Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Camp.
Hi Richard, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got into the army right after college. Then after a few different jobs, I started as a personal trainer in 2001. I worked my way up the personal training ranks until reaching area director for two different large corporate gyms. I found great success in making money for other gyms, so I’m 2007 I took the leap and resigned from my job. I put an add in savvy shopper about a gym coming soon. Although I didn’t have an exact location, I did have one lady who took me up on my advertised offer and she met me in the parking lot of a proposed location at 5am and I started training her in the parking lot under the street lights. My passion and desire continued to grow. I soon solidified a location and started my brick and mortar business. Through a lot of tumultuous times, I weathered the storm of the first five years of owning a business and working through a recession.
In 2012, I was approached by a family who bought my business out. I took the proceeds from that buyout and used it to start another location in Cumming, Ga. With a better understanding of business and the dos and don’t s of having a successful gym, I was able to restart my business with a rebrand and a clearer vision of what I wanted PPF Athletics to be. Our motto is simply body movement equals athleticism. So to us, if you can move you are an athlete. Having said that, we built our business over these last 10 years catering to the young, the old, the disabled, the specialized athlete no matter the sport, and everything in between. In 2020, the pandemic truly tested our business as it did most every business. We found that we had a strong niche in group training, but we also further solidified our foundation in specialized athlete training. With Georgia being one of the few states open during COVID, we had athletes from all over the country come train with us.
Then in 2021, I had the honor of training my son who at the time was entering the NFL Draft as a receiver coming out of Ga Tech. The success we achieved allowed him to be one of the highest-performing athletes in that year’s draft. His success, as a result of my training, garnered attention from 11Alive and Good Morning Football on ESPN and several other media outlets. We’ve been doing combine training for athletes ever since. Proud to say we’ve put several athletes in the NFL as a result. So that same person, me, myself and I, who started out training one lady in the parking lot of a shopping center, now has 16 years of business under my belt and has influenced the fitness lives of thousands of people. This is a true testament of focus, belief, and perseverance.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Of course, it has not been a smooth road. I’ve had to learn how to be a businessman, I’ve had to learn how to accept the fact that I cannot make everybody happy even though I’m in the service industry. I e learned to not mix business with personal relationships as I’ve lost a lot of really good friends along the way. I’ve also learned that all money ain’t good money. Over the years, I’ve had several people offer me money in efforts of piggybacking on my skill set. Oftentimes, those situations did not work out. After 2.0 plus years, time has been the best teacher in my profession in most aspects.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
PPF Athletics is known for the best high energy workout you are going to get. We boast a family atmosphere with three profit centers, adult fitness, specialized athlete training, and adapted fitness for special needs people all under the same roof. What sets us apart from others is our attention to detail, our personalized attention, and diverse family atmosphere. A lot of different gyms say they have a family atmosphere, great environment, etc but do they really. Our success started with and continues based off of those three aspects. Our business starts and ends with our members. Brand wise, there are so many things we are proud of; the kids we’ve put into the NFL, the 10 pounds we helped “Mrs. Jones” lose, and the smile we were able to put on our client with autism’s face when he did a 135 lb deadlift. These are all things we are proud of none greater or lesser.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My continued desire to learn and grow as my company grows and as the fitness industry grows.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ppfathletics.com
- Instagram: ppfathletics
- Twitter: @ppf_athletics
