Rock Fitness is an independently owned and operated fitness studio and gym founded by certified personal trainer and fitness expert Marilyn Hoyt. Members have access to the facility 24/7, where they can work out at their own pace or participate in scheduled activities, including strength workouts, Zumba, yoga, personal training, and elite group or semi-private training.
“I began Rock Fitness 13 years ago without a physical location,” Marilyn explains.
"I offered mobile training sessions and group workouts in parks. In 2017, I was offered my first space in downtown Farmersville and Rock Fitness became a boutique group fitness place. Then, during the pandemic, I had a chance to take over a local gym about a mile from the original location. Suddenly, Rock Fitness had more members and I needed systems to help manage everything."
Marilyn quickly set up operations and installed an access control system, choosing an inexpensive single-door system that used a mobile app to allow members to enter. Within a year, the access control manufacturer went out of business.
Jonathan Lorquet, the owner of Fortress Lock, Safe & Security, recalls receiving a desperate phone call from Hoyt. "Marilyn was one of dozens of business owners we heard from whose companies were left in the lurch," he says.
"I understood the urgency of her situation. With gyms, access control isn't just a convenience for business owners. It's integral to their business model, something that members depend on, and a critical part of the user experience. I put Marilyn at the top of our list and we quickly converted the facility over to a PDK system. For Rock Fitness, PDK was a perfect fit."
Why PDK?
Fortress Lock, Safe & Security (Fortress) is a security integrator with offices in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston, Texas. "Access control is at the forefront of what we do," says Lorquet. "We don't have a one-size fits all solution. We tailor our solutions to fit the needs of each client."
"Whenever we're doing a gym or fitness center, PDK is the best choice. If you sell a system to a gym with hundreds of clients and there's a glitch, that's hundreds of problems to solve. Gym owners don't have the time or resources to deal with that. PDK provides the best experience for everyone involved. It has all the security features an unattended 24/7 business needs, it’s easy for members to use, and its mobile-first interface is perfect for business owners who need to manage the system remotely from anywhere.
More Features, Better Security
As a 24/7 business without any onsite staff, Marilyn had certain requirements for an access control solution:
She needed a way to allow members to let themselves into the building without giving them a physical key.
She wanted to issue and distribute access control credentials to new members without having to meet them in person.
She required the ability to remotely unlock the gym's front door for visitors, like when a prospective member wants to take a look around.
PDK checked all those boxes. As she discovered, it also did much more!
"In terms of security, PDK is far superior to our old system. In the past, members could share their passwords and allow others to walk right into the facility,"
Marilyn explains.
"That can't happen anymore. In fact, I get calls from customers when they get a new phone because their access is suddenly denied. I need to set them up again. Each credential is tied to a specific phone and can't be transferred or shared. I really like that."
Fortress Lock, Safe & Security set up Marilyn's system so that she receives instant notifications each time someone enters the gym. "I can see their name and profile. Depending on who they are, I may pull up cameras inside the building to see what's going on. If they're teenagers, I check that they're not trying to sneak in a friend. If they're new members, I observe whether they are obeying gym rules and etiquette. When I see a problem, I can text them directly right then and there. They know I'm watching. It keeps the gym full of integrity."
Members join Rock Fitness because of its sense of community. "We're not like the big chains. I like to have a personal connection with my members," says Marilyn. "I know they feel safer there because even when I'm not physically present, I'm very aware of everything happening. Nobody is going to enter who doesn't belong. We've had members accidentally leave jewelry or their cellphone behind, and they know nobody will steal it. That trust creates loyal members."
Marilyn manages and monitors the system almost entirely via her smartphone. She can even use it to issue credentials to new members. "As soon as someone submits an initiation fee to join Rock Fitness via our website, I get a notification. I open the admin section of the ProdataKey app on my phone and enter the person as a new PDK user. Then, I send them a welcome letter with instructions to download the ProdataKey app to their phone. That's it! Once they've got it, they don't have to unlock the phone or open the app to enter the building. It’s so easy that people new to the gym sometimes reach out to ask if there’s anything else they need to do. I tell them ‘nope,’ you’re good!”
