As 2009 draws to a snowy close here in Arlington, Texas, I wish to wrap up the year and secure it with a bright red bow. I acknowledge that when asked about 2009, most people I talk to almost universally use the word, "challenging". And then many of them elucidate further saying that this is the most polite way for them to label the past year. We may not always see the bright side of things, but as Americans, we feel compelled to see the glass as half full. It may have been a lousy year for many, but we find solace and motivation in cliches like, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". A couple of my other favorites are, "Sweat hardens into muscle" and "Pain is weakness leaving the body".
In my corner of the world, the Athletic Business Trade Show, which takes place every year during the week following Thanksgiving, is my yardstick to measure both the year past and the year to come. Even though this is a commercial fitness business event, it has been the number one networking venue for US Military fitness professionals for 20+ years. Every year that I have been proudly working with the US Military, which now also exceeds 20 years, I have heard the doomsayers proclaiming that there would be no money available the following year for fitness programming, personnel, or equipment. And please do not misunderstand me as I believe that money will be tight for that individual due to one of many likely circumstances such as the base commander reallocating funds elsewhere on base deemed more important than the fitness center. But I get to weigh that individual's circumstances against the field of 400+ US Military Bases worldwide. And I am here to say that the state of fitness in the US Military is STRONG!
The US Military purchased more fitness equipment in 2009 than ever before. I grant that annual growth has not been linear with 2004 being the second strongest year in fitness equipment sales and with the years between 2004 and 2009 striking a topographical Rocky Mountainesque profile. But, the trendline shows growth nearing 300% over the past 10 years. And yes, I project continung strong growth in the next decade as well. For years, military command has coined phrases like, "Fitness is mission essential" and "Fitness is a force multiplier". These words have now been put into action. Even though fitness in the military has gone through a continuous evolution, the bar is being raised to worldclass heights in terms of facilities, equipment and programming. Each of the services has amazing fitness centers available to our troops, managed by passionate fitness professionals providing engaging programming. Over the years, I have witnessed the physical condition of our troops march in lockstep with the ongoing improvements in military fitness facilities. These are exciting times in the world of military fitness!
As 2010 unfolds, we will see more changes in the military landscape to include topics such as, troop testing protocols and accountability, fitness facilities for downrange applications, bulk buys and equipment standardization, fitness and recreation integration for our wounded warriors, and many more. I intend to address each of these topics, and more, in future blogs. Your help is appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and please ask any questions and make any comments. I want to wish each of you a Happy and Healthy New Year! And I offer a HUGE debt of gratitude to our troops abroad and at home.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Patriotism at Precor
Do you have an American flag waving outside your house?
Is an American flag sticker or magnet proudly displayed on your car?
Do you consider yourself patriotic?
My name is Frank Palmer and I sell Precor fitness equipment to the US Military worldwide. It is the best damn job on Earth! My personal mission statement is posted on my bathroom mirror and it reads, "Everyday, by having the best fitness professionals in the world covering my 6, I try to improve our troops quality of life while they help to protect ours". How many of you have been able to turn one of your passions (fitness for me) into your livelihood? Are you lucky enough to bolster your patriotism while while pursuing your passion and make good money at the same time? I am that lucky and I thank God for my good fortune everyday. Now I am going to tell you a story about some other patriotic people that I am very proud and happy to have met.
Approximately 350 ships comprise the Navy Fleet ranging from amazing Trident submarines to awe-inspiring aircraft carriers. Every cubic inch of space is valuable on even the largest of these floating fortresses and you will find fitness equipment crammed into the most unlikely of places onboard these ships. You see, fitness is deemed "mission essential" by Navy Command and the equipment is used around the clock. The Navy Fleet had been buying our justifiably famous elliptical crosstrainers for inclusion in their onboard fitness programs. These models were built around rather large and robust one-piece steel frames. To get these EFX's to their desired locations, many had to be disassembled, cut into small pieces, and welded back together. The Navy has some of the best welders in the world, but let's face it, this installation procedure was not ideal for boosting sales.
Several years ago I convinced senior management at Precor that an opportunity existed. If we could design an EFX that could be disassembled to fit through a 23" hatch, then we would sell more units. Over 4,000 Navy EFX models later, the program can be deemed a success.
During one of my many visits to Precor Corporate in Seattle a few years ago, the product manager who had helped me realize my Navy EFX dream, had a terrific idea. Why didn't I visit the production team that builds the Navy units? Her idea led me to one of the most rewarding and heartwarming experiences I have ever had while at work.
Precor EFX's are manufactured in "cells", which are simply small teams of people that take a collection of parts and craft them into finished products. The cell that manufactures the Navy EFX model is tooled primarily to produce a different model of EFX. The relatively small number of Navy EFX's needed cannot support a full time cell, so production time is shared. The Navy product manager's idea was for me to visit production, meet the team manufacturing the Navy EFX's, and tell them about their model's application aboard the ships. Well, as it turned out, this team was way ahead of me.
I was introduced to the 30 or so members of the team. They consisted of about 20 Cambodian women who were recent immigrants, with the remaining workers being a mix of other nationalities and genders. I thanked the team for their help in making a personal dream of mine come true and I apologized if the switching back-and-forth between models was disruptive to their production flow. I told them stories of how their Navy EFX's were used and what the lonely and dedicated life onboard ship was like for our sailors. I talked about the young men and women who found health and a temporary escape from their important missions while using the equipment that they had built. And as I said goodbye, I told them that I would like to humbly represent the sailors and thank them for their efforts. The cell's manager took me aside and told me that, without provocation from anyone, the women in the cell had taken it upon themselves to write notes inside the boxes in which these units would be shipped. He told me that they wrote things like, "God bless America" and "We love you! Come home safe", and "Thank you for protecting us".
