Getting in shape has never been easier in Centre Wellington. Whether you are looking to just maintain an activity level, or achieve your fitness goals – ForgeX Athletic Centre in Fergus has you covered.
Opened in 2014 by Michelle Linton, Kelly Linton and Karen Johnson – ForgeX is one of Wellington County’s premiere training companies.
When speaking with one of the owners, Michelle, about how they started ForgeX and why they started it, she said that “owning an athletic training facility is much more than just giving people a place to exercise.”
ForgeX is a leader in the CrossFit community, but isn’t all it is – like our towns, ForgeX is a community within itself. Priding itself on celebrating it’s members (take a peek at their social media,) and giving back to the community it has immersed itself within, ForgeX is definitely a name to know in the fitness realm in Centre-Wellington.
When speaking with owner Kelly about the challenges faced during the pandemic, he emphasized the fact that the fitness and hospitality industries are some of the hardest hit industries – mainly due to the closures of spaces and the restrictions put in place.
When the initial closures happened, they were forced to close their doors – thus resulting in revenue streams literally stopping overnight.
With everything happening, a shift in how they reached their audiences was needed, and in a way a rebrand was needed. Realizing the need for a larger space, especially to accommodate social distancing requirements, ForgeX moved to a new location. In addition, they had to spend thousands on cleaning supplies, reconfigure our space and do many of our workouts outside.
They also had to find innovative ways to bring in revenues when our forced closure resulted in the loss of all of our members.
With all the changes needed, and the pivots to business models that happened, none of that stopped the team at ForgeX from pursuing their goal – to be the premier athletic facility in Wellington County!
The ForgeX team of partners and coaches have demonstrated resilience in the face of very difficult circumstances. The experience they offer our members is better than it has ever been. The new facility is amazing (you could eat off the floor – as Kelly said), the programming is second to none and the coaches rock.
When asked why they continued to do business in Centre Wellington this is what he had to say;
CW is a great place to do business because when you provide excellent services in a small town like this, word gets around. People who enjoy ForgeX do much of our marketing and promotion!
With an answer like that, it’s no surprise that supporting local is at the forefront for all they do over at ForgeX.
With one last question, and perhaps the most impactful, we asked Michelle if she could describe the community in which she does business ;
This Town is resilient. As a community, we will emerge from COVID, and we will come back stronger and more amazing than ever, and we’ll help each other along the way.
Because that is just the way we do things around here.
To learn more about the facilities or classes at ForgeX, visit their website.
You can also find them on social media – check them out on Facebook or Instagram!