Fitness founder revamps Genoa Township gym, plans expansion
Howell — Tyler Koronich grew up in Howell and opened his first TRVFIT Fitness gym there in 2013 when he was in his early 20s.
The company now has 16 locations, including 15 in Michigan and one in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Koronich, now 32, said the company will continue to expand in the coming years, the Livingston Daily Press & Argus reports.
A few weeks ago, he reacquired a 9,000-square-foot gym in Genoa Township from a franchisee. He said he’s making some improvements to the space, adding fitness programs and getting new workout and boxing equipment.
The gym features four workout spaces. They offer group classes, semi-private training and nutrition.
He said he recently moved back to Howell after living in Detroit for several years and wants to give back to the Livingston County community who supported his dream from its humble beginnings.
“My inspiration is that we started with a 1,000-square-foot gym in Howell and it was the community who helped us. It’s kind of a pay-it-forward kind of thing.”
The gym will support people recovering from addiction by comping memberships. He also plans to partner with nonprofits, junior sports leagues and other organizations to give back.
Koronich said mixed martial arts and other combat sports got him into fitness when he was young.
He started out as a personal trainer and worked for big box gyms before founding TRVFIT Fitness.
Within a few months, they had outgrown their original gym and moved into a larger 3,000-square-foot space in Howell.
Then they outgrew that space and moved to the 9,000-square-foot Genoa Township location.
More TRVFIT Fitness locations opened shortly after the company’s founding. The second is in South Lyon.
There are several TRVFIT locations in Livingston County, including Koronich’s Genoa Township location and other franchise locations in Hartland, Pinckney and Fowlerville.
“I was partnering for the first four or five, and then we started franchising,” Koronich said.
He currently owns three of the locations with partners. He also owns gyms in Berkley and Plymouth. The rest are franchise locations.
He said 2019 was their biggest year for expansion when eight new locations opened.
“In the next year, there are five new pending locations and we have a minimal goal of 15 more.”
He said early next year he will actively market to potential franchisees in Michigan and other states.
At its height, there were 20 locations operating at the same time. A few have closed or rebranded.
During COVID-19 shutdowns, the gym offered programs online on demand. Those materials are still available to purchase as a package.
“We have a bunch of space upgrades and new equipment coming,” Koronich said of his plans for the Genoa Township expansion.
Two spaces on the ground level house weighs, workout equipment and space for group classes and training.
One of two spaces in the basement is for yoga, barre and Pilates. Koronich calls it the “mind-body” room.
The basement also features a boxing training area with punching bags. Koronich plans to keep the room dark an illuminate it with colored party lights.
“I’ve found the darkness makes people more comfortable when they are just learning how to box and sometimes worry what they look like.”
He said the boxing equipment will be revamped, too.
“We have a bunch of custom (punching) bags coming. We’re doing a mural. This room will be totally redone.”
He said while fitness training is the most popular, he hopes to grow the boxing side of the gym.
“Functional training is popular, but I want boxing to be as big.”
He’s also planning to open a pro shop upstairs, which will sell the gym’s own line of supplements, boxing gloves and other retail items.
Looking into the future, Koronich envisions the company will continue grow and add locations.
“It’s about scaling the right way, whether we open more headquarters (corporate-owned locations) or franchises. We have a lot of potential plans for expansion or relocation.”