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Union Fitness Coming Fall 2016

Change is underway here at Nova Place. From the Concourse renovations to the behind-the-scenes work going on with the plaza and parking garage, our community is improving by the day. And starting this fall, we’ll have something new to talk about: Union Fitness.

What’s Union Fitness?

Union Fitness is the newest addition to Nova Place’s live, work, and play community. It’s the joining together of mind, body, and spirit for a complete healthy lifestyle. This 10,000 SF state-of-the-art fitness center will be unlike any other gym you’ve seen. With yoga and spin classes, elite exercise equipment, group exercise and personal training opportunities, and showers, everyone can run, stretch, lift, and spin together in one place.

Whether you’re interested in morning, afternoon, or evening workouts, make Union Fitness an integral part of your workday.

What Union Fitness Means to You.

It’s not just important to know what Union Fitness means to us – it’s essential to know what it means to you. What do you want to see? What classes and amenities are key to your workout? We have a survey that addresses these questions and more. This is YOUR gym. Take our survey on our website today!

Meet Casey

We sat down with Casey Williams, the Fitness Manager at Union Fitness to learn a little more about this great project. Enjoy our Q&A below!

Q: Tell me how you first got involved in fitness and gym management.

A: It’s been unavoidable for me in a lot of ways. Growing up I was close with a local high school football coach so as young as 14 or 15, I would hang out with the team on summer weekends and he ended up teaching me how to lift after practices. Following high school football, I was afforded the opportunity to play Div. 1-AA football at Bucknell University where my strength coach taught me an even greater love for the weight room. After four years of football, I was left with no competitive outlet. I was never into the whole flag football or softball gig. If it wasn’t full go, it wasn’t for me. With the guidance of a local police officer and powerlifter, I entered my first powerlifting meet and never looked back. In six years of competition I’ve almost reached the top- being ranked #2 in the world currently in my weight class and #6 all time. With that has come connections to others in the industry, namely EliteFTS, that have instilled in me the desire to give back to the very thing that has empowered me and many others. I was employed as an account manager for the last six years- now through Union Fitness I’m able to merge my business acumen and my passion for training and helping others.

Q: What was your first impression of the Union Fitness project?

A: I’m a Pittsburgh native, and to be honest, I didn’t know what the Allegheny Center Mall was, let alone where it was. So the day I walked through the facility, saw the old, mixed with the new (Alloy 26), I realized what an opportunity this was for me and more importantly for the city of Pittsburgh. The projects at Nova Place, including Union Fitness, are all vibrant, unique, and cohesive at the same time.

Q: What do you want other people to know about Union Fitness?

A: This is not your mother’s gym. Union Fitness is an experience. From a staff perspective- I’m working on hand picking some of the best in the business.The design and aesthetics alone will be unlike any other facility in Pittsburgh. No expense has been spared on behalf of the customer. I was blown away when I saw the renderings for the facility, and now that I’ve
been able to add my own touches…I will be losing sleep up through opening day, in a good way.

Q: Tell me about someone who has influenced your decision to work in fitness.

A: There are many but I admire Dave Tate, CEO of EliteFTS, for what he has created. The company was founded in 1998 and since then has brought together the best collegiate and professional strength coaches, lifters, bodybuilders, doctors, trainers, dieticians, and writers in the industry. Multiple times a year the 60+ members gather together to donate their time for seminars and other projects to which all of the proceeds go to Make-A-Wish. It’s shown me that being a part of something bigger than yourself is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in life. I aim to use my platform at Union Fitness to do the same for the community of Pittsburgh.

Q: What do you do when you aren’t managing the Union Fitness project?

A: Besides my own training and competing, my dogs and family are a huge part of my life. And I have a close knit group of friends that I spend time with on the weekends exploring the city and all of the new restaurants popping up over town.

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