Powerhouse Gym Bulks Up

“A former competitive powerlifter turned businessman used his skills of endurance, strength and discipline to launch a gym of his own, catering to hard-core lifters as well as the typical gym-goer looking to get in a cardio workout. After more than a decade as a competitive powerlifter - hauling up as much as 585 pounds - Alvin Paguio and his wife, Keri, a physical therapist by trade, started Powerhouse Gym on Keawe Street. The couple opened the more than 22,000-square-foot gym in July 2007 and last month inherited in excess of 1,500 members as part of an agreement with Gold's Gym, which closed a few blocks away on Aug. 31. Powerhouse Gym now has about 3,500 total members. The deal, valued at between $39,175 and $54,845 based on fees of $25 to $35 month, changed the game for the mom-and-pop operation, which suddenly became a larger player in the local fitness market. ‘We actually took a risk starting from pretty much dirt level and we're going to bring this thing up into a big business,’ Alvin said.”

http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20081026_Powerhouse_Gym_bulks_up.html