BeaverFit unifies team with global merger
BeaverFit, defense contractor and custom fitness equipment manufacturer, officially merged its regionally-owned and operated US and UK branches into one global company in June 2024. Now jointly owned by the original founders, father and son Jim and Tom Beaver, and the North America founders, former Navy riverines Alex Roodhouse and Mike Taylor, the brand aims to unlock global efficiencies and company growth by enabling one team, one fight, in all regions of the world. “This is a unique opportunity to have two different parts of the world working together and growing the brand and product lines,” Tom Beaver said, noting the merger will bring specialized product development and expertise from one region to the other, and vice versa. The merger also includes UK subsidiaries of the business in Australia, Europe and the Middle East. Roodhouse said customers either won’t notice a difference or they’ll see a positive change due to increased US/UK collaboration across engineering, sales, product, project management and marketing channels. “It’s the same consistent brand and product with behind-the-scenes changes to product development, synergy and efficiency.” And although they’ve merged globally, BeaverFit remains committed to in-country manufacturing – continuing to be proudly American-, Britain- and Australian-made for customers in each respective region. Additionally, customers won’t suddenly be handed off to a rep outside of their region unless it makes reasonable sense for the customer to be serviced locally; such as a US military unit in Europe working with a BeaverFit UK project manager. “We’re doubling resources without increasing workload,” Taylor said. “This will lead to even more wins across the board.” ‘Winning Matters’ – a motto commonly used throughout the company – is evident this year as BeaverFit continues to meet partners in new ways. As BeaverFit USA competes for an Army contract that could lend them a role in building and outfitting more than 100 Soldier Performance Readiness Centers worldwide, BeaverFit UK is preparing to deliver more than 400 container gyms to the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces. Meanwhile, the commercial side of the business booms as an increasing number of fitness studios, gyms, college and university campuses, apartment complexes, and more, realize the potential to create their ideal training spaces through BeaverFit’s custom manufacturing capabilities. Bottom line, there’s no shortage of work or opportunity for this global company to get after. “We’re all beavers and we’re all eager to make it work,” Jim Beaver joked. “And we’re going to help each other a lot better as one company versus two.” Share this… FacebookFacebook Save Twitter
Solving a need for space, CIMT invests in BeaverFit solutions for Army units
As the Holistic Health and Fitness initiative, or H2F, rolls out across the Army, units must overcome the hurdle of finding dedicated space to carry out their programs. BeaverFit and the U.S. Army’s Center for Initial Military Training have begun to solve that challenge together with a solution delivered to more than a dozen units this year. https://youtu.be/QyuCx7__w5Y?si=wbcl5ulv5zjSYC1K Nicknamed the CIMT SunPro, the solution consists of three components: BeaverFit Performance Locker A shipping container with anchored training rigs and secure storage BeaverFit Cardio Locker A container including off-grid cardio equipment and roll-up doors BeaverFit SunPro A tension fabric structure that creates a training space protected from the elements, with the option to add rubberized flooring and lifting platforms While the Army plans to resource more than 100 brigades with Soldier Performance Readiness Centers by 2030, in the meantime, the readiness of Soldiers and the success of unit-level H2F programs depend on quick solutions. Select units at Forts Bliss, Huachuca, Liberty, Jackson, Johnson, Drum, Campbell and Joint Base Lewis-McChord are the first to receive the new BeaverFit SunPros designed to create space for H2F activities. “It’s great to see that as units are being resourced for H2F, CIMT is ensuring this includes proper equipment and the space to utilize it,” said Jason Clark, training and education lead, BeaverFit. “Our goal is to develop environments alongside them in which those resources can be used effectively.” The desired environment called for an all-weather strength and conditioning asset that could accommodate personnel up to the company level. Most of the resourced units had used standalone BeaverFit Lockers to train, which offer suitable platoon-level strength training capabilities but lack weather protection and integrated conditioning assets. The specific SunPro and Locker configuration designed for CIMT provides all-weather coverage, strength and conditioning components, and – the biggest win, according to Clark – can be placed anywhere because it’s not Real Property. Instead of Soldiers needing to trek across the installation to a separate facility for a training session, the SunPro can be placed at the unit level, removing logistical