Power Train has big plans for the future. The Pennsylvania-based company announced its strategic franchise growth initiative that aims to add 600 new franchise locations in markets across the country over the next 10 years.
When Steve Saunders founded the company in 2001, his motivation was to train professional athletes. Saunders provided high-level training to many top athletes in the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB. “As the company grew I would have kids that wanted to train and adults that wanted to train and that led to our small group training model,” said Saunders. “They couldn’t pay what pro-athletes pay, so I figured I could train two or three people at a time, still give them an individual workout — that same high quality — but for a fraction of the price.”
Today, Power Train facilities provide guided training programs that are customized to meet the needs and goals of each member.
Power Train has 15 existing locations throughout the U.S., with the goal of ending the year with 25 locations and adding 50 to 60 more by the end of 2015 — ultimately leading to 600 locations in 2020.
“For years I called us the Subway of sports performance — a small box you can put anywhere and it’s going to be successful,” said Saunders. “We have some facilities that are stand-alone, some that are in strip malls, some that are in a baseball or sports complexes. It’s a model with a small footprint that you can put anywhere. It’s a model that is going to lead to a lot of growth for us.”
The company is seeking new investors who are committed to the brand and share similar values. “It’s really having the vision and the goal that we have for Power Train,” added Saunders. “For us at this point, we’re not just looking at someone’s balance sheet. Someone can have a very strong balance sheet, almost too much stuff and something like this would be just one more thing they have. They really wouldn’t be passionate about it or the growth. We are looking for people that want to grow with us.”
What makes the Power Train brand so appealing to potential investors? According to Saunders it’s the low start-up cost and high rate of return. “We are a small box facility, so our typical foot print is 4,000 to 6,000 square feet,” said Saunders. “It’s not a big box sports performance facility or a big box health club, so from a business standpoint it’s low start-up costs, low overhead, low investment but high return — providing results for the clients [and] long-lasting relationships. From the sports and fitness side there is really nothing else like this right now.”
By Emily Harbourne
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
