09/01/2026
Eight years.
When we opened the doors to Upstate Empire Fitness, I knew owning a business would come with challenges. I don’t think any of us could have imagined just how many.
We’ve experienced incredible highs and some very difficult lows. We made it through COVID, shutdowns, uncertainty, rising costs, a changing economy, and an industry that looks very different today than it did eight years ago.
The gym has changed. The equipment has changed. The faces have changed. Life has changed.
But through every chapter, one thing has remained constant: the people.
Over these eight years, thousands of people have walked through our doors. Some stayed for a season, some have been here almost from the beginning, and some became people I’ll consider friends for the rest of my life.
I’ve watched people transform themselves here. I’ve watched friendships form, relationships begin, families grow, and people accomplish things they once thought were impossible. There are a lot of memories inside these walls.
Owning a business has taught me that success isn’t always a straight line upward. Sometimes success is simply finding a way to keep moving forward when everything around you changes.
And we did.
Eight years later, Upstate Empire is still here. Still evolving. Still adapting. Still ours.
To every member, employee, coach, friend, family member, and person who has supported this place in any way over the last eight years- thank you.
You helped build more than a gym. You built a community that has allowed me to provide for my family, chase dreams I never thought possible, and meet some truly incredible people along the way.
There have been ups. There have been downs. There have been plenty of changes. But with all this there was perseverance, adaptation from lessons that has created something amazing
Happy 8 years, Upstate Empire Fitness.
Stronger together.
