“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
At Ageless, our decisions are heavily influenced by the 4 F’s – Faith, Family, Friends, and Fitness. 4 months ago when I started poking my nose around Edwardsville looking for a building to open a new gym, I knew that once the lease was signed the 4 F’s would guide us on the decisions that would be needed. How could we open a gym in Edwardsville, literally a few blocks from Pete’s house, and not have Pete run it? Family always trumps fitness.
Last Thursday night, the inevitable became a reality. Ageless and its partner SportsChiro made the final handshake that would result in our two companies taking over Accelerate Fitness in Edwardsville on October 27th. The decision, although a major one, was an absolute “no brainer,” even though I knew it would take Pete away from Ageless in Gillespie. Why?
Because Pete and I both knew his replacement loves Ageless just as much, if not more (Who else would get up at 3:30am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to teach a class for FREE at 5am?), than we do. She’s energetic, passionate, caring, and truly loves what she does. She is the perfect fit to manage both Ageless and Ageless Squared. Starting this week, Reggie Byots will be running both facilities. You’ll still see everyone else just as you normally would – myself, Corrie, Jan, Al, Meredith, Barb, Kevin, Amy, Austin, Amber, Josh, and the rest of the team. Pete will also be there this week too, and possibly a little next week. The only change is we’re swapping one great manager for another one.
As Pete said in his note, Ageless is and always will be first in our hearts. In the end, if we didn’t think this was the best move for Ageless, we wouldn’t have done it. However, just like opening A2, it will expand our resources and allow us to offer more classes and services, especially now we have another team of trainers “ideating.” We promise you that with Reggie at the helm and an expanded staff, Ageless will be better in 2015 than we were in 2014. We will continue to strive to be the best little gyms in Illinois.
So it’s now time to say thanks to Pete for helping Ageless grow as much as it has. To say he’s been instrumental in our success would be an understatement. Without question, we will miss him. However, I have sneaky suspicion we will still see him often. He’s left too big of a footprint in our foundation to be simply forgotten.
Look for a post later this weekly with details about a farewell party for Pete.
Laugh. Love. Learn. Lift.
T.J.
