Fort Wayne gym expands to downtown

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - When Jason Minich opened Catalyst Fitness in 2006, he had hopes of expanding his Southwest business to downtown. A month ago, he made that possible when he opened his second location off of Broadway and Taylor in downtown Fort Wayne.

"Not just downtown itself, but a lot of the neighborhoods surrounding it are so underserved with fitness," Minich said.

Minich said Catalyst is for people who want a more intimate workout experience. Having a smaller gym helps the staff cater to the needs of each client.

"I'm more than just a gym owner," Minich said. "I do this to truly help make a difference in the community and change people's lives."

He said when he was opening his new gym he got a lot of questions about his choice in location.

"We really wanted to get down to an area that was one, underserved, and two, just had a unique flare to it, has a lot of life coming back to it, and we wanted to be a part of it," Minich said.

In a down economy, they are continuing to grow.

"It's a big deal for a company like ours to invest our time and resources and money into an area where we're taking a risk," Minich said.

However, he said he's optimistic, and his new gym just happened to open around the busiest time of year for gyms: New Years.

"New Years Resolutions always help, then where we come in to play is to make sure that continues year round," Minich said.

The gym still has New Year's discounts going on for fitness classes if getting healthy was one of your resolutions. Most of the classes are geared around the work day, so if you work downtown, you can still make time to get to the gym.