Gold's Gym now The Fitness Club

The Fitness Club, formerly known as Gold's Gym, is flexing its muscles with a name change and a second location.

Owner Kent Morrison said Gold's Gym, at 3145 S. Campbell, became The Fitness Club about a month ago.

"We were a licensee of Gold's Gym and we dropped that because we found that a lot of people are intimidated by (the name) Gold's Gym. They thought it was nothing but bodybuilders, or that they had to be in good shape before they came here," he said.

"We finally decided that it would be in our best interest to change the name, let people know that we do speak beginner if you've never worked out, we're here for you and we can help," Morrison added.

In addition to the name change, a second location of The Fitness Club is now being built at 3401 E. Ridgeview. The 16,200-square-foot facility will offer more classes and it will include a state-of-the-art child-care center for club members' children to use while their parents work out.

"There's not that much on that side of town ... We want to keep putting clubs in the area, because if we don't, somebody else will, and they'll take some of our members ...and the fitness business is a pretty tough business," he said.

Morrison said the South Campbell facility has 14 employees, and he expects the new location to have more because of the child care center.

Ozark Mountain Interiors is the general contractor for The Fitness Club's second facility, and Mike Pentecost of OMI is the architect. The total cost land, construction and equipment is approximately $1.9 million, and the facility is scheduled for completion in spring 2001.