“Issuing credentials this way lets me sign up new members who work crazy hours, like nurses who want to come workout when they get off their shift late at night. I don’t have to meet them there.”
Rock Fitness has a handful of clients who do not use smartphones. Fortunately, the PDK system also accommodates cards. Marilyn has the same ability to track these users, permit access, and dynamically change access on the go.
“Having members without smartphones was a situation I didn’t anticipate, and PDK’s flexibility was a welcome surprise,”
says Marilyn.
If a member quits the gym or is delinquent on their dues, deactivating their access requires a simple click within the app. “If someone is late paying, I usually give them a grace period and reach out via email. However, if they don’t respond, I just press delete. Problem solved!”
Easy to Sell
Lorquet says that PDK is a system his company loves to sell because once he trains the client, he rarely hears from them again. "The learning curve is really quick. That's not the case with many other products we represent. With PDK, you don't have to be an expert at administering an access control system to use it in an advanced way. Its interface is completely intuitive, and everything can be done from a phone," he explains. "Marilyn is a perfect example. She's leveraging the system's features to be completely in control, protecting gym members from people who shouldn't be there and protecting herself from liability."
PDK is a wise choice for gyms of all sizes, including those with multiple locations. They can manage access to different facilities through a single interface. PDK also integrates seamlessly with many leading camera systems. Users can click on an event and pull up the corresponding video within the camera manufacturer’s app.
Large or small, gym owners like PDK's pricing model. Lorquet explains,
"With PDK, the monthly bill is not based on the number of users; it's based on the number of readers. That's a big difference from other solutions we've provided to gyms over the years. We used to sell solutions that charged a gym operator each time they issued a mobile pass to a member. As their membership grew, those passes became a significant expense. With PDK's flat rate per reader, it doesn't matter how many members join. It's much easier for businesses to budget for access control as an operating expense."
Marilyn adds, "As a small business owner, price is a significant concern. PDK is affordable, plus it allows me to save a lot of money by not having to pay an employee to be at the gym at all hours. Also, I am no longer losing money on 'shared' memberships, where someone would join and share their passcode with friends or family members. Now, I can collect payment from everyone who enters, whether they're there as a member or a guest. I'm extremely happy with the investment."
Perfect Partnership
Fortress Lock, Safe & Security values its reputation as a security partner that delivers outstanding customer service. Marilyn says Fortress was not the first security integrator she spoke with, but Lorquet's professionalism and responsiveness made her confident that his company was the right choice for her business. "Jon understood where I was coming from. He was calm, reassuring, and supportive when I was in a difficult situation. He responded like a trusted partner, ready to help solve my security problems."
In this respect, Fortress Lock, Safe & Security and PDK have much in common. Lorquet says, "When I make a promise to a customer, I need to feel confident that the brand I'm representing will live up to those promises. I can call PDK any time of the day or night, and I'll have someone on the support line ready to assist with whatever we need. They'll make sure that the client gets what they were promised. There's a lot of good technology out there, but the people behind the technology make a solution truly great. ProdataKey stands head and shoulders above the lot.”
“PDK’s platform is reliable, stable, and easy to use – all the things we consider when recommending a system to a gym, studio, or fitness center. Plus, the company has proven to be a most valued partner in every sense of the word."
PDK + Rock Fitness 24/7 Gym
About PDK
ProdataKey (PDK) is a leading innovator of networked cloud-based access control products and services. The company’s mobile-first PDK io cloud platform allows for complete system management and control through any web-connected device, anywhere, anytime. With thousands of systems managing tens of thousands of doors for a quickly expanding base of loyal customers throughout North America and beyond, PDK delivers an unparalleled user experience as well as the highest levels of security, safety, and data privacy.