It’s been twenty years in the making, but the Pad Climbing is announcing it’s newest location:
BINGHAMTON? Aren’t you a west coast gym chain?
Yes, we are, but our CEO’s entire family is from Binghamton and she spent idyllic summers there every year growing up, and going back with her parents for their high school reunions. She’d been trying to convince her partner (and our Chief of Business Development) to consider building a gym for a while, but when she finally took him back, he loved the area, loved the support of family with deep roots there, and agreed it was a good idea and that it fit with our general target market.
“When we brought it up to the HQ team, we figured they’d be concerned about remote management, but having taken on Henderson, NV has taught us a ton and the whole team is very excited about the prospect,” said Kristin Horowitz, CEO of the Pad Climbing.
The family reunion was spliced with tours from our cousins of large, unoccupied buildings, meeting real estate agents, and meeting with The Agency, the area’s economic vitality organization. We even went thrifting for business clothes so we’d look legit while we did it.
Yishai made Kristin and the kids drive around to look at buildings that weren’t on the market. Like this one. That definitely is NOT the new location.
Chief Developer Yishai and Setting Director Joe went out this weekend (12/2-3) to confirm this – joined by local industry professionals – and did a tour of gyms and communities there. With each encounter, there was more excitement at the prospect.
Yishai tried to share the “Carousel” part of Carousel Capital of the World with Joe, but upon finding the carousels were closed for the winter, they tested out the local climbing and found it wanting.
The deep water soloing, though, was pretty spicy. Joe had to go handsfree to avoid going into the muddly drink.
AND SO – we’re doing this!
Joe inspects the *actual* building. Sorry, we can’t tell you where yet – we like to respect the permitting process before we do that. Cities don’t like it when you’re too presumptive, but we also know that this should be a pretty simple.
Very few changes to the interior need to be made, which is really good news to the community = faster opening time!
We’ve been working quietly the past few years with people on the ground there to find the perfect space, vision, and understand the community – and we’ve just signed a Letter of Intent with the landlord. It was actually a space identified as a potential gym in the past – it’s 42′ high at the apex, has a mezzanine, is close to the university, has great parking . . . so in about a year’s time, we’re proud to say that we’ll be reinvesting in the community that helped build our CEO and bringing a high quality climbing gym to the area.
We anticipate about 14,000 square feet of climbing with all the amenities, services, and programs you’ve seen us offer at other locations.
Says Kristin Horowitz, “I’m excited to join my family’s legacy, past and present, in bringing amazing things to Binghamton communities.”
Questions You’re Probably Asking Right Now:
- Where is the new gym located? We want to wait until we’re fully permitted to announce this. It is about 2 miles away from SUNY Binghamton
- What is the name of the new gym? The Pad Binghamton, officially, but “The Pad” like the rest of our gyms. It’s your third space, a place to crash between home and work or school . . . it’s your . . . crash Pad.
- When is the grand opening date? We don’t know yet – it depends on how long the permitting process takes. We don’t need to do too many space improvements and we should move through wall design and build pretty fast, so could reasonably sometime in the last half of 2024!
- What are the operating hours of the new gym? We’re designing it to be bouldering and other facilities available 24/7, like our other gyms. (During unstaffed hours, ropes are not available for liability reasons.)
- What type of climbing facilities and equipment will be available at the new gym? Take a look around our website and you’ll get a good idea. The space will accommodate 5k+sqf of bouldering, 8k+ sqf of rope climbing 40+ feet tall, a designated training area with moon board, campus board and full weight room along with an awesome kids area and lounge.
- Are there any special promotions or discounts for the opening? There will be. But in the meantime, sign up to get notifications!
- Will there be membership options for the new gym? Yes, they will be the same as our other offerings, pricing has not been determined yet. Check out our Climb4Community program!
- Are you hiring? We will be – please sign up for our updates to find out when we’re ready for you!
- Are you looking for investors? Absolutely – we always provide opportunities to locals who wish to be a part of the gym ownership as part of our commitment to the communities we serve. Join our mailing list to find out when our investment opportunities become available or contact Yishai. You must qualify as a friend, family member, or accredited investor to be a part of The Pad!
