The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Powerhouse Gym opens
Gym touts latest equipment with entertainment features
By Sue G. Collins, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 27, 2008
The fresh celery-green paint on the expansive walls of the new Powerhouse Gym in Saline nearly shouts out, "You can do it."
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Gym owner, entrepreneur and amateur bodybuilder Paul Wright hopes the bright color will indeed encourage members to feel pumped up about their workout experience and is anxious to explain that Powerhouse Gym is all about a more modern concept of fitness.
"The name still sometimes carries an image of a place where sweaty, bodybuilding men are lifting weights in a less-than-clean gym," Wright said. "That's really old news. Our gym is a place where the average person, beginners right through those more advanced, can come to make fitness a part of their lives or start their regime."
Powerhouse will be stocked with the most updated equipment, designed to be comfortable and successful for everyone, he said. The cardio equipment, like the treadmills and elliptical machines, have built-in screens for individual TV viewing, plus iPod ports.
"We have the very newest equipment. You can even upload a movie from your i-Pod and watch it while you exercise," Wright said. "The No. 1 complaint I hear is that people get bored while they exercise. We want to help combat that."
"Research shows that 20 percent of people work out regularly. It's the other 80 percent we want to attract," Wright said.
He'll try to do just that with top-notch amenities, thorough service and a knowledgeable staff. The 10,000-square-foot gym includes a juice bar, lounge, carpeted locker rooms with roomy wood lockers fitted with programmable digital locks and large private showers.
The enormous space in The Oaks shopping center on East Michigan Avenue is the home to Wright's second of three gyms he will open in Southeast Michigan. His first Gold's Gym opened in 2005 in Ann Arbor and has been very successful, doubling memberships, he said, during the last year to 2,000.
Debra Clark is a personal trainer at Gold's and plans to move to the Saline gym with some of her 35 clients. She complimented Wright for his down-to-earth style of management.
"He really loves what he's doing and it shows," Clark said. "His friendly, caring attitude is evident everywhere."
Wright plans to open another gym in Novi this summer.
His business background, with 20 years in product development and sales and a master's degree in business from University of Detroit, has been a helpful foundation working through construction deals, licensee issues and employee policies. He said he enjoys working with Powerhouse, founded and based in Michigan.
Wright had planned to open his first gym in Saline three years ago, but looked to the Ann Arbor address when he was unsuccessful finding suitable space here.
Powerhouse Gym joins Mod Squad Salon and Sprint in The Oaks.
Agreements with a national sandwich shop and good-size sports bar are being negotiated, said real estate marketing representative Bela Sipos of Reinhart Realtors.
"I hope it's a roaring success," said Oaks developer Bill Kinley of Phoenix Properties. "Those businesses will benefit greatly from cross-marketing. I wish them all the best and continue to look a prospective restaurants and retails to join them there."
Powerhouse Gym plans to open April 1 and is located at 946 E. Michigan Ave. in The Oaks center. Membership rates start at $44 per month, plus an enrollment fee of $99, discounted to $49 during April. That includes two free sessions with a personal trainer. Members can also use the Ann Arbor gym for an additional $20 per month.
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