Vineland, NJ
Take one look at Roland Morgan and you know he practices what he preaches.
A winner of several body-building championships, Roland (or Rol, as he’s known around the gym) is the owner of Brown Hornet Fitness, a new personal training studio offering a wide range of individual and group exercise programs. With over 30 years of experience in the field of fitness, Rol sees this new venture as an opportunity to share his passion for health, fitness and longevity with others, regardless of their fitness level.
Rol began his career as a business-owner after a 25-year stint in the Vineland Police Department, where he retired as a sergeant in the department’s training unit. He also spent 20 years as a physical training instructor for the Vineland and Gloucester County police academies. Along the way he became a certified personal trainer and a specialist in weight loss, strength and body sculpting.
With a ton of experience and drive going for him, Rol was well-positioned for success. But conventional financing sources, like banks, automatically reject start-ups from their lending criteria. Rol knew he could fill his boot-camp style classes and that his nutrition counseling, bodybuilding coaching and police academy recruit training preparation services would attract others, but he couldn’t get anyone to take a chance on him.
That’s when UCEDC and the Community Advantage 7a loan came in. With a SBA guarantee to reduce risk, we were able to provide Rol with the money he needed to renovate his space, purchase equipment, and implement a marketing plan.
“Although I did market research and had a thorough business plan in place, I could not get approved for a traditional business loan, ” recalls Rol. “Thankfully, I discovered UCEDC’s loan program for new businesses, and was able to secure the funding I needed to open my first personal training studio. Without the support and shared enthusiasm from the UCEDC staff, I would likely not be operating my own successful, thriving business right now.”