For three months last summer, personal trainer Anthony Oretade put his clients through their paces outdoors at Riverside Park in Hartford. He brought along outdoor mats, kettle bells, ropes, balls and a portable radio.
A gym on Tobey Road in Bloomfield had been Oretade’s previous place of operation, but the building was unexpectedly closed by the owner. Taking his business outside was the most viable option.
With the gym no longer in operation, however, Oretade’s clients dropped from 30 to two. One day during a park session, an addled homeless man rummaging through a nearby trash can became an unwelcome distraction.
Oretade, an Iraq War veteran, began to go to his client’s homes to train them. Eventually, he decided he needed to transition from personal trainer to running his own gym. A real estate agent was contacted to scout for the best locations.
One day the agent called with what he said would be an ideal spot — 21 Tobey Road in Bloomfield.
The suggestion floored Oretade. This was his former place of business. The converted warehouse was now under new ownership. Previous roof and plumbing problems were fixed.
A man of deep religious conviction, Oretade saw this unlikely journey as part of his spiritual walk. He and his wife Melissa opened Iron for Zion gym in February. A grand opening was held Nov. 16. Call it the “Return of the Prodigal Son.”
“I’m going for a different theme in fitness,” said Oretade, 34, a lifelong fitness fanatic who has trained people for seven years. “My goal is getting members in the door and getting them to understand the concept and the vision that I’m going for.”
He sees Iron for Zion as a hybrid in fitness — one that focuses equally on functional training (incorporating such devices as ropes, tires, and balls) along with traditional fitness apparatuses (dumbbells, weight machines, spin bikes and rowing machines). Gym membership is $45 a month. The facility also offers personal training; an African-Brazilian influenced martial arts class called Capoeira; and Pilates.
Oretade’s core philosophy on life is rooted in faith, physical fitness and nutrition. A vegetarian, he says he has never smoked or drank alcohol.
Quoting biblical scripture — 1st Corinthian 6:19 — “Do you know that your body is a temple”, Oretade’s aim is for his clients to be accountable for their fitness and see it as a spiritual mandate for a productive life.
“Whatever your goal is it is usually a bit more temporal, like looking better for the next engagement you have,” said Oretade, a bald, heavily muscled, goatee-sporting man of Nigerian and Barbados descent, whose booming laugh echoes across the gym. “When you actually realize that the creator has a stake in your health and well-being and that it is actually a Devine mandate that you take care of yourself, then it becomes more permanent. It becomes a lifestyle.”
The Hartford native, also reared in Bloomfield and East Hartford, has faith that his fledgling gym will be successful and eventually franchised.
From 2000 to 2004, Oretade served in the Army and was stationed in Iraq for a year. His role there was mostly administrative. Duties included reporting to supervisors on the number of daily war casualties. The experience in team work, communications and organization will be assets in building his gym business, which contracts with eight personal trainers and has about 20 clients.
“Leading by example,” said Oretade, when asked about what was the most important thing he learned from the military. He concedes that he’s a bit of a micromanager, but it is something he is trying to change.
“Now that I’m in business for myself I have to ask other people to do things — and nine times out of 10 I don’t like the way it was done. I just want to do it myself,” he said. “I’m working on being more specific in my directions.”
Marketing and social media are key drivers to growing an enterprise that heavily relies on referrals.
The building and equipment are leased. Oretade no longer has to worry about outdoor elements or unwanted intruders disrupting his business.
This entrepreneur is content and purposeful in a venture that allows him to inspire others through faith and fitness.
Stan Simpson is host of “The Stan Simpson Show”, which airs Saturday, 5:30 a.m., on Fox CT and online at FoxCt.com/stan. You can send suggestions for the “Faces in Business” column to stansimpson@comcast.net
