| Name Fit Box
Business Type 24 Hour Fitness Center Location Central City, Iowa Population 1,257 Owner/Manager Stacey Colledge Year Opened 2016 Website https://www.ccfitbox.com/home.html Phone 715-889-1179 Products Sold & Niche Developed Owner and founder of Fit Box LLC, Stacey Colledge, established Fit Box to provide rural communities in North Linn County with a clean, modern fitness facility that is open and appealing to both men and women. Eventually she plans to partner with independent contractors to offer classes and personal training. How it got started Stacey purchased the building in the fall of 2015, with the intent of renting out the commercial space and upper story apartment. She ended up changing her mind after changing circumstances. The local Main Street program had completed a market |
analysis in 2015, which identified a fitness center as a top need in Central City. With limited time to man a store and reluctance to invest in staff, a self-serve fitness center seemed like a good fit. The business is set to open August 8th, 2016. Who it serves Fit Box is geared toward fitness conscious people within a 10-minute drive time of Central City who don’t want to waste 40 to 60 minutes out of their day driving to and from a comparable fitness center in Cedar Rapids. The equipment (which includes treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, free weights, weight machines, TRX and resistance bands, and more) is wide ranging to appeal to the broadest customer base possible, while keeping within a smaller budget and building footprint. Building Improvements The building had not been updated since the early 90’s when it had been a lawyer’s office. Stacey hired a contractor to do substantial renovations, including removing all the interior walls and installing a support beam, new electrical with motion sensors for the lighting, plumbing, HVAC, data cables for security cameras and a key card access system, expanding the bathroom, and installing new insulation and doors to cut down on the sound transfer between the upper apartment and the 1st floor. If customer demand coincides with the upstairs tenant moving out, Fit Box will expand into the upper story to provide room for more equipment, classrooms and possibly additional bathrooms/showers. Funding Stacey created the logo, website, marketing design, and construction finish work to cut costs. She also privately funded the building purchase, renovations and equipment. Currently, Stacey is applying for grant funding for renovations to the exterior of the building and new windows throughout both floors. Reviewed by Emily Lutz, UW-Extension CCED |
