CrossFit Omaha

CrossFit Omaha opened in 2007. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the gym is co-owned by Stacie Tovar, a CrossFit legend who retired from competition after the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games. She shares about the business below.

Business Breakdown:

• Approximately 280 members
• 5,760 square feet
• Average cost of membership is $145 per month.
• 12 staff members — five full-time and seven part-time

Box Pro: Describe your business. What makes your Box unique/stand out from the rest? 

Stacie Tovar: We are proud to be Nebraska’s original CrossFit Affiliate, opening our doors in April of 2007. We are open Monday through Friday at 5 a.m. — 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays — and remain open for 80-plus hours every week.

I am the Head Coach and director of programming. Me and my husband, Dustin, are the exclusive owner-operators of CrossFit Omaha. Since we took over back in 2016, CrossFit Omaha has doubled in membership size and been voted the ‘Best of Omaha’ for four consecutive years. We look forward to continuing this trend in 2020, as we solidify our presence in Omaha and build for the future of fitness. 

BP: How did you get involved in CrossFit? What were your greatest challenges in opening your Box? 

ST: CrossFit Omaha spent its first year of business operating out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s athletics weight room back in 2007. We acquired the business from long-time owner and founder Joe Westerlin in 2016. Coincidentally, Westerlin is a well-known Flow Master for CrossFit HQ’s training courses and did a tremendous job of instilling excellence in coaching into our culture.

The biggest challenge we face every day is the negative stigmas associated with CrossFit. We work hard to overcome these common misconceptions and make it welcoming for everyone at CrossFit Omaha — especially when it comes to our culture and programming, and our ability to scale and modify for any athlete. 

BP: How would you describe yourself as an Affiliate? 

ST: We have athletes from all walks of life that make up our gym community. Our youngest member is 13 years old and our oldest is 73. We wholeheartedly aim to help as many people as we can. We take our fitness seriously but always, no matter what, strive to have fun in the process. We love hosting community social events and outings.

You simply can’t beat our leadership teams’ 35 years of combined experience in the functional fitness space. Dustin and I alone have nearly 25 years of combined involvement. We’ve acquired a wealth of knowledge and expertise over my longstanding competitive career, traveling the world and learning from various fitness and business mentors. We recently invested in a half-million-dollar commercial property with plans to develop and build a new facility in the coming year. 

BP: Who or what do you contribute your success to? 

ST: Our workout plans are designed by an authentic expert in the functional fitness space and our Coaches are always being held to the highest possible standards. We have a vibrant, positive, energetic community of athletes and Coaches who call this place home. We value each and every single one of our members. We want their time spent in our facility to be the best hour of their day regardless of fitness level, impairments or ability. Our mission is to provide our community with the best fitness experience possible, day in and day out.

BP: What is one lesson you have learned that other Affiliates would find beneficial?

ST: You can’t do it all. Take the time to train great Coaches and instill quality systems into your business. Don’t overlook anything. Have a plan for everything, including first aid. Don’t forget about equipment maintenance and safety inspections, which is something we learned the hard way.

Use any and every opportunity you can to show appreciation and gratitude toward your Coaches, staff members and community.

BP: What is one program you do exceptionally well? Why?

ST: When it comes to functional fitness and coaching with passion and enthusiasm, we can do it all and we do it very well. Our most popular offering is CrossFit, but we’re also very proud of our other in-house programs: Go Fit, Big O Barbell, Core Body and Go Far Nutrition. These are all programs that started from the ground up and have now reached a great deal of people. 

We also get the privilege of working with adaptive athletes for 12 hours every week through our corporate partnership with QLI, a nonprofit that offers rehabilitation and care for those with brain injury, spinal cord injury or other severe physical disabilities. We’ve been working with adaptive athletes for many years now at CrossFit Omaha and most of our staff has participated in CrossFit’s Adaptive Training course.

If able, please list the companies that you work closest with in the following areas:

• Equipment: We have 16 Concept 2 rowers, 13 Assault Bikes and a plethora of other equipment. We don’t rely on one manufacturer but do find ourselves shopping on the Rogue Fitness website quite a bit.
• Software: Wodify has been our go-to software platform for memberships, point of sale and merchandising, and programming and whiteboard access. We use the Wodify Rise platform for our quarterly nutrition challenges.
• Profit centers: CrossFit Omaha’s pro shop, located at 8938 L Street, offers a wide variety of nutrition products, supplements and health food/beverage options. Our storefront is open to members, non-members and the general public during CrossFit Omaha’s regular business hours. We proudly carry the following brands and products in our CrossFit Omaha Retail Store: CrossFit Omaha apparel, DNX Bar, Fuel For Fire, Goat Tape, JUNK Brands, Kill Cliff, Perfect Bar, Progenex, Puori and Steve’s PaleoGoods. You can also shop online for CrossFit Omaha apparel, Open For Fitness signs and Go Far Fitness remote programs, or use code “Tovar” for 10% off your next purchase at progenexusa.com.
• Functional accessories: Functional products and brands recommended by CrossFit Omaha and me are Progenex, Ice Age Meals, Precision Nutrition, Reebok, ROMWOD and Rx Smart Gear.