Pumping up business

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St. John native and former NFL defensive player Jared Tomich stands in the new location of his Fuel Fitness Centers that opened in Crown Point in early September. The Lake Central graduate operates four health club facilities.

Updated: November 11, 2011 4:18PM

Two of the biggest challenges to growing a local fitness club chain — people’s sedentary tendencies and the slumping economy — are set to meet business owner Jared Tomich head on.

The St. John native and former NFL defensive lineman has what he believes is a winning plan that includes the recent addition of a fourth Fuel Fitness Center. Tomich looks to confront obstacles with direct action, not unlike his beelines to hurried quarterbacks as a two-time All-American at Nebraska in the 1990s.

Tomich, 37, stopped by the new Fuel Fitness location at 1516 North Main Street in Crown Point and surveyed the activity. It was a slow afternoon. Cool, rainy conditions and the Bears-Packers game were likely culprits in keeping customers at home. Yet, employees were busy mopping the floors while a few dedicated fitness buffs lifted weights.

Only two weeks into ownership of the former Crown Point Health and Fitness Center, the Lake Central graduate envisions a vibrant hub of fitness activity.

“This is what I know,” Tomich said. “Between playing in college and seven years in the pros and then coming back home, this is where my level of expertise is. I (like) continuing to learn and be able to teach that to people and help them apply it.”

With 40,000 square feet of space, the Crown Point location is by far the largest among the Fuel Fitness venues. Tomich’s initial health club venture came in 2007 with the building of a 16,000-square-foot Cedar Lake facility and adjacent restaurant. Despite the success of the original location, he said the shape of the current economy doesn’t warrant new construction.

While Fuel Fitness at Cedar Lake features a vintage gas station theme, the Crown Point building is more conventional. Tomich credits his wife, Michaline, as the visionary for the company’s unique branding.

The newly acquired property includes an indoor artificial turf soccer field and work is underway at reopening the facility’s dormant pool. New signage and other eye-catching improvements are part of a plan to create a lasting impression on clients.

“From when you walk in the door —how it looks, how it smells, how it sounds and the cleanliness — it’s customer service,” Tomich said.

Yes, each Fuel Fitness Center is chock full of high-end workout equipment. Yet, the business’ signature offerings may be its personal training and classes. Local experts work with everyone from “young athletes, collegiate scholarship recipients, parents, seniors, and special needs individuals, to newbies.”

IGNITE Sports Performance, the functional training division of Fuel Fitness, offers customizable development programs for young athletes and active adults looking for a challenge. With the interactive, fun activity, Tomich seeks to unplug youth from their computers, video games and smart phones.

“Every kid’s an athlete — whether they play sports or not doesn’t matter,” he said. “Today you don’t see kids outside playing sandlot or playing in the neighborhoods like I did when I grew up. For IGNITE, it’s just a matter of getting (youth) moving and really getting them to enjoy being athletic.”

And Tomich, who has a bachelor’s degree in communications, offered an appealing message for today’s consumer: Fuel Fitness, in conjunction with the local TurtleSlo Sports League, has lowered some prices for adult leagues that play at the facility. This includes the rate for the mens open basketball league that starts Oct. 3. That team fee has been reduced to $525.

Growing up in Northwest Indiana, Tomich said he was a fan of the 1985 Bears. Later, when he was with the New Orleans Saints, he got to play for coach Mike Ditka. Tomich confessed that even though he advocates strong preparation and a positive attitude like his mentor, attempting certain challenges might be futile.

When asked who would win in a football game or weight lifting contest pitting him and the combined staff of his four gyms versus Ditka, Tomich answered with certainty.

“It would be coach Ditka,” Tomich joked, sounding like a super fan.

To contact Fuel Fitness Centers, call 662-8862 or visit www.fuelnwi.com. For more details on The Jared Tomich Halo of Hope Foundation, a children’s cancer charity, visit www.haloofhope.net.