Case Study: J Street Gym
Entegrity Smart minimizes staff while maximizing hours of operation.
The Customer
The J Street Gym was opened in October 2018 in Bentonville, Arkansas with the goal of being a world class gym for serious lifters. The gym’s more than 500 members have access to premium weightlifting equipment, as well a wide array of group fitness classes, saunas and an indoor pool, every day from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., including holidays.
The Challenge
J Street Gym’s three co-owners, who all have other full-time jobs, knew they wanted their gym to be open to its members when other gyms were closed. The old building where the J Street Gym is located is expensive to maintain, however, leaving little money for staffing, and its front door had a traditional lock which required physical keys for access. According to co-owner Brian Kelly, “We knew from the beginning that there was no way we could afford to have staff on-site at all times and that we needed a more modern, convenient and secure access solution than providing members with keys.”
“Being able to remain open when other gyms have to close gives us a competitive advantage.”
Brian Kelly
The Solution
Brian began researching access options. He learned that solutions with barcode cards were often recommended to gym owners, but also that the cards are easily shared and that it is simple to scan or photocopy codes, potentially giving access to countless unauthorized users.
Brian comments, “I quickly knew that barcode cards were really not a secure solution, plus every time a new member would join, I would have to find a way to get a card to them.”
He continues, “When searching for solutions online, I came across a YouTube video from Entegrity Smart and was immediately intrigued. My only hesitancy was whether or not all of our members (who can be singles, couples or families) would have smartphones, but I soon found out that it wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, they adopted it very easily and appreciate its convenience.”
J Street Gym installed an Entegrity Smart door/gate controller on its front door, and all new members were instructed to download the app as part of the membership process. They love it so much that J Street promoted the convenience of Entegrity Smart on its website’s homepage. Brian explains, “Being able to remain open when other gyms have to close gives us a competitive advantage, and Entegrity Smart makes it possible.”
Entegrity Smart also allows Brian to grant full access to new members and instructors at anytime from anywhere, and to easily give limited access to trial members and members without contracts who may be using the gym temporarily. In addition, although all users typically get 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. access every day, Entegrity Smart offers the flexibility to grant 24/7 access to individuals, if necessary. Smartkeys can also be easily revoked as contracts expire or when members fail to pay.
“Entegrity Smart helps us to minimize our staffing needs, which saves us money, and makes it convenient for me to make sure only current members and those we’ve given special access to are using the gym,” Brian says. “I’m really surprised that not more gyms are using this type of software.”