As YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg was opening a new location in a very diverse, active and growing community, leaders at the Y were seeking fitness options that would appeal to both traditional YMCA members and adults who might be looking for much more than average equipment. That’s why they picked Matrix Fitness.
“The biggest benefit to our members is the Matrix Fitness brand offers a variety of quality equipment for all levels of fitness,” said Beth Maday, the project manager for YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. “From basic racks and rigs to the latest in plate-loaded equipment, the attention to a science-based approach is evident. Every piece of strength equipment is designed to maximize results, and our members want results. The cardio equipment is also excellent.”
Below, Maday shares on the partnership with Matrix Fitness, benefits to the YMCA, advice for other community rec leaders and more.
How long have you been a customer of Matrix Fitness?
I’ve purchased Matrix Fitness equipment for several projects over the last decade and a half, but most recently we made a large investment in Matrix at our new Speer YMCA which opened in December 2023.
Why did you decide to partner with Matrix Fitness?
After a very rigorous RFP process that included all major vendors, we decided to partner with Matrix Fitness for most of our fitness products, including strength and cardiovascular training equipment as well as outfitting most of our group fitness program spaces. The main reasons were quality, support both before and after decision stages, and price. That said, price was important but not the driving factor. We wanted to make sure we paid a fair price for a quality product that would give our members an extraordinary experience and results.
What problem were you looking to solve; or what solution were you looking to incorporate?
Great question. Specifically, we were trying to be forward-thinking, particularly around free weights and plate-loaded equipment, along with functional training spaces with lots of flexibility. We wanted to offer relevant fitness equipment for all non-exercisers and beginners through very advanced fitness enthusiasts and athletes.
Individuals ages 20-60 have grown up during the fitness boom and are no longer satisfied with workout facilities that don’t offer equipment that meets their needs. We’re no longer outfitting our Ys for simply the beginner exerciser. That said, it was important for us have a complete wellness area that caters to all. Our Matrix rep, Jake Glore, had to work very hard to find the right selection and best layout to meet these overlapping demands. He hit a homerun guiding us with proper selection and layout.
What are the benefits to your business as a result of this partnership?
We certainly set some lofty membership targets based on our market research, but honestly we’ve crushed them. In the first 60 days after our grand opening, we passed our six-month goal. And there has been no slow down whatsoever. We’re nearly at double where we expected to be at this time. Our members and the community are thrilled with the quality of fitness and wellness offerings, and that’s contributing to the volume of new members that continue to join every day.
What are the benefits to your members as a result of this partnership?
Typically, in a new build/startup one can expect some trial and error with cardio, particularly in the area of connectivity. We didn’t have one single hiccup. The selection of cardio available, along with the combination of performance and entertainment, was unsurpassed. And with reasonable footprints we were able to maximize the floor space, leaving plenty of room for functional training, stretching, floor work and areas for our members to walk, gather and move.
Have you been pleasantly surprised by working with Matrix Fitness in any way?
Absolutely. Jake did a tremendous amount of work on our behalf before we even made our decision to use Matrix Fitness for much of our fitness center. We asked Matrix and the other representatives to provide us with a robust presentation regarding the trends they were seeing in the fitness industry, along with multiple layouts and pricing configurations. Jake was quick on turning these requests around and was extremely informative, making recommendations and suggestions all along the way. After he worked with his team at the Matrix headquarters, the layouts were amazing. He presented many options for us with 3D fly-through renderings, which really helped us understand the overall flow of our new facility.
I also visited the Matrix Fitness corporate headquarters and was frankly blown away by the amount of engineering resources and dedication to advancing equipment safety and overall effectiveness. Matrix’s attention to detail was very obvious, and the opportunity to learn from each of their subject-matter experts was helpful in making our final decisions.
What else can you tell other rec center professionals about the benefits of working with Matrix Fitness?
The most important thing I could tell other professionals is this: we went into this process with an open mind and asked the experts at Matrix Fitness to tell us what was happening in the next five-plus years that should be on our radar today. We understand our YMCA market and the needs in our community, but they are a big company doing excellent research and development. They are in and out of top-notch health and wellness facilities all over the country. I personally didn’t want to limit us to our own thinking, and Matrix Fitness absolutely jumped on the opportunity to help guide us in our quest to provide a first-rate fitness facility for our new members.
