For years, Star Trac by Unisen Inc. has been making treadmills and stairclimbers for gyms and company workout rooms, including that of Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp.
But now Jim McPartland, president of the Irvine-based maker of cardiovascular workout gear, hopes to convince consumers that instead of taking that luxury vacation, they should invest in fitness machines that bring the reality of a gym into their homes.
People want “the convenience to (exercise) in their own home,” McPartland said.
But that convenience doesn’t come cheap. Would you spend $4,000 for a treadmill?
In Orange County, where staying fit is an obsession, McPartland is betting consumers will dig deep into their pockets to equip their home gyms with Star Trac’s high-tech workout gear. And he hopes fitness nuts elsewhere will, too.
The fitness equipment industry is pegged at $4 billion in sales annually, with $3 billion of that coming from consumers, according to McPartland.
“The consumer market is huge, much larger than the commercial market,” he said.
Even if consumers can get past the price tag, Star Trac’s task is selling consumers on the ease of use of its machines. In the past, consumers have gotten a workout just figuring out how to operate and maintain their fitness machines.
“There’s been a big change in the home gym market,” said Cliff Wesserbach, an Aliso Viejo personal trainer with Custom Fitness.
Star Trac by Unisen started out in 1975 with three employees making stairclimbers, stationary bikes, treadmills and elliptical trainers. Today the company has distributors in some 60 countries and counts annual sales of $65 million and 265 employees, according to McPartland.
Star Trac counts 6,600 square feet of research and development and 55,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Irvine, where it produces 24,000 fitness machines a year.
Most of Star Trac’s products wind up in gyms. The company supplies gear to more than 50 OC workout centers, including the Sporting Club in Irvine, LA Fitness and 24-Hour Fitness.
“We have a big presence in North Orange County,” said Craig Petinak, a Star Trac spokesman.
But for growth, Star Trac is looking to the relatively untapped home market. The company’s treadmills start at $2,300 and go up to $4,400. And if you’re looking for the latest trend in fitness gear, be prepared to spend $3,500 for an elliptical trainers. These machines literally glide you through a simulated jog and are designed to give smooth, low impact aerobic conditioning.
What you get for that price, according to McPartland is more than just a machine: “Fitness changes peoples lives and makes them feel better,” he said.
To target consumers, Star Trac is turning to the Web. The company is expanding ties with Internet retailers such as San Diego-based Realage.com and La Jolla-based Active.com, according to Michael Ruffner, consumer business unit manager for Star Trac.
One challenge: the company doesn’t go through retailers such as Busy Body Inc., which makes it difficult for consumers to see and try Star Trac gear. The company sells its equipment directly from Star Trac’s Irvine facility and through the company’s Web site.
“Our biggest hurdle is letting people know we do sell our products to consumers,” Ruffner said.
Up until late last year, one of Star Trac’s closest rivals also was a neighbor. But Cybex International Inc. closed its Irvine plant in November, consolidating its cardiovascular unit into one facility in Medway, Mass. The Cybex Irvine facility included an assembly line and product development operations, which designed virtual reality bikes that combined software for virtual outdoor adventures and high-quality fitness equipment. Upon closing, 70 OC employees lost their jobs.
“It just made business sense to combine the two facilities,” said Lana Ickes, a Cybex spokeswoman.
But Cybex, with annual sales of about $124 million, still is a Star Trac competitor. So is Life Fitness, a unit of sporting and recreation gear maker Brunswick Co. of Lake Forest, Ill. Brunswick doesn’t break out sales for Life Fitness, but the company’s recreation segment, which includes Brunswick bowling, billiards as well as Life Fitness, reported fourth-quarter sales of $217 million. n
