Sticking to a specific plan and dedicated routine, Idaho Fitness Factory is pumping up for expansion.
At a Glance:
Idaho Fitness Factory plans to open two new gym locations in Kuna and Star in 2024.
The gym chain has grown to 12 locations in Treasure Valley since 2011 and serves over 25,000 active members.
IFF focuses on neighborhood convenience, 24-hour access, and amenities like saunas and red light therapy.
Using a “neighborhood” focus as a key component for developing new sites, IFF, the largest locally owned and operated gym chain in the state is slated to open two new Treasure Valley locations this year, one in Kuna and the other in Star.
Rylie Arruda
“We just want to make it as easy and simple as possible for people to get into one of our gyms,” said Chief Operating Officer Rylie Arruda. “And the closer it is [to] home, the easier it is for our members.”
Since beginning operation under the original ownership group with a 5,500-square-foot location at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Cloverdale Road in 2011, the chain’s total number of gym locations valley-wide has grown to 12, including its newest location that began operating in January of this year near the corner of Ten Mile and McMillan Roads.
Acquired by Idaho-based Alturas Ventures in 2022, IFF has built a business model based on convenience, reliability and a desire to serve as a welcoming neighborhood gym with four new locations already added since the initial acquisition.
Boasting more than 25,000 active members in the valley, IFF experienced a 20% increase in memberships the past year alone, a figure that helped lead to targeting both Star and Kuna as future gym roster sites.
“What originally drove us to these locations is the growth, and each area has been highly requested as a new location for years now,” Arruda said. “We do have other gyms that are close, but these two have been on our radar for a long time.”
Along with providing 24-hour access, the convenient neighborhood locations also include amenities such as saunas and red light therapy, as well as featuring the most modern, up-to-date equipment offerings.
“Part of it is the speed at which we are opening new clubs, but it’s also the general footprint we have coupled with our efforts to improve the layouts of the gym, increasing the amounts of equipment along with adding some new amenities,” said Lucas Henken, president of Alturas Ventures.
Blending accessibility and the neighborhood feel plays into both the club offerings for members, and the strategy the outfit utilizes in expanding its reach into newer, smaller communities.
Von Hansen
“I would say there is a definite synergy across all of our clubs,” said IFF President Von Hansen. “As we continue to build, so does our brand recognition. With the growth in these communities, we’re trying to anchor ourselves early, so as they continue to grow, we too, will also be there long-term.”
Aside from building from the ground up, another key factor in determining viable new locations centers on converting prior businesses, as IFF did with two former local Rite Aid locations.
“It’s a blend on where we can find a location,” he said. “The pharmacy conversions were opportunistic with the foreclosures of those businesses, so we’ll take what we can get and what the market provides. It can be anything that helps serve our communities.”
And there are no shortcuts when it comes to providing club members the best or top-of-the line equipment. Relying heavily on customer feedback, IFF has made a commitment to staying out in front with the most modern and useful offerings, especially when it comes to what Hansen calls the older or “legacy” sites the chain operates.
“By listening to our members, we work to tailor our gym floor layout based on what we hear from our customers,” he said. “It’s not just the right equipment, but also the right amount to meet the needs of our members.”
Sometimes, taking the bad with the good, or a willingness to hear the negative, can help make a business stronger.
“In addition to bringing in the newer amenities like saunas and red light therapy, we’re learning what people do and don’t like, and we’re adjusting as we go to determine our best practices for our members,” Arruda said.
Lucas Henken
“When you put that whole package together, I think it has generated a lot of excitement, not only for our members, but what is happening with growth in the Treasure Valley in driving our total membership,” Henken said.
With competition from larger outfits, this customer-first, easy access mentality or philosophy bodes well for smaller, but still-growing communities such as Kuna and Star.
“Even though they are smaller communities, we think it is important not to just plop down gyms in the denser areas such as Meridian, Boise or Nampa, but to provide the same type of experience in these other communities,” he said.
And with IFF certainly looking down the road to adding future locations beyond the Treasure Valley, Henken strongly feels the local gym outfit will continue to “double-down” on what he believes is the brand’s unique identity and culture.
“We’ve all spent the majority of our lives here in the Treasure Valley and care deeply about it,” he said. “We love Idaho, the four seasons, with lots of opportunities for outdoor activities, and part of that is staying healthy physically, mentally and emotionally.”
