Dustin Edge, owner of EDGEFiT, Edge Body Boot Camp and Iron Edge Gym, just received the drawings for his new business, Owensboro Athletic Club (OAC), and he said he’s excited to consolidate all three of his businesses under one roof at a new, 38,000 square-foot location, which he hopes to open by Feb. 1.
OAC will be located at the former Big Lots at 4610 Frederica Street, just a few doors down from EDGEFiT’s current location.
According to Edge, consolidating his current businesses to form OAC will give members a hybrid system of working out that will benefit everyone involved. By bringing Edge Body Boot Camp to the same location as Iron Edge and EDGEFit, members can get more out of their workouts without having to travel to different locations across town.
Each member will have access to showers, more cardio and strength equipment, a boulder rock climbing area, infrared saunas, an outdoor workout area, a bigger childcare room, a pro shop, tanning, a full service locker room, hydro massages and a cardio cinema room, which allows members to watch movies as they exercise.
“I wanted to do something almost no other health club has done in the nation — to bring together a boutique-style gym where members are more like a fitness family that forms a strong unity with each other that helps drive motivation and accountability,” Edge said. “In return, this brings a staggering increase in the amount of people getting results, and I wanted to combine it with the high-end services you find inside of a big box gym like OAC will have.”
Edge said his current businesses have always been about giving back to Owensboro, and the formulation of OAC just highlights his intent to help the community.
“Edge started out in giving back to the community,” he said. “I liked the name Owensboro Athletic Club back in the day. This name would clarify that message of giving back.”
Edge has inspired members to give back by selecting local charities to donate to through workouts. “Charity challenges,” as he calls them, involve member check-ins that see a portion of membership funds go toward select charities. At EDGEFiT, five cents is donated for every check-in, while 25 cents per check-in is donated from Edge Body Boot Camp. On Saturdays, Edge encourages members to bring canned food to donate to local food pantries across town.
In all, Edge’s gyms have raised $55,000 total for different charities, as well as 2,000 meals a month that are donated to St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter through Saturday boot camp sessions.
“Our mission as a local company is not to see how much money we can make by the end of each year, but the amount of people we can have a positive impact on by changing peoples’ lives through health and fitness and raising money and awareness to people and groups in need.”
Another aspect of the relocation that excites Edge is that Gracie Owensboro, an all-inclusive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu facility, will be relocating their services to OAC. Currently located at 1601 Triplett Street, Gracie Owensboro had quadrupled its membership numbers over the last three years, bringing their clientele from 30 to 120 since 2016.
“That’s huge,” Edge said of his partnership with Gracie Owensboro’s owner Josh Hayden. “The partnership with them allowed this to happen.”
All current memberships with EDGEFiT, Edge Body Boot Camp and Iron Edge will transfer to the new facility. Even more, anyone wishing to join OAC before the new location opens can do so free until Feb. 1, 2020, after which memberships will cost $19.95 down and $10 a month.
OAC will have 24/7 access and Edge said, based on encouraging pre-sale numbers, he expects another 1,000-plus members to join OAC before the doors to the new facility even open.
