Bill Iovino always wanted to open a gym. He worked in a gym when he was 17 years old as a floor boy, cleaning equipment and doing special projects.
He said he always worked out, especially because he had to keep in shape during his military career. Iovino retired in 2008 as an Army master sergeant after almost 20 years with the U.S. Army Reserve. He had been called to active duty from 2005 to January 2008 as an instructor at Fort Dix training soldiers in tactical operations, but served stateside during his entire military career.
He started his own landscaping business basically when he was 12 years old, asking his father for a push mower as his eighth-grade graduation present. He cut lawns throughout his college years, an enterprise that ultimately developed into Iovino’s Landscaping, which offers full lawn and grounds maintenance for residences and commercial establishments, including full landscape design and installation with a specialty in ponds and waterfalls, as well as snow plowing, throughout Middlesex County.
All of this physical activity led Iovino, 37, of Monroe, to go back to a business plan he created in college based on a gym. He said the appeal of a gym is its social nature.
“In the back of my mind I always knew, or thought, I would open a gym. I just didn’t know when,” he said.
That time came when he finished his active military duty and was looking for a place
work out. He had tried other gyms but didn’t care for them too much, and instead became interested in Retro after receiving a flier.
“When I joined, I just loved the atmosphere.… The colors are bright and vivacious.
just puts you in a good mood when you’re
at a Retro gym]. … It’s a very lively and hip gym, you could say.”
PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Top: Workout machines cover the main floor at Retro Fitness in North Brunswick. Left: Paul Gill, 19, of North Brunswick, really pushes himself during a workout on Monday. Above: Owner Bill Iovino (c) and staff members Lauren Sutkowski (l) and Deziree Dimeeglio greet new members on Monday. While working out, Iovino said it “just hit me” that this was what he had wanted to do for a long time, so he began inquiring about franchising opportunities and wrote up a business plan.
He took another look at his college project, which he had done as part of the requirements to receive his degree in business management from Rutgers University School of Business. He realized it was very similar
the Retro Fitness plan he formulated.
Realizing that being a manager at a major toy retailer wasn’t satisfying enough after college, he was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of his father and his mother’s significant other and took the challenge to begin his own businesses: his old landscaping one and his new physical fitness endeavor.
Living in North Brunswick most of his life, having been a newspaper delivery boy there, and having run for Township Council at the age of 22, Iovino said it was a clear choice to build his business in North Brunswick.
“There are a lot of ties for me in North Brunswick,” he said.
Construction began in February 2008, he got married in June 2008, and he opened the gym that September.
“It’s starting to grow, and I’m really starting to see the benefit of our hard work. With the tough economy it was a real gamble to put everything on the line for this place, but I really feel it will be worth it,” Iovino said.
Besides the 1980s theme that is unique to Retro Fitness, so is a movie theater room that holds about 25 pieces of cardio equipment while a movie of the day plays.
The gym also has a main equipment floor; a free-weight area; an abdominal and stretching area; an upstairs mezzanine with bikes, ellipticals, treadmills and steppers that each have a personal television screen; and a boxing area.
Iovino said there are no aerobics, no classes and no pool, but a Fit Fast class offered by trainers acclimates clients to the machines and exercises.
“By far we probably have more equipment than any other gym around. And you never have to wait for any of the cardio equipment,” the sole proprietor said.
Also available are personal training, tanning, massage therapy, a juice bar and child-care services.
Retro also sells a variety of nutritional supplements and exercise equipment.
Joining a gym is a great idea for those with New Year’s resolutions, Iovino said. “People have put on extra pounds during the holidays and are looking not only to lose those pounds but to lose some of the stress of the holidays.”
He said the brightness of the atmosphere and the large windows and skylights make people want to come work out.
“It really changes your attitude about wanting to work out and wanting to feel good,” he said.
For those gym-goers who are looking to refresh their workouts, Iovino said it’s important to exercise year-round because “it makes your body feel good. … It’s very important to be healthy and be fit.
“If they get their foot in the door and work out a few times, it becomes like a habit and becomes an enjoyable habit because you’re not only reaping the benefits by feeling good and by looking good, but it is just the right thing to do for your body,” he said.
Retro Fitness is located at 222-223 North Center Drive, off Commerce Boulevard. The gym is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends.
Membership rates are stable at $19.95 per month, lifetime guaranteed, and membership is good at any Retro Fitness location.
Fore more information call 732-297-5213 or visit www.RetroFitness.net.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.