I have not been this proud or moved in a long, long time.
Thank you for reading my story and...
God Bless America!
Is an American flag sticker or magnet proudly displayed on your car?
Do you consider yourself patriotic?
My name is Frank Palmer and I sell Precor fitness equipment to the US Military worldwide. It is the best damn job on Earth! My personal mission statement is posted on my bathroom mirror and it reads, "Everyday, by having the best fitness professionals in the world covering my 6, I try to improve our troops quality of life while they help to protect ours". How many of you have been able to turn one of your passions (fitness for me) into your livelihood? Are you lucky enough to bolster your patriotism while while pursuing your passion and make good money at the same time? I am that lucky and I thank God for my good fortune everyday. Now I am going to tell you a story about some other patriotic people that I am very proud and happy to have met.
Approximately 350 ships comprise the Navy Fleet ranging from amazing Trident submarines to awe-inspiring aircraft carriers. Every cubic inch of space is valuable on even the largest of these floating fortresses and you will find fitness equipment crammed into the most unlikely of places onboard these ships. You see, fitness is deemed "mission essential" by Navy Command and the equipment is used around the clock. The Navy Fleet had been buying our justifiably famous elliptical crosstrainers for inclusion in their onboard fitness programs. These models were built around rather large and robust one-piece steel frames. To get these EFX's to their desired locations, many had to be disassembled, cut into small pieces, and welded back together. The Navy has some of the best welders in the world, but let's face it, this installation procedure was not ideal for boosting sales.
Several years ago I convinced senior management at Precor that an opportunity existed. If we could design an EFX that could be disassembled to fit through a 23" hatch, then we would sell more units. Over 4,000 Navy EFX models later, the program can be deemed a success.
During one of my many visits to Precor Corporate in Seattle a few years ago, the product manager who had helped me realize my Navy EFX dream, had a terrific idea. Why didn't I visit the production team that builds the Navy units? Her idea led me to one of the most rewarding and heartwarming experiences I have ever had while at work.
Precor EFX's are manufactured in "cells", which are simply small teams of people that take a collection of parts and craft them into finished products. The cell that manufactures the Navy EFX model is tooled primarily to produce a different model of EFX. The relatively small number of Navy EFX's needed cannot support a full time cell, so production time is shared. The Navy product manager's idea was for me to visit production, meet the team manufacturing the Navy EFX's, and tell them about their model's application aboard the ships. Well, as it turned out, this team was way ahead of me.
I was introduced to the 30 or so members of the team. They consisted of about 20 Cambodian women who were recent immigrants, with the remaining workers being a mix of other nationalities and genders. I thanked the team for their help in making a personal dream of mine come true and I apologized if the switching back-and-forth between models was disruptive to their production flow. I told them stories of how their Navy EFX's were used and what the lonely and dedicated life onboard ship was like for our sailors. I talked about the young men and women who found health and a temporary escape from their important missions while using the equipment that they had built. And as I said goodbye, I told them that I would like to humbly represent the sailors and thank them for their efforts. The cell's manager took me aside and told me that, without provocation from anyone, the women in the cell had taken it upon themselves to write notes inside the boxes in which these units would be shipped. He told me that they wrote things like, "God bless America" and "We love you! Come home safe", and "Thank you for protecting us".
I have not been this proud or moved in a long, long time.
Thank you for reading my story and...
God Bless America!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Inaugural Military Fitness Blog
Greetings Blogosphere!
My name is Frank Palmer and this is my first foray into the connected community of bloggers. I have several preliminary objectives in creating this blog:
- Sharing of ideas, stories, needs, desires and all things related to fitness as pertains to the US Military community, both on land and at sea.
- Providing all of the field support that I can personally, as well as with the help of Precor, Inc., where I serve as director of government sales.
- Utilizing this open forum to gather information, learn, expand reach, and assist when possible.
- Determining the viability and direction of this method of communication as it impacts fitness interests and concerns of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.
It has been one of my greatest pleasures in life working with the US Military. I have loved virtually every moment of my 26 years in the commercial fitness industry of which 20 of those years have been invested in the Federal/Military markets. Even though I work with all US Federal customers, the Military represents 90% of my focus due to its huge global scope in addition to the seemingly important role that fitness plays in our Military. In subsequent posts to this blog, I intend to enlist opinions and quotations from anyone in the Military. Most of those that I will contact are employed by the Federal Government as MWR Directors, Sports and Fitness Directors, Recreation Coordinators, and the like. These people have been my friends for many years and possess a wealth of information. Of course, I am looking forward to reading feedback and ideas from anyone wishing to share their opinions. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and please visit often.
My name is Frank Palmer and this is my first foray into the connected community of bloggers. I have several preliminary objectives in creating this blog:
- Sharing of ideas, stories, needs, desires and all things related to fitness as pertains to the US Military community, both on land and at sea.
- Providing all of the field support that I can personally, as well as with the help of Precor, Inc., where I serve as director of government sales.
- Utilizing this open forum to gather information, learn, expand reach, and assist when possible.
- Determining the viability and direction of this method of communication as it impacts fitness interests and concerns of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.
It has been one of my greatest pleasures in life working with the US Military. I have loved virtually every moment of my 26 years in the commercial fitness industry of which 20 of those years have been invested in the Federal/Military markets. Even though I work with all US Federal customers, the Military represents 90% of my focus due to its huge global scope in addition to the seemingly important role that fitness plays in our Military. In subsequent posts to this blog, I intend to enlist opinions and quotations from anyone in the Military. Most of those that I will contact are employed by the Federal Government as MWR Directors, Sports and Fitness Directors, Recreation Coordinators, and the like. These people have been my friends for many years and possess a wealth of information. Of course, I am looking forward to reading feedback and ideas from anyone wishing to share their opinions. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and please visit often.
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