Eugene-based startup Roam Fitness working to put fitness gyms in airport terminals after security

A Eugene-based startup that claims to operate the only fitness gym located after the security checkpoint in a U.S. airport is working to expand to more airports this year.

Roam Fitness opened its first site in January at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport. The gym enables travelers to stay active and use their time more productively before flights and during layovers, the company said.

Instead of sitting and waiting in the terminal, travelers can stretch, work out with cardio equipment, lift weights, and shower — all without worrying whether they’ll have time to clear airport security and reach their gate, the company said.

Other companies are jumping on the airport fitness bandwagon.

London-based FlyFit recently announced plans to open this fall a fitness and wellness studio, with cardio and yoga classes, in a terminal after security at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Airports in Detroit, Miami, Tampa, Las Vegas and Toronto have fitness facilities, but some are in airport hotels, and none are after security checkpoints, said Ty Manegold, who co-founded Roam Fitness with Cynthia Sandall in 2015, while both were earning their MBAs at the University of Oregon.

Manegold, whose name rhymes with "manifold," said he welcomes competition because as more airport gyms become visible, the more consumers will expect them and seek them out.

What sets Roam Fitness apart from other operators is that it has been working on this concept for years, patiently building relationships with airports and other partners, such as athletic apparel companies, hotel chains, fitness gyms outside of airports, and airlines, Manegold said.

"If someone decided to compete right now with us we have a four-year head start on them," he said.

Travelers are catered to in Roam Fitness gyms, Manegold said. They can stash their luggage and charge their electronic devices in the gym’s lockers. They can rent or buy Brooks shoes and Lululemon workout gear. If they use their own clothes, staff will vacuum seal the dirty clothes to contain odors.

"Cultivating the next spot"

Roam Fitness has been well-received in Baltimore. Now it needs to get into more airports, Manegold said. "We’re actively working on cultivating the next spot," he said. "We’ve had other lease offers from the top five U.S. airports and international airports, but capital is our biggest challenge."

He did not disclose the other airports the company is talking with.

"We’re sitting on a phenomenal opportunity to launch three (sites) in the next year, and 20 in the next five years, but we need the capital," Manegold said.

Roam Fitness has raised $1.7 million to date from friends, family members, angel investors and two Oregon-based institutional funds, including $50,000 from the Coast to Crest Fund, a recently founded investment fund focused on early-stage Lane County companies.

The cost to build each 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot leased Roam Fitness gym is $500,000 to $1.5 million, Manegold said.

"My role is to try to solve the capital question," he said during a recent stop in Eugene. He has been criss-crossing the country lately, meeting with airport officials.

"We’re still working with a lot of our Eugene contacts to find that cash, whether it’s angel investors, small-scale VCs (venture capitalists) and venture arms of established companies that have something to gain by partnering with (Roam Fitness)," Manegold said. "We’re chatting with all of them. It’s progressing."

Although Roam Fitness could be based anywhere, Manegold and Sandall have kept it firmly planted in Eugene. When in town, the founders use co-working space at the nonprofit Fertilab business incubator, on West Seventh Avenue, across from the Hult Center.

"It’s important we’re keeping our Eugene roots," Manegold said. "The Eugene startup community has been phenomenal. Eugene doesn’t have all the resources in the world, or the deepest pockets, but it has a giving heart and great access to what’s available."

Manegold, 33, and Sandall, 29, hatched their business idea while attending the UO’s Lundquist College of Business, where they benefited from advice from professors and other mentors.

Joe Maruschak, who was mentoring other students in the UO’s New Venture Championship when he meet Manegold, said he was impressed by Manegold’s resolve and tenacity.

Maruschak has been an unofficial advisor to Roam Fitness.

"He’s bold but not arrogant," Maruschak said of Manegold. "He’s unafraid, particularly with an idea like this. It’s big. It’s so big it scares people. A lot of people would dismiss this as an unachievable dream." To know more about it please visit site security in london

I am content writer for long time. I have experience 5 years.