Real Estate, Site Selection & Construction

Site Selection Process

Iron Tribe Fitness has created a Development Manual that will assist and guide owners through the site selection, and the build out process. This manual is to ensure the integrity of the Iron Tribe brand and for the benefit of the entire franchise and member community.

Real estate site selection will be one of the first tasks that we work on together once you are awarded a license(s). Iron Tribe has enlisted the assistance of a national broker to work with owners in identifying the best location. Your broker will assist you with identifying locations, demographic analysis, submitting Letter of Intents (LOI), and lease negotiations.

The Commercial Real Estate services offered to our Franchise Partners were designed to take the guesswork out of a potentially confusing and intimidating task of securing the correct site to do business.

You know the saying, when it comes to real estate – “location is everything”. We will do our due diligence and work hard to identify the ideal and most economical location for your Iron Tribe franchise business.

Our team understands your needs when it comes to strategically managing your location decisions; you need solutions that address multiple location factors, such as labor, logistics, economic incentives and your customers. We have developed a systematic process that produces highly replicable results that are consistently accurate and uncover the most important factors that influence initial and ongoing business success.

Site selection considerations will begin immediately following the execution of the Franchise Agreement. The process includes the following steps:

  • Evaluate communities

  • Create a short list of approved communities based upon our specific site criteria

  • Identify real estate sites within each community

  • Real estate analysis

  • Negotiate incentives

  • Site acquisition

  • Great care should be given to gym deployment research and subsequent gym placement based on solid findings. Proper gym placement can fuel success.

Ideal Demographics

  • Household Income – $75,000 average income or greater

  • Homes with a market value of $300,000 or greater

  • Density through overall population

  • Median age – 45

Site Sélection Parameters

  • Space Size: 3,000-4,000 square feet

  • Neighborhood Shopping Centers

  • Flex Space

  • Iron Tribe Fitness is a destination driven business. A large high-traffic center is not always the best option

  • Ideal co-tenants include: Restaurants, Physical Therapists, Starbucks

  • Safe running route for outdoor exercises

As more and more friends begged to come and join his garage gym, Forrest began to dream about what it would look like to start a brand-new concept that would take his team-based, group workouts to the next level and allow more lives to be impacted.

The first official Iron Tribe location opened in February of 2010. The response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. In fact, the 250 membership cap was reached in under 8 months with a growing waiting list. That location has operated at max capacity since September of 2010 eventually moving across the street and expanding the location to serve 300 clients.

The third location, ITF Downtown (located in the heart of Birmingham city proper), opened in March of 2012 and has also experienced tremendous success. In fact, it has grown faster than any other ITF location to date. The corporate office is, in fact, next door, and corporate team members can walk over at any point to engage clients in conversation, work with a team member on a new system or just grab a workout in one of the classes!

The very next month after the Downtown gym opened, ITF Mountain Brook, AL opened up its doors as the fourth location. Following the lead of the three other locations, this location grew quickly and is routinely in the top 10 locations in the brand every year.

Design and Construction

  1. PRE-CONSTRUCTION

    The architect will draft an AutoCad layout using the information supplied by the real estate team and survey data. This AutoCad plan will reflect the specific layout of the various zones to include the merchandise area, common area kitchen/break room, restrooms, storage closets, fitness equipment flow, etc. all designed to maximize the space and ensure design compliance.

  2. ARCHITECTURAL PLANS

    Upon approval of the preliminary plan, the architect will draft the final, engineered, stamped, working construction plans ready for permitting and bid solicitation. The architecture firm that we recommend can provide stamps for any of the 50 states. They are well versed in construction and knows our brand’s specific needs as well as local permitting and ADA compliance requirements.

  3. CONTRACTOR BID SOLICITATION, SELECTION AND PAYMENT STRUCTURE

    Parallel to the permitting process, your project manager will solicit construction bids from multiple licensed and qualified contractors. Some contractors might be local, regional or national. We will take the advice from landlords as well as you the franchisee who may have a relative ‘in-the-business’. Your Project Managers will review all bids for completeness, accuracy and that all contractors are making an ‘apples-to- apples’ comparison. Any potential contractor must also show that they are financially qualified with experience in commercial construction and sign a non-compete, non-disclosure agreement. We will avoid the low-ball contractors who bid low only to assess significant hidden up-charges and change orders. After negotiating and selecting the most qualified and best fit General Contractor for the given project – you will retain and hire the contractor.

  4. FURNITURE, FIXTURES & EQUIPMENT

    Iron Tribe has vetted and secured vendors to supply the interior gym opening elements that makes financial and logistical sense within the program. This ensures quality, brand consistency, functionality and a standardized cost structure across all locations. Vendors will deliver these items at the appropriate time in the construction cycle and coordinate installation.

  5. COMMUNICATION

    Your Project Manager will engage you early on and guide you through the whole development process. They often communicate with you, architects, general contractors and Iron Tribe corporate on a daily basis, or as needed but will also schedule a formal bi-monthly progress conference call.

Is building a fitness business so simple that anyone with passion for it can accomplish it on their own? We think not. The roadblocks and learning curve is intense. There are many opportunities to get sidetracked and make mistakes. Instead, the Iron Tribe team of experts who are involved every step of the way.

As more and more friends begged to come and join his garage gym, Forrest began to dream about what it would look like to start a brand-new concept that would take his team-based, group workouts to the next level and allow more lives to be impacted.

The first official Iron Tribe location opened in February of 2010. The response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. In fact, the 250 membership cap was reached in under 8 months with a growing waiting list. That location has operated at max capacity since September of 2010 eventually moving across the street and expanding the location to serve 300 clients.

The third location, ITF Downtown (located in the heart of Birmingham city proper), opened in March of 2012 and has also experienced tremendous success. In fact, it has grown faster than any other ITF location to date. The corporate office is, in fact, next door, and corporate team members can walk over at any point to engage clients in conversation, work with a team member on a new system or just grab a workout in one of the classes!

The very next month after the Downtown gym opened, ITF Mountain Brook, AL opened up its doors as the fourth location. Following the lead of the three other locations, this location grew quickly and is routinely in the top 10 locations in the brand every year.