AUGUSTA — Gina LoMonaco always has had a passion for fitness and training and the fitness industry. So she quit her job three years ago in hope of starting her own business.

Over the last few years, GEvolution Fitness in Augusta has grown to more than 100 members and is relocating from its space on Water Street in downtown Augusta to a new 6,000-square-foot facility off Western Avenue. LoMonaco said the move is a “game changer.”

“In the old location, we’d have to put a cap on ourselves because we didn’t have the space to offer certain things or to host events or competitions,” LoMonaco said Friday in her office at the old location, at 190 Water St. “This move opens the door to hosting larger-scale clinics, athlete training and all the things we don’t have the space for in here.”

The new location, at 16 Edison Drive in Augusta, across the street from Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, has nearly double the space of the old facility, including cement floors and high ceilings. LoMonaco said the business no longer will be stifled by the lack of floor space and will be able to do heavy lifting and strongman training. She also plans to hang ropes and rings from the ceilings for additional training programs.

“The overall service we are going to provide to our athletes or whoever is going through the roof,” said LoMonaco, a native of New York and a three-time Big East Conference champion in the discus while at St. John’s University in Queens. “We can invite more people to be involved in this community, and that is exciting.”

LoMonaco, 39, owns and operates the gym with her husband, Rick Mansir, who grew up in Monmouth. Mansir never doubted his wife’s ability to be successful when she told him of her plans to quit her job. A few months after that, LoMonaco asked him to quit his job, and the GEvolution business took off.

Advertisement

This move, they said, is the culmination of the hard work they’ve put into building the business — what they’d rather call their community.

“Being able to offer more to people and having the space to provide for the community is what it’s all about,” LoMonaco said. “In my mind, there’s really nothing we can’t do (at the new facility). It has everything we need.”

The couple plans to use all of their existing equipment to fill the new gym’s larger space and spent money only on buying new mats. LoMonaco said that once they’ve gotten a feel for the new layout and workout possibilities, they may decide to upgrade or add to the equipment.

Mansir, 29, and his wife have been joined by friends, family and team members throughout the last several weeks and especially Saturday as they’ve packed up skidder tires, weightlifting bars, sleds and other equipment and driven the 2.6 miles to the new location. LoMonaco had been dropping hints to members since April and could sense a growing anticipation to what the future held for GEvolution Fitness.

“Everybody has been so excited to move forward, and I know that everybody feels like a part of this next chapter,” she said. “It’s not a generic business move. It’s a community moving forward together.”

One look at the new facility and you can understand LoMonaco’s excitement.

Advertisement

“When we’re done, you’ll be wrapped in inspirational words and messages on the walls,” she said. However, there probably won’t be any messages from her brother Mark LoMonaco, better known as professional wrestling legend Bubba Ray Dudley. LoMonaco considers her brother one of her inspirations, and his birthday is the inspiration behind the “714” tattoo on her left wrist, just above the names of her late parents.

“I couldn’t be more proud to be of my parents and be related to my brother,” LoMonaco said in the cavernous space of the new facility Saturday afternoon. “They completely guide me and support me.”

The couple’s lease was going to be up in March, so the timing for moving into a new gym couldn’t have been better, they said. Because of the noise generated by all the training at the gym, people who lived on the third floor of the building complained to their landlord enough to force a conversation between LoMonaco and the building owner, Jason Gall.

“I wasn’t scared about (our landlord) bringing up the noise and moving us, because I knew there were new chapters beginning for us,” LoMonaco said. “I felt a lot of support, and we’ve always had a good business relationship with the Gall family.”

Moving to a new building owned by the same landlord who owned their old gym made for a seamless transition rather than a stressful situation made even more stressful because of a change to a different property manager.

Three years ago, LoMonaco never saw this coming, but she was working somewhere and didn’t feel fulfilled. She said her best days at her old job were when she was coaching or helping her staff through a challenge.

Advertisement

“I watched a YouTube video from a college classmate of mine and famous trainer about getting out of the rat race and following your passion,” she said. “I watched the video on a Saturday and resigned from my job the next Tuesday.”

LoMonaco said she has a love for the industry and for empowering people, especially women, and she is excited for what she calls GEvolution 2.0.

“It’s a complete energy and community that’s moving forward together,” she said. “We very much believe in everybody here.”

LoMonaco, Mansir, their coaches and team members believe in empowering each other, embracing their true selves, evolving on their journey and emerging in greatness, she said. As the gym’s community has grown, so has LoMonaco and Mansir’s partnership. They’ve been married more than four years and have a 4-year-old son, Ricky, nicknamed “Rickzilla” by LoMonaco’s brother.

“We’ve evolved and grown as a team, and I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else.”

Jason Pafundi — 621-5663

jpafundi@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.