Jace Gordon knew what he wanted in a fitness center if he ever opened one.

High-quality equipment, fitness activity options, and even the layout are all things he’s been considering for a couple of years now. Anytime he visited a new gym or found a piece of equipment he liked, Jace would make a note.

“Family vacations, work, anytime I am in a new location,” he explained. “It has been in the back of my mind for the last seven years.”

The 29-year-old Jasper native had been providing personal training out of his detached garage for a couple of years when he decided to bring his vision for a fitness center to life. One that catered to not only anyone generally interested in fitness and strength but also those athletes seeking to improve their performance.

“I love helping people improve their health from the general aspects of their well-being,” Jace explained.

As he began looking around at spaces to build his vision, he got a call from Anne Mehringer about using a portion of the former Mehringer Plumbing building. When he saw the size of the space, he knew it would work well for what he was attempting to accomplish—a commercial gym with performance and agility training options.

“With a facility like this, anyone could walk in, whether you’re a seasoned bodybuilder or an athlete or a novice lifter just starting out in weights, and you have the ability to do whatever you want in here,” Jace explained.

As a two-sport high school athlete — baseball and basketball — with a bachelor’s of science in kinesiology from IUPUI, Jace is looking forward to not only working with all of the clientele he’s built up over the past few years but also being able to cater to the needs of athletes in the area. With his background, he is passionate about helping athletes improve their sports performance by helping them become bigger, stronger and faster.

“I always thought in the back of my mind that if I did have my own facility one day, it would be nice to incorporate personal training with the team stuff,” he explained.

With an indoor 100-foot turf runway, an expansive array of high-quality new equipment, and 24-hour keycard access, Gordon’s Fitness & Performance is providing a membership model that caters to a wide variety of individuals. And, being in an 8,800-square-foot space means plenty of room for exercising without tripping over other fitness-seeking folks.

Jace plans on providing training at the fitness center, but anyone who comes in and needs some guidance is welcome to ask for some help. One area of the fitness center remains to be developed into a planned group exercise space, and he also would like to bring in more trainers in the future.

“I am excited about the future and serving the community,” he said. “And doing it at a larger scale.”

A grand opening celebration will be held this Saturday, December 16, at 9 a.m. The business is located at 402 McCrillus Street #101, next door to Puzzles and Padlocks.

To sign up for membership, contact Gordon’s Fitness & Performance through Facebook here or call 812-556-0058. A website is under construction at https://gordonfitnessperformance.com.

Jace and his wife, Tori, live in Jasper, and their first child is due in March.