Today we’d like to introduce you to David Romo.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The story involves four individuals, all four Veterans from the armed forces who were united after retirement through the sport Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My name is David Romo, an Air Force Reserves, Lt Col Reitred. I am one of the owners, along with my wife who is also a retired Air Force veteran. Our partners are Michael and Ellie Kolek, another couple who served with the U.S. Marines and the Army. We met Michael and Ellie through Gracie Barra West Fort Worth. My wife and I are also owners of this school and Michael volunteered to assist coaching one of the most successful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu kids program in the city of Fort Worth. Our school has done various outreach programs in the city or Fort Worth, supporting the FWISD, the Fort Worth Hispanic of Chamber, and much more. Michael enjoyed the way our school was giving back to the community and invited us to partner up to revive a beloved gym that had closed in North Fort Worth. Blink Finess, a corporate owned franchise, closed most of its locations due to bankruptcy. After conducting research we found out that the community loved this particular gym and location, so we decided to put our heads together to revive this old gem. After months of hard work, renovating bathrooms and our child care center, repairing of equipment, rebranding, and updating all the software systems, we officially launched AT Fitness on April 21st, 2025. Our gym has been slowly regaining its old members and it’s on path to becoming one of the areas favorite gym once again.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With a limited budget and a self funded initiative, our team has faced many obstacles. We have tried to get a business loan, despite our excellent credit, we have been turned down by several banks repeatedly. We have been resilient and continue to believe that this dream of ours will eventually become a profitable venture. We are still not funded, but every month we show an 18% increase in memberships and a healthy revenue growth.
Other struggles stem from having a learning curve in the gym industry, developing a strong relationship with our partners, which hasn’t been free of disagreements, but at the end of the day, as the professionals that we are, we have learned to trust and carry the flag pole as one team.
As you know, we’re big fans of AT Fitness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Our gym is a full stocked, 12,000 sq ft facility that offers traditional gym memberships, group fitness, and personal training.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Having a vision and not letting go. Also, having resilience to disappointments, every time there’s rejection we find a way to prove the naysayers wrong, and so far our vision, commitment, and ability to stick to our plan has become the keystone of this partnership. I believe the military gave us four the skills necessary to maneuver through most of the struggles we have faced individually, and as a team.
Pricing:
- Monthly Membership $24.99 (no contracts)
- Annual Fee $35
- Add on Unlimited Group fitness: $10 (monthly)
- Add on Child care: $15 second Child: :10 (monthly)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atfitnessTX.com
- Instagram: @ATFITNESS_TX
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Yw6P29uwB/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Left to right, David Romo, Ramona Romo, Michael Kolek, and Ellie Kolek.
