Gym Source

Overview

Gym Source is the United States' largest distributor of fitness equipment. Opened in 1937 as Cutler Owens Sporting Goods in Midtown Manhattan, Richard Miller purchased the company in 1978, renaming it Gym Source. The privately held company employs about 300 people in 10 states and operates through seven distribution centers. As a fitness equipment retailer, Gym Source serves customers in all 50 states and 47 countries. As of 2014, the firm serves more than 300,000 customers internationally and has made nearly 2 million deliveries, making it the largest fitness equipment distributor in the United States.

Brands

Gym Source major brand includes Balazs Boxing, Bodyguard, Cybex International, FreeCross, FreeMotion, Hampton Fitness, Hoist Equipment, Octane Fitness, Polar USA, Power Plate, Relay Fitness, Schwinn Fitness, Stairmaster, and TRUE Fitness. It has been a Better Business Bureau accredited business since September 13, 1989; currently, every Gym Source store has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

History

In 1937, Al Owens and Murray Cutler founded a sporting goods store called Cutler Owens. They opened their first 900 sq. ft. store in Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. In 1974, Richard Miller joined the company and redirected the store’s focus toward running and tennis gear. By 1977, Cutler Owens was a top-ranked tennis shop, and 20% of New York marathon runners reportedly purchased their shoes from the sporting goods store. In 1978, Richard Miller acquired Cutler Owens and transformed it into a full-service fitness equipment distributor and rebranded the company as Gym Source. In 1979, he moved to bigger location in Midtown in order to accommodate more exercise equipment. In 1985, the company focussed on the commercial arena and by late 1986, it had secured enough business from premium commercial accounts including commercial fitness facilities, college and university fitness centers, and training rooms for professional sports teams. It helped company in to turn out as a leading distributor of fitness equipment. In 1995, Gym Source was the third-largest distributor of Life Fitness equipment in the country. By 2012, the company had nearly $100 million in revenue and gained exclusivity contracts with fitness equipment manufacturers. In 2012, the company's CEO Richard Miller was named a finalist in the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” Program. In the same year Gym Source was named the exclusive East Coast distributor of BILT by Agassi and Reyes athletic training equipment; in 2014, the company was tapped as the exclusive East Coast distributor of the FreeCross outdoor elliptical trainer.