barriers to training. “The SunPro creates an environment in the outdoor space that limits as many factors that could negatively influence a training session as possible,” he stated. And as the SunPros are delivered, CIMT is also funding training and education courses for select locations to empower small unit leaders to be force multipliers within the environment. “Space does not automatically equal an environment,” Clark explained. “The environment is human driven. Training and education sets an environment of organizational success versus chaos. Kudos to CIMT for leaning forward into providing space and training resources instead of waiting for it to be figured out at the unit level, and also, good on the coaches for continuing to do the most with what they have and scaling their mindset as the program grows.” As the Army’s mindset around physical training evolves, BeaverFit’s support evolves in step. “We don’t do this from a standpoint of ‘we know best;’ it’s a collaborative effort to receive feedback from the higher-level command, the experts on site, and the Soldiers on the ground,” Clark said. “It’s our goal to be the Army’s trusted partner. As they continue to require new capabilities, or as they encounter new barriers, we’ll work alongside them to create solutions that enable them to win.” In addition to delivering these SunPros and the accompanying training and education courses to CIMT, BeaverFit remains in the running for the Army’s SPRC contract. Whether supplying Lockers, AFT equipment, SunPros, SPRCs or other tactical training solutions, one thing is constant: BeaverFit continues to support and develop the Soldier Weapon System with innovative, purpose-built, requirements-based capabilities. Get in touch. BeaverFit is a defense contractor and the largest supplier of fitness equipment to the U.S. Armed Forces. We create custom expeditionary fitness and readiness equipment for every mission essential task: from portable container gyms to special operations subterranean trainers. Explore solutions Share this… FacebookFacebook Save Twitter
BeaverFit supports Hurricane Ian recovery teams with mobile training
FORT MYERS BEACH, Florida – When an incident commander reached out to see if a portable gym could be provided for first responders assisting with recovery efforts in the town of Fort Myers Beach, BeaverFit answered the call. After Hurricane Ian ravaged the town in September 2022, incident management teams belonging to the Federal Emergency Management Agency were deployed and set up camp to begin the ongoing recovery process. Working long days and nights, many away from home and their families, firefighters and contractors had an additional obstacle to tackle – the hurricane destroyed the two local fire stations, leaving no place for physical training. “I saw a need for the first responders, the contractors, and the people who had been through a disaster,” said Scott D’Angelo, incident commander for the Hurricane Ian recovery process in Fort Myers Beach. “I saw a need to workout, because that helps with stress, fatigue and establishing a normal routine.” As a retired firefighter himself, D’Angelo said he viewed this as an opportunity to give back to the community of first responders. He knew about BeaverFit because of previous support to the firefighting community, but he was shocked when they actually approved his request. “The island is completely destroyed. We have a command post set up with local, state, federal and fire rescue personnel. Could BeaverFit donate a portable gym so some of the members living in our camp can get a workout in? We are working 12-18 hour days and this would help a lot of people out,” D’Angelo’s request read. When the request reached Nick Vay, vice president of commercial sales at BeaverFit, he was excited about the prospect of supporting the mission. In an effort to find the quickest and most efficient way to support the request, Vay proposed the Beyond Trailer 12′ – a “gym on wheels” that provides an innovative mobile training solution combining training rigs and equipment storage. One week later, BeaverFit shipped a trailer from Nevada to Florida for a 90-day lease at no cost. “When we received the original request, we immediately went into action to figure out how we could assist, and quickly, as time was of the essence,” Vay said. “We obviously do quite a bit of work in this community, so it was super important to our team to step up and support all the great things they’re doing down there.” Featuring two folding strength racks that can be set-up by a single user in a few minutes with no tools required, the 12-foot Beyond Trailer creates a fully mobile training center for up to 30 people. The Beyond Trailer unit was also fully stocked with Grey Man Gear equipment and accessories, providing barbells, bumper plates, medicine balls, kettlebells and more for the first responders to use during their group workouts. “The people who used it enjoyed it,” D’Angelo said of the trailer. “It’s a huge hit with this population. It’s like candy – everybody who sees it wants it.” Share this… FacebookFacebook Save Twitter