BRAINERD LAKES AREA
re ss Edition g o r P B R A I N E R D
www.brainerddispatch.com
D I S P A T C H
L A B O R
D A Y
SERVING THE BRAINERD LAKES AREA AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA SINCE 1881
S P E C I A L
September 3, 2015 • September 7, 2015
FEELING FIT in a fresh space
Anytime Fitness-Brainerd owner Jeremy Pollock takes a break from giving a tour of the new gym’s location recently.
Jeremy Pollock is a believer in the benefits of
fitness, so it seemed like a good industry to get into. “Back when (Jay) Leno was on TV and everyone, they fitness because he sees them outside his ofof unfortunate all joke about how fat America is getting, unfortunately,” Pollock said. “Everyone needs it, fice window every day. whether they know it or not.” Pollock owns the two local Anytime He first got into the gym business By SPENSER BICKETT Fitness franchises, the location in BaxBax Staff Writer because a friend wanted to open a ter and the other, newer location in gym in St. Paul. Together, they opened Brainerd across the parking lot from a gym near the Xcel Energy Center in Cub Foods. September of 2007, but he wanted to be in Brainerd. Pollock’s office in the Brainerd location looks out at “I wanted to kind of be where I lived, it was kind of the gym, and with a slight swivel of his office chair, he far away,” Pollock said. can see people of all shapes, sizes and ages sweating Pollock grew up in St. Cloud, but also spent many of and working at bettering themselves. his summers here at a cabin, before moving to the area He sees people everyday who are excited to go to the in 2002. He doesn’t hunt or fish, but he loves boating gym, instead of dreading it. They like to come to the gym and pulling his two kids on tubes or skis. because of the “clean, exciting, feel-good” environment “That’s kind of what I grew up doing,” Pollock said. Anytime Fitness provides, Pollock said. “The rest of my family is up here, too.” “It’s not easy and it’s not fun, but you’ll never be disappointed after you do it,” Pollock said. Corporate Anytime Fitness had opened the Brainerd gym at its former location and when Pollock asked them about it, “one thing led to another,” and he ended up buying it in November of 2007. Shortly after acquiring the Brainerd location, he opened the Baxter gym in January of 2008. Pollock said he saw his purchase as a business opportunity. He was coming from the declining mortgage business and was looking to diversify. He’s an active person who likes health and
The new location of the Anytime Fitness-BrainFitness-Brain erd location sits across the parking lot from Cub Foods at the East Brainerd Mall.
Photos by Steve Kohls • steve.kohls@brainerddispatch.com
BUILDING ON A FRESH IDEA
The new location for the Brainerd gym came about because Pollock’s lease was nearing the end at his old
location. Anytime Fitness’s corporate parent requires a reinvention every six years, Pollock said. He would have had to repaint, recarpet, add bathrooms and remodel the old space. “I just leased it, so I wasn’t really excited about sticking a whole bunch of money into something I was leasing,” Pollock said. “I was kind of motivated to try to own my own real estate instead of paying a lease to somebody.” Pollock met with Clint Nelson, the building’s owner, to discuss leasing the space the gym now occupies. Nelson instead brought up the idea of creating a commercial condo association for the building, with Pollock buying a section. With expensive lease costs and low
See ANYTIME FITNESS Page S26