At some gyms members may feel like just a “number” in a club’s endeavor to rake in membership dues. Others, however, redefine what community really means. These clubs care about their members. They give back and support their surrounding communities, while making a difference in their members’ lives.
When opened, these health and fitness clubs often feel like a new neighbor moving into the house down the street. That’s exactly the role one local club embraced in Morrisville, N.C. Triangle Rock Club (TRC) opened in December 2007, when founding partners Andrew Kratz and Luis Jauregui moved to the area. The two had served in the Marine Corps together, and spent a lot of time rock climbing. Once retired, they wanted to find a way to make a living doing something they were familiar with, and decided to open an indoor climbing gym.
“Our community is such a big part of our business,” said Joel Graybeal, a managing partner of Triangle Rock Club. The club is located in the middle of what is commonly referred to as the “Triangle” of North Carolina; the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are the corners of the shape. Thus, the “Triangle” of “Triangle Rock Club.”
But, why name a rock-climbing center a “club?”
“It is representative of the fact that we wanted to build a strong community of climbers,” Graybeal said. “And, that includes climbers of all abilities, and all ages.”
TRC features state-of-the-art, Eldorado climbing walls, a 14-foot-high, freestanding, top-out boulder with 3,000 square feet of bouldering, a huge radical, lead-climbing cave, a cross-training fitness area complete with strength and cardio equipment, and more than 100 climbing routes.
In the beginning, Kratz said he was “blissfully unaware” of all the work that went into effectively operating a small business. He credits the early staff’s drive and work ethic for making the club the success it is today. “Being a Marine, you do what needs to be done,” said Kratz.
In 2011, Joel Graybeal joined the TRC team as a managing partner. He had previously worked in banking, and brought those experiences to his new position. Graybeal was also a climbing member prior to his employment at TRC. Kratz and Graybeal are currently involved in the day-to-day oversight of TRC.
As with most gyms, a significant portion of TRC’s revenue comes from membership dues. An individual membership at TRC costs $59 per month, plus a $75 initiation fee. Adding a second family member costs $40 per month, with no initiation fee. Additional members will cost $15 per month, with no initiation fees. For example, a family of three would pay $105 for a monthly membership, and a family of five would pay $135.
As the number of memberships continued to grow, Kratz and Graybeal realized they would soon run out of climbing space to keep their members happy. TRC earned $1,098,535 in gross revenue in 2012, triple that of $366,150 in 2009.
In a response to this growing rock climbing community at TRC, the club plans to renovate its facility, nearly tripling its climbing terrain, making it the largest and tallest climbing club in North Carolina and surrounding states.
The existing building features 9,000 square feet of climbing terrain, complete with 32 climbing lanes, each 24 feet tall. TRC is scheduled to break ground at the end of June to build a new adjoining building, which will be connected through a hallway off the back wall, adding over 15,000 square feet of terrain. The new addition is scheduled to open in January 2014.
“TRC’s growth wouldn’t be nearly as substantial without the tandem growth of the local climbing community,” said Graybeal. “TRC has become a true community venue: from organized ‘Meet Up’ group events to our nationally-ranked junior climbing team, the greater Raleigh community has invested their time and interests into climbing and we, in-turn, are re-investing in them through the expansion of our facility.”
TRC has been recognized quite frequently for their addition to the Morrisville community. Most recently TRC received 2013’s Small Business of the Year, awarded by the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, 2011’s and 2012’s Best Place to Take Kids on a Rainy Day, awarded by Cary News, and 2010’s Best Climbing Gym in North Carolina, awarded by Endurance Magazine. TRC was also selected by Land’s End for a cover shoot for their 2013 April business catalog.
In addition to all of the above, TRC was most recently awarded a “Steady Growth and Profitability Award” by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce on May 29, 2013. This award recognizes companies exhibiting steady growth and profitability for the last three years, and reinforces TRC’s commitment to the Morrisville community.
Despite all of these recognitions awarding a “gym,” the leaders at TRC consider it a community.
Graybeal says he reminds all of TRC’s 32 employees that it is the experience that matters. “I don’t think of us as being in the climbing business,” he said. “I think of us as being in the hospitality business. The big difference [separating TRC from other climbing clubs] is that we focus on an outstanding customer service experience.”
Everyone who visits TRC is given a survey, to give management an idea of their experience at the rock climbing club. There is also constant monitoring of the club’s front desk to ensure customer service is the staff’s number-one priority.
When asked what Graybeal’s favorite part of TRC was, he replied: “Seeing people coming out with big smiles, talking about all the fun they’ve had at TRC,” he said. “That, and when parents tell me that climbing has changed their kids’ lives.”
Graybeal and the TRC team are very proud of what they have accomplished so far. “But, we have so much more to do … You run a business like you rock-climb — you always advance,” he said.
The club is currently exploring additional locations in the Triangle area, with plans to open a facility in both the Charlotte and Triad areas.
As Triangle Rock Club continues to expand further into the Morrisville area, so will they advance the community of the city, as they redefine what a climbing club community really means.
By Sam Rogers
Thanks Sam for the write up on Triangle Rock Club! We’re proud of what we have accomplished but we have so much more to do! Joel