My name is Christopher Rhoades and I own a small private gym in Sylvania, Ohio called Renegade Fitness. Our facility was ordered to close March 16th and like so many other small businesses has since received no support from national or local governments to sustain. Meanwhile, rent agreements and utilities are still needing to be met, while also trying to provide for our staff.  

Since the initial shutdown small private facilities like ours have been included with much larger corporate gyms and health clubs.  

However, it is quite irresponsible to blanket all gyms with this notion, and not separate the large corporate gyms/health clubs from the small privately owned facilities.

As a private gym owner, it would be very easy for us to maintain safety standards set forth by local, national, and state governments and allow our staff to work, clients to maintain good health, and operations to continue in some capacity with the right precautions in place. 

Like any other small business, if we can not resume operations soon, the likelihood of us being able to open our doors and maintain the same service opportunities to the community and our staff are looking grim.    

This petition is asking for Governor Mike Dewine, the Governor of Ohio, to classify gyms and small privately owned fitness studios differently based on size and structure. The goal would be to re-open after retail on May 18th with the proper standards in place to protect the people of our state, while also allowing them to maintain and improve their health.