequently on this facebook page, be sure to check it out to stay in the loop of all the exciting stuff going on.