A booming business with bite

The PRx Performance showroom – aptly named the “Tank” from their appearance on – displays the company’s ever-evolving product line.

Cass County Electric Cooperative member PRx Performance builds new headquarters with growth in mind

The new PRx Performance facility in Fargo, N.D., isn’t the drab, characterless warehouse one expects in an industrial park. The parking lot features several electric vehicle chargers, employee pooches play in building’s front showroom, and a large stuffed shark hangs from the balcony of the entry stairwell – an homage to the founders’ 2016 breakthrough appearance on ABC’s reality show, “Shark Tank.”

As PRx project manager Mike Harlan explains it, the employee environment is all part of the home-gym manufacturer’s “keep it weird” workplace mentality.

“We just had a basketball court installed here in the warehouse, and that has kind of been a centerpiece for people to go out and bond. Not everyone is good,” Harlan said with a joking grin, “but it’s all just for fun.”

The PRx Performance team of more than 65 people finished moving into the new $23 million, 194,000-square-foot north Fargo headquarters in January 2022. After occupying seven different buildings in almost as many years, the founders – CEO Brian Brasch and president Erik Hopperstad – had an opportunity to finally construct a facility that fit their unique employee culture and allowed them to manufacture their wallmounted squat racks and weight accessories in-house.

The company was already growing fast after becoming nationally known for its “Shark Tank” appearance. But just as Harlan joined the team 2 ½ years ago, a global pandemic shut down gyms. Home fitness equipment was suddenly as sought after as hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

“The world of COVID is really what accelerated the building project. We became so busy – we just exploded overnight,” Harlan said. “It really necessitated getting into a facility that could support that growth. We accelerated the planning, we put a lot into action, and here we are today.”

A built-in spotter

As a project manager new to managing construction-based ventures, the hastened pace of the project was quite a lift for Harlan. Luckily, he had a power partner in the form of Cass County Electric Cooperative’s (CCEC) Chad Brousseau, business account manager and energy expert.

“My prior familiarity with electricity was turning my lights on,” Harlan joked. “So Chad provided a lot of good information and guidance about things to ask and things to look into. Even today, he provided information on some of the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) details we’re looking into to help prevent equipment damage in the event of a power surge. He’s been a great resource overall.”

“Being a cooperative, we’re member owned. PRx is a partowner of Cass County Electric, so we want to be there to provide those resources,” Brousseau replied. “I think that’s what sets the cooperative model apart from other utilities, is that service aspect. We want all of our business members to be successful.”

The new facility includes an expansive 40,000-square-foot manufacturing wing that allows PRx to bring a large portion of production in-house.

“You don’t see that everywhere, and that’s why I really want to emphasize that it’s really appreciated, that it feels a lot more like a partnership than anything else,” Harlan said.

CCEC also assisted PRx with their building’s sustainability features, including their workplace electric vehicle charging stations and the grid-interconnection process for their 80-kW DC solar array, which is on the cooperative’s net-billing rate. If your business has any sustainability goals, contact CCEC to learn more about available programs and services.

Harlan says innovation is in the company’s DNA, from alternative energy use to new product research and development. The team continues to grow its PRx Performance product line but has also branched into new areas to make sure everyone can “fit fitness into life.” They recently launched a new SensoryRx equipment line (sensoryrx.com) that can be easily configured for those with special sensory-focused needs. The system includes steel pods and connectors that can hold swings, rope tunnels and more – all supporting the mission of “finding focus through movement.” The development team is also excited to unveil a new fitness app this year that will place enhanced home fitness at users’ fingertips.

PRx Performance anticipates continued advancement into new markets and has planned for that growth in its new facility. The headquarters has room to bring on dozens of new employees and was laid out to physically expand to the north in the future. “It really is a great place to start a business and to have it grow,” Harlan said. “I’m sure there are any number of places our founders could have picked to move, but we stayed right here in Fargo, North Dakota. It’s a part of their roots.”

It’s evident PRx is making gains – for the company, for its co-workers and for the community.

“It’s good to be successful, but it’s a great feeling to be able to bring that ability to work out to people,” Harlan said. “That may sound silly, but it’s true – especially for me and the people who work here, exercise is a passion that we have. And it doesn’t have to be at a gym all the time. You can take it into your garage. And in North Dakota in wintertime, that’s important,” he added with a smile.