Photo courtesy of Mesh Fitness
A new fitness center that opened its doors in January hopes to shape how people look at fitness in a new and exciting way. It also plans to form partnerships with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, local charities and other organizations to improve the way people work and play in the City.
Mesh Fitness will be the first commercial business to occupy space in the Bridge Park development, which features 800 apartments. Matt Davis, a partner with Mesh Fitness, says that, starting in 2008, he and several friends launched several gyms in the Columbus area that brought good success.
Eventually, Davis and several other business partners came together to come up with something unique for the Bridge Park development tied to fitness that would set themselves apart. The fitness center will cover 10,300 square feet.
Photo courtesy of Mesh Fitness
“We wanted to create something very unique for the 10,000-15,000-square-feet space ... and what we saw in the fitness landscape was Planet Fitness, a $10 fee that was growing like crazy in all these different areas,” Davis says. “But at the end of the day, people didn’t really like that experience.”
Davis also says he noticed boutique fitness locations become very popular, but they were very costly. Davis knew he wanted to bring something different to Dublin, adding that one of his partners created the Mesh Fitness label.
The concept of Mesh Fitness, Davis says, is blending different aspects of fitness into one, with the center offering $10 and $15 monthly memberships, while a la carte pricing will also be available. Team-based training will offer groups the ability to track their progress, allowing them to be healthy together, Davis says.
Inside the gym, three zones will offer visitors a chance to check out different features: Pulse, Power and Pedal. Power is similar to a Crossfit experience, Pedal offers cycling and Pulse is a heart-rate monitoring workout in which individuals can evaluate live metrics displayed on a television screen tied to their fitness workout.
“The key for us is you only pay for what you use,” Davis says. “You select the things that are good for you.”
The fitness center also plans to take advantage of outdoor amenities offered by the Bridge Park development through its fourth zone, known as Park, which will allow visitors a chance to be involved in outdoor workouts. Mesh Fitness is also offering a free membership to each tenant who lives in the 800 apartments within the Bridge Park development.
Photo courtesy of Mesh Fitness
In addition, it is also partnering with the chamber to offer fitness benefits to members. Any employer or small business can sign up its employees for $10 a month, while Mesh Fitness provides health and wellness reports back to the employer.
“It’s kind of another amenity for the employees that work in Dublin,” Davis says. “We made it very affordable for employers to treat their employees well and give them a gift of health as being part of their company.”
Jennifer Amorose, chief operating officer of the chamber, says she thinks Mesh Fitness will be a positive amenity for many chamber members. The organization has about 1,800 member business representatives it works with that participate in different chamber programs.
When employers sign up using coupon code “Dublin,” Mesh Fitness will donate money to the Dublin Civic Foundation, which funds scholarships in the Dublin City Schools, Amorose says. She adds that Mesh Fitness will play an important role within the community.
“Quality of life is really important here in Dublin, and I personally believe businesses want their employees to participate in health and wellness programs for lots of different reasons,” Amorose says. “It’s just a good thing for all employees to be participating in. … I think it will be a great asset for the community.”
Photo courtesy of Mesh Fitness
Mesh Fitness plans to give back its retail proceeds to local Dublin charities as well, Davis says.
“We’re trying to do a lot of good fundraisers, a lot of good events to help the community because our slogan is Mesh Fitness is ‘good for everyone,’ and we truly want that to be case. We don’t think there’s anything else like that,” Davis says.
Davis, who worked in the business world before leaving to become an entrepreneur, says he enjoys being able to give back and help others along the way.
What makes Mesh Fitness unique is the fact that it has five different gyms in one for a very affordable price, Davis says. He also hopes to attract a wide variety of people regardless of their fitness backgrounds.
“We’re really trying to be good to everyone and there’s no hassle,” he says. “Treat people with respect, no cancellations, no penalties, month-to-month and just treat people how they want to be treated.”
Matthew Kent is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
