SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 12, 2020
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Hotel owners help front-line health workers BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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aliber CEO Chris Loeffler’s wife, Abbie Loeffler is a Mayo Clinic registered nurse who works the COVID-19 floor. After she shared the concerns her fellow nursing and medical personnel had of possibly bringing the virus into their respective homes, Loeffler and Caliber COO Jennifer Schrader brainstormed how they could support those on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. Within 24 to 48 hours, the Scottsdale-based real estate investment firm launched Operation Sleep Safe.
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Scottsdale-based real estate investment firm Caliber launched Operation Sleep Safe on April 1. Operation Sleep Safe offers a complimentary nights-long stay at five of their hotels in the Valley, including Hampton Inn and Suites Scottsdale Riverwalk. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
Scottsdale man invents new stretch machine BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer
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onathan Hyams was working out at a gym when he found it difficult to use a “one-size-fits-all” stretch machine. “As I stretched, I realized the machine lacked an adjustable seat, making it hard for users to position themselves according to their height and stature,” Hyams said. “In addition, I noticed there were no designated pieces of equipment at my gym for anyone to stretch their calves.” Hyams had an epiphany. Already producing exercise and medical rehabilitation equipment, the Scottsdale man launched his own—the Nitrofit Limber Pro Stretch Machine. “I always use a stretch machine to stretch out before my workouts,” Hyams said. “I was sitting on this machine and
Jonathan Hyams founded Medvibe in 2007 when he was 24. (Courtesy Jonathan Hyams)
suddenly I got this thought in my head: Every other piece of equipment in this gym adjusts to fit whoever is using it. Shouldn’t this piece of equipment not be one-size-fits-all? That’s when it hit me. “I own a fitness company. I watched a taller person struggle, and a smaller female get in. I figured out people couldn’t stretch their calves.” The average stretching machine uses a fixed-seat design that does not allow its users to adjust the distance between the seat and the handlebars. The Nitrofit Limber Pro Stretch Machine is the only one in the marketplace with an adjustable seat and calf-stretching station. The machine is compact and can be used without a personal trainer or gym buddy. “The patented sliding seat design ensures that the Nitrofit Limber Pro is the
see FITNESS page 24
