Franchisee Spotlight: Stacy Edwards of GYMGUYZ

Stacy Edwards spent 12 years playing football within the Canadian and Indoor leagues after graduating from his Washington state high school and the University of Montana. He spent a decade in the Indoor Football League playing and coaching before he transitioned into the telecommunications industry after his days on the field were over. His athletic background and experience as a personal trainer in his offseasons led him to seeking out GYMGUYZ as his next business venture.

He’ll be using his experience as a personal trainer, high school coach, and athlete to help the locals combat some of the Seattle area’s dreary days with newfound motivation and exercise.

Can you tell me a little more about your background?

I was born in Georgia, so very far from where I am now. My family moved around a little bit – we spent some time in L.A. before moving to the Tri-Cities, about three hours east of Seattle. I went to Pasco High School and was a three-sport athlete. From there, I earned a full-ride football scholarship to the University of Montana where I also ran track. After school, I played pro football as a defensive back for 12 years in the Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, and the Indoor Football League. It wound up being a couple of years in the CFL, a few in the AFL, and then 10 years as a player/coach in the IFL.

That was all before I got involved with the wireless communications industry. I spent most of my time working with Verizon and Comcast. Simultaneously, I coach basketball at Mercer Island High School where we just won state for the first time in our school’s history.

How did you find GYMGUYZ and what motivated you about joining the team?

Professionally, I was looking for something that I could be passionate about and that I could do until the end of my career. I wanted to wake up and be excited about what I was getting ready to do. Six years ago, one of my best friends died because of a weight-related issue and three years later, I had a second friend die because of a similar problem. I had been a personal trainer in the past – it was something I used to do in my offseasons – so I just wanted to put all of this motivation together into a career.

I had a franchise coach leading me to all sorts of stuff but nothing was sticking until I finally ran into GYMGUYZ and it seemed like everything was a fit. I first encountered GYMGUYZ in November and, in the process, I wanted to make sure that I was ready for it. So, in January, I made the decision – in fact it was part of my New Year’s resolution – to move forward with the business.

Do you have any other ties to the area?

I’ve spent 18 years in the Seattle area as a broadcaster, calling local high school football games. I started doing this during my playing career, since I had the time to play and broadcast. I hope to continue doing this even while operating GYMGUYZ.

What about your community will make it a fit for GYMGUYZ?

I live in Seattle but our GYMGUYZ will cater to the people in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Eastside. I think that the area is just an extremely active community. I’ve always worked in Bellevue and it’s a very fit community, but in this area, we have a hibernation period. Because of the weather, people tend to lose motivation to exercise when the sun goes away. I want to help erase that. 

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