Building Muscle

The Baños brothers are looking to build a fitness empire. With eight established Gold’s Gym franchises and two more in development, brothers Willy and Angel are getting closer to reaching their goal of owning 30 fitness centers. The duo is scoping out locations in Woodland Hills, Glendale and Northridge for future franchises and is currently beginning development on one in Valencia, said Willy Baños. Currently, there are eight Gold’s Gym Los Angeles locations, including those in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and North Hollywood. Jim Snow, president of Gold’s Gym International, said the Baños brothers’ dream is ambitious. However, with 60,000 members to date, the duo has a great track record and over 20 years of experience that will work in their favor, he said. “They know how to do it right,” Snow said. “They think about the business from so many angles and in such minute detail.” The brothers have not gone unrecognized for their accomplishments in the fitness industry. Their accolades within the Gold’s Gym family have included 2009 Franchise of the Year, 2010 Best Personal Training Program for their Downtown location and the 2011 Best U.S Gold’s Gym. When looking for a new location, Willy Baños said he and his brother evaluate the demographics surrounding the location. “We prefer the average household income be around $75,000 and that there be a fairly large population within a three mile radius,” he said. Baños said he and his brother research the various communities in which their businesses are located and distribute questionnaires to get an idea of what their clients want. “We identify what the community needs are, and that is how we strategically build a club,” Baños said. “We are not a cookie cutter club.” Although they’d rather not be in close proximity to any competitors, Baños said that has not stopped them in the past, and it will not affect future business endeavors. Snow said the brothers are “deep thinkers” who understand that to compete and expand in one of the most difficult markets in the industry, gym owners have to offer customers a unique experience in terms of products, service and classes. Terry Moser, a Thousand Oaks resident and long-time member of Gold’s Gym, said the brothers have treated him more like a friend than a client — which keeps him coming back. He said the gyms also have been updated since the brothers started their first gym franchise in1988. “The first gym they opened was not like they are today,” Moser said. “It was mostly weights and treadmills.” Future Gold’s Gym Los Angeles franchises will follow the updated prototype the brothers developed in 1999, which aims to be more of a full-service health club. Amenities include everything from pool towel service, child care, a tanning center and juice shop, Willy Baños said. It also features updated equipment and workout rooms. “They have movie theater cardio rooms,” Moser said. The Cardio Cinema allows members to watch a movie on a big screen television while using the cardio machine of their choice. “At first I thought they were crazy, but now I love it,” Moser said of the Cardio Cinema. The amenity is not available in all of the Baños brothers’ current locations, but will be featured in all future projects, the company said.