Football competitors became partners at Athletic Republic

Q: Between the two of you, who does what in the business and what's the relationship like?

Gunnelson: Basically anything that has to do with paperwork, administrative work, I handle all of that. Anything from an office end I guess you could say. And then Kyle is in charge of everything on the training floor, from handling the first strength evaluation to implementing the training protocol to training our trainers. And then I help train as well, in the summertime primarily.

Q: And how did you two come together to start this business?

Brodd: Well, we both trained here (when the facility was Acceleration Madison). So, I was just getting done with school, Chad was coaching track at East High School and had a group of his athletes in here, and we approached the old owners with the idea of taking over the company.

Gunnelson: It started in high school. He was starting running back for Middleton, I played safety for Memorial -- I didn't get run over but I got ran by a couple times — so basically I couldn't stand him. I hated Middleton, there was a big rivalry, you know, West side of Madison and Middleton. But senior year there was a very good, tough-fought football game, and we had a couple nose-to-nose "issues" on the field. And after the game he came to me and basically said, "Hey man, we're enemies on the field, friends off." So that's where our friendship started. And from there, as we both began working at Acceleration Madison, the dialogue started with the former owners for us to take over the place. So we joined forces and made it happen. We started managing the facility together in March 2007, and then September 1 we officially took over and changed it into an Athletic Republic.

Q: How has the transition been?

Brodd: Very good. Obviously there have been lots of organizational changes and training changes, but we're on track now, we have everything set up the way we want it.

Q: Madison has a lot of gyms. How has the competition been?

Brodd: Well, I think the thing that sets us apart is our training equipment and technology. The equipment we use in our programs is patented to our facilities, so it's not something that you can go online or look in a magazine and buy. So, for example, the super-treadmills that we do our speed workouts on, those aren't manufactured treadmills that just any health club could buy, they can only be used in Athletic Republic franchises.

Q: So how much control do you have over the business?

Gunnelson: Athletic Republic gives us a set protocol - a blueprint - to use for a certain athlete at a certain ability level, and the trainer modifies the program to the individual. They offer so much help, from promotional support, to media to marketing, training. There's three levels of certification to be a director of training or director of operations and a week of comprehensive training with exams. So they provide us with the knowledge, they provide us with the tools, but then we're able to operate our facility. We're able to change pricing the way we want. We're able to put together programs the way we want. They provide the blueprint and then we adjust it to the type of athletes we get and the market we're in.

Q: What kind of athletes do you get in this market?

Brodd: We get anywhere from 7-year-old athletes up to high school athletes - those are the majority, they're our target market. Obviously this market doesn't produce too many professional athletes, but we will get some. Just this spring we had Aaron Stecker, running back for the New Orleans Saints, who has a house in the area. And he's coming back this off-season. We've had several 50 or older athletes too. The oldest we've had is 65 years old.

Q: Does your age hinder you in this market?

Brodd: Not at all. Actually I think in a lot of ways it works to our advantage because we relate a little better to most of the athletes coming in here and have a lot of fun with them.

Gunnelson: Just a couple years ago we were playing college football and training, so we've been through it. And that's why we got involved in this. The reason I chose to do this personally is I believe in it. I didn't get involved in this training program and the company to make money, I got involved in it because I've done it. It's improved my athletic performance. I believe in what it offers.

Brodd: Absolutely, I would not have been the athlete that I was if I hadn't done this program. I mean, that's the main reason I wanted to work here in the first place.

Q: So, five months in, what have been the challenges?

Gunnelson: Well, we were lucky in that we already had this infrastructure built up for us and a client base. We had to take the good things that were there before and find out what our parents and coaches needed beyond that. Then we had to look into the market, seeing and understanding what's going on in the Madison area and adjust what we offer, what it costs and how we carry it out. The sports industry requires a level of organization and discipline that may or may not have been there in the past. So we've been able to do in five months what would have taken years and years to do from scratch.

Brodd: I think the hardest thing up front was that there already was a clientele base that was used to the way things had been run before. I think a big success was hearing those parents who have been bringing their kids here for the past few years liking the changes that we've made. It was rewarding for us that the things that we wanted to do our way seemed to benefit the athletes and the parents see that and respect what we're doing.

Q: What are your goals for 2008?

Gunnelson: We want to increase the number of athletes we train. We want to increase the number of older recreational athletes we train. Once 3:45 p.m. hits, it's chaos here until eight o'clock because 90 percent of the athletes we train are at school all day. But we want to be able to reach the adult recreational athlete who could come in on their lunch break or may have a different kind of schedule, but someone who is competitive and sees a benefit in getting in shape and reducing risk of injury.

Q: How about long-term goals?

Gunnelson: My goal is 10 facilities by the time I retire. We've already started the process of opening one up in Central Wisconsin. There are some markets within Wisconsin that we want to attack first, then branch out to a couple different places in the Midwest and beyond, there are some places down South and on the East coast. So that's the goal: to fine-tune things so we're efficient, we're good at what we do, and then trying to find markets where we can move in and provide the same thing.

Brodd: Yeah, to have multiple facilities and to be able to help more athletes than just in the Madison area would be the ultimate goal. I can see myself being the one who goes to a new facility and trains the employees.