Tim Price is a licensed physical therapist, but if given the right situation, he’s a pretty handy carpenter and maintenance man.
Price learned his primary skill, physical therapy, at the University of Montana and during subsequent years in the professional field, from Colorado to Massachusetts. The other skills were acquired later as necessary functions of entrepreneurship – running your own business tends to breed those kinds of abilities.
On March 12, Price threw a party to celebrate the five-year anniversary of his downtown Kalispell business Flathead Health and Fitness. It has been located at 3001 First Avenue West since day one.
Price remains a constant presence at his gym, interacting with clients, helping his employees and performing a range of daily tasks. He cleans lockers, has taught himself to service the equipment and does “a little bit of everything.”
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Jami Jacobson begins her workout on one of the treadmills at Flathead Health and Fitness in Kalispell. |
“I work with clients, pull shifts at the front desk – I like to keep myself visible,” Price said.
After obtaining his physical therapy degree at UM, Price worked in the physical therapy field in Denver, Lexington and the Boston area, where he coordinated a spinal rehab outpatient clinic. But for Price, who was born in the Bitterroot Valley, western Montana beckoned.
“I just missed Montana,” he said.
Upon returning, Price took a job as a coordinator at a rehab clinic in Polson before moving to Kalispell. His wife Lynde, who owns Fawn Boutique on Main Street, has family in the Flathead.
In Kalispell, Price decided to turn his longtime, yet casual, interest in business into a focused effort to open his own. He set out to start a physical therapy clinic. The fitness gym was originally planned to be only a supplement to the clinic.
On the town’s northern edges, the Kalispell Athletic Club and Summit Medical Fitness Center were already well established. But Price saw an opportunity to provide a gym for the city’s core and its southern residents. Looking for a centralized location, the First Avenue West spot was ideal.
The 7,200-square-foot building had been vacant for years, but it most recently housed a telemarketing company, which still had the lease. Price bought out the lease and then struck some good fortune. He was granted the city’s first revolving-fund loan, which helped him get the project off the ground.
“I didn’t really have a lot of money,” Price said.
Renovation exposed attractive wood beams and other ornate features that Price kept. He said he didn’t want the gym to have a stuffy, industrial feel that many people equate with fitness centers. Price hoped to attract people of all ages and fitness levels, including those who are wary of gyms.
“We wanted to be more inviting and less intimidating,” Price said.
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Luke Melichar works with free weights while working out at Flathead Health and Fitness in Kalispell. |
Michael Noe, a freshman at Flathead Valley Community College who works out regularly at Flathead Fitness, said Price has achieved his goal of creating a welcoming atmosphere. Not only is the facility itself welcoming, Noe said, it seems to attract clients who feed into Price’s mentality.
“If you’re having a hard time, people here don’t laugh,” Noe said. “They come over and help you.”
Noe said employees are consistently helpful as well. Furthermore, he likes the downtown location.
“It’s very convenient,” he said. “I jog here or ride my bike here in the summer.”
During the first year or two, Price said the popularity of his fitness center grew rapidly. So he began to focus more of his attention on the gym instead of the therapy clinic.
Eventually, the therapy disappeared entirely, although today Professional Therapy Associates leases out a 2,400-square-foot addition to the facility. The addition was completed in the fall of 2008.
“As we kept going, the gym kept getting bigger and the therapy kept getting smaller,” Price said.
Today Price has 28 employees, including class instructors who work only a few hours per week, and more than 1,600 members. The gym offers a range of classes, child care services, nutritional assistance, a smoothie and juice bar and two weight rooms. His equipment is new and includes stationary bikes and treadmills with personal televisions.
“The great thing is that I have an amazing staff,” Price said. “They’re second to none.”
Flathead Health and Fitness is not a multi-purpose athletic club, meaning it doesn’t have amenities such as basketball courts or swimming pools. Price said the smaller gym model is becoming increasingly popular, in part because it requires less overhead.
“You can pass that on your clientele in the form of more affordable membership rates,” he said.
Flathead Health and Fitness has a Facebook page that Price has discovered to be an invaluable tool for keeping in touch with clients and offering them helpful fitness information. Other efforts to engage clients have included a beach volleyball league. Several years ago, Price dumped 110 tons of sand in his parking lot to make the court. He may do it again this year.
“It’s been a lot of fun and it’s been a challenge,” Price said. “The fitness industry is tough. You see a lot gyms come and go.”
Flathead Health and Fitness can be reached at (406) 752-2438 and found online at www.flatheadhealth.com.