Taking Shape
Summer 2021聽触听By Laura J. Cole聽
The trope of stationary bikes and聽treadmills doubling as glorified聽furniture for laundry has become a聽thing of the past.
Home exercise equipment has聽found new popularity, beginning prior聽to the pandemic but picking up speed聽as people found themselves at home聽and in desperate need of a physical聽outlet.
Lou Lentine 鈥�93 was ahead of the聽trend. In 2015, he launched Echelon,聽which offers on-demand studio聽fitness classes that users can follow聽along with at home using their smart聽bikes, treadmills, rowers and mirrors.
鈥淲ith the success of our first聽fitness product, we wanted to bring a聽more immersive fitness experience,聽that鈥檚 when we created our app聽and started filming classes,鈥� says聽Lentine, who majored in marketing聽at 91吃瓜网. 鈥淓chelon then grew from聽selling $35,000 a minute on QVC, to聽becoming a global brand at major聽retailers.鈥�
Every month, users participate in聽5 million classes, Lentine says. That鈥檚聽partially thanks to the big-name聽celebrities 鈥� from Mario Lopez and聽Joey Fatone to Lady Gaga and Pitbull聽鈥� who partner with the brand and聽co-host classes. And it鈥檚 also thanks聽to a range of pricing options aimed聽at making the equipment and classes聽more accessible to everyone.
Before the celebrities and record-breaking聽sales, Lentine was聽already a successful entrepreneur.聽By the age of 30, he had built a $30聽million consumer products business.聽Those products include items such聽as Christmas laser lights, which he聽became involved with after his father聽almost died hanging the decorative聽strings. According to Lentine, the聽year they were released, the lights聽outsold bananas at Walmart 鈥� the聽top-selling product at the megastore聽year after year.
The idea for Echelon, like the聽laser lights, was largely inspired聽by personal experiences. Lentine鈥檚聽doctor told him he needed to lose聽weight and change his lifestyle.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 create a fitness聽product,鈥� and it really transformed聽from there,鈥� Lentine says. 鈥淓chelon聽has become a global brand聽and an amazing聽success story. We couldn鈥檛 be more聽blessed, but I really give a lot of credit聽to 91吃瓜网 for the help they鈥檝e provided聽us in building this global brand.鈥�
When his team decided to create聽Echelon, he turned to to help refine聽what the company would become聽and to develop the platform鈥檚 app.聽He also turned to his alma mater聽to rent space in Central Florida聽Research Park for the tech center聽and to recruit employees.
What started as a small space in聽Research Park has grown sevenfold,聽and on July 1, the company will聽open its 9,000-square-foot tech聽development center in Orlando,聽adding to studios in Miami, Colombia,聽France, Germany and the United聽Kingdom 鈥� and the company鈥檚 home聽base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
鈥淓chelon is changing people鈥檚聽lives, like it changed mine,鈥� says聽Lentine. 鈥淓very day I read the social聽stories from our members about聽how Echelon trainers inspired them聽to not only workout, but to bring聽positivity into their lives.鈥�
WHO
Lou Lentine 鈥�93
THE PITCH
Affordable, connected fitness products that inspire and empower people from all walks of life to live happier, healthier lives
THE INSPIRATION
Lentine鈥檚 doctor telling him he needed to lose weight and lower his cholesterol
WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT
Online and at more than 4,000 retailers, including Best Buy, Costco, Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods, Kohl鈥檚, Sam鈥檚 Club, Target and Walmart