Gym Strives to Appeal to Diverse Client Base

 has become a well-established fitness destination in Hillsborough. Owner Ken Turash says customer service has a lot to do with his gym's success.

“It’s not about price, it’s about service," he said. "It’s about having a staff who cares, and I think you’re going to see it right from the top from myself—I’m here every day—to the person working at the front desk, the personal trainers, the group exercise coordinators, child care people and our cleaning people. You’re going to get a hello and goodbye every time you come to the gym, and I think that carries its weight in gold.”

The gym has a large group of classes and programs—there are over 45 classes alone. The classes at Powerhouse include boot camp, yoga, pilates, Chisel, Zumba and cardio kickboxing classes.

“We do offer a wide variety of classes,” Turash said. “Our classes are continually growing and expanding.”

Turash said Powerhouse encourages each of its new members to participate in two free sessions with a personal trainer and a nutritional assessment with the gym’s holistic nutrition specialist.

“There’s a lot to take in at first, and we want to make sure everyone gets integrated. They get two sessions with a trainer,” Turash said. “In the first one, they’re getting set up on the equipment safely, effectively and properly. In the second one, they come in and the trainer will do a cardiovascular efficiency test and a Par Q health questionnaire.”

Powerhouse has also been involved in the community, setting up discount partnerships with several local businesses and participating in fundraisers with non-profit organizations such as the American Cancer Society. The gym has also participated in school-related fundraising events, such as Power for Progin, an all-day workout marathon hosted at Powerhouse Gym to raise money for Hillsborough High School basketball coach Ian Progin during his battle with brain cancer.

“We had an all-day event, we raised about $4,000 and that all went to Ian and his family,” Turash said. “With things like that, we’re trying to take care of each other within the community.”

The gym's client base is made up of a wide variety of people with different fitness needs and goals. Becoming an all-purpose gym has been a goal for Turash ever since Powerhouse Gym opened its doors in October of 2009 and replaced Maximum Fitness in its location on Stryker Lane.

“I wanted to distinguish between the two clubs,” Turash said. “That being said, we’ve done a lot since. It was essentially more of a guy’s gym, but we really needed to make this a family fitness facility, so that’s really the route that we’ve gone.

“We’re not a franchise; we’re individually owned and operated. The reason why I chose Powerhouse Gym is because I wanted to have brand recognition, but make the gym my own. Maybe Powerhouse has this mystique of a lot of big people working out, but it’s a new generation of Powerhouse. That was really what we wanted to go for; we want to attract everyone.”

Powerhouse Gym won last week's Readers’ Choice in a very close race which featured the feature's first tie. Turash had good things to say about his competitors, each of which offers a unique gym experience that—just like Powerhouse—cater to a certain niche in the fitness market.

“I’m very humbled in winning this event and having a spotlight, but it should be recognized that there are a lot of great facilities in Hillsborough that should be recognized, as well,” Turash said.