Men on a Mission: Best Friends Leave the Military for Business Ownership

When Chris Gately and Larry Lock met seven years ago while stationed in the Middle East working in the High Threat Protection Services Division for the government, they didn’t realize that that they would one day become Workout Anytime franchisees and business partners. [caption id="attachment_16586" align="alignright" width="198" caption="Chris Gately and Larry Lock"][/caption] “We were tasked with providing security to VIPs such as diplomats, presidents and congressmen in red zones,” Gately explained of their role in the Middle East. Prior to joining the military, Gately grew up in northeast Oregon and western Idaho, attending college for a brief time until at the age of 19, until he left to join the Marine Corps in 1999. He served as a RECON Marine for four years before being contracted by the government and moving to Iraq. Lock was raised in Kentucky and attended Western Kentucky University on an athletic scholarship. After graduating with a degree in sociology and psychology, Lock chose a career in law enforcement, working in narcotics and on the SWAT team for ten years. Interested in pursuing other opportunities, he joined the government and was deployed to Iraq in December 2005. Gately and Lock first became friends while working in southern Iraq in early 2006. “We went through a lot together and it made us closer than brothers,” Lock said. The two men spent time in high-threat areas such as Baghdad and the West Bank of Israel. “The money was good but we knew we would either get killed or the job wouldn’t be around forever so we needed an exit strategy,” Gately said. Lock spoke with one of his fraternity brothers who was a Workout Anytime Area Developer for Kentucky, and began to explore the idea of franchising. After additional research, he brought it up to Gately. “We signed papers in June 2011 with Workout Anytime while still in Baghdad. We were in the desert running missions and trying to buy a gym,” said Gately. Having safely returned to home soil, Gately and Lock now own and operate Workout Anytime locations across Florida. As both franchisees and area developers, their territory spans from Pensacola all the way to Jacksonville, and down to Gainesville. As fitness enthusiasts, Lock and Gately are able to share their passion with others and they are proud to be American business owners with an opportunity to help people lead healthier, active lives and build confidence –which they know firsthand is key to a successful future.