Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mesa Fitness foresee mutually beneficial relationship in Clifton

Tim Harty, The Business Times

Kevin Lewis said it wasn’t that long ago that he thought the way for Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai to grow was to buy a huge, state-of-the-art building.

He looked into it and said he was oh so close to closing a deal to do just that. But Lewis said he’s a person that listens to the universe, and the universe sent him a different message. So, he backed away from the deal.

“It just didn’t feel right,” he said.

By contrast, the day he walked into Mesa Fitness at 3229 I-70 Business Loop in Clifton to look at a commercial space that was available, he got a different vibe, one that said, “Ah, this feels like the move that needs to be made.”

This time, he followed through, and Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu now has a second location on the east end of the Grand Valley to go with the one Lewis opened in 2013 at 573 S. Commercial Drive, Unit 2, in Grand Junction.

The Clifton location started its soft opening with a class on May 15, and Lewis said he expects to go to a full schedule in the first or second week of June. He already has the first tier of members that he sought, about 30, and the first 90 “founding” members get a discounted rate.

He said the Clifton location will be self-sustaining once it has about 45 to 50 members, and he said it will be able to accommodate about 150 to 200 members, compared with the approximately 300 members at the Grand Junction location. And gym memberships are good for both locations.

Lewis said everything made sense and fell into place for the Clifton location. He and his wife, Nadia, own the original Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, and they discussed the idea of opening a location near the east end with Israel Almeida, a coach at the Commercial Drive location. Almeida agreed to be a business partner at a new location. Then, Kevin Lewis started looking for a place to put it.

“I saw this (space) in Mesa Fitness open up for rent, and I was like, ‘Oh, man, this is kind of too good to not do it,’” he said.

The timing and location were right, as Lewis said the Clifton and Palisade area doesn’t offer much for martial arts. And he said a lot of people on the east end of the valley would rather avoid driving into Grand Junction at the end of their workday for martial-arts training for themselves or their kids.

“I just think the opportunity is there to have it there, when there’s nothing out there martial-art-wise,” Lewis said of the Clifton location. “There’s a Taekwondo school right down from where I’m gonna be at. Other than that … there really ain’t nothing out there.”

And Lewis said people from Clifton and Palisade have told him they wished his gym was closer.

“I think it’s a community that needs it,” he said, “and I’m gonna give it to them.”

What members will get, Lewis said, is “true world-class training,” and that sets Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai apart.

All three of the Clifton location owners are black belts in jiu jitsu.

Kevin Lewis said he’s coached world champions and is in a hall of fame for coaching.

Almeida, who is from Brazil, still competes and has won world championships. “Israel’s won a bunch of them,” Kevin Lewis said.

And Nadia Lewis is a multi-time medalist in master-division competition at International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournaments.

Kevin Lewis added, “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, we’re world class,’ and stuff like that. Well, what is world class? You know, anybody can say they’re world class. But you truly are getting world-class training with us. 

“And so that’s definitely one of the main differences between us and any other  gyms between Denver and Salt Lake City. … No one else offers what we offer you jiu jitsu-wise, or for as long as we have.”

Another area where Lewis believes Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sets itself apart is its culture.

“It doesn’t matter how good you are – you could be a world champion, you could be whatever – if the culture isn’t good and people don’t feel welcome, they’re not gonna come,” Lewis said.

So the culture, when you walk in the doors, everybody’s friendly. Everybody has fun. Everybody’s sweating. Everybody’s smiling.”

And people train hard. Many compete, as Lewis said a group of about 20 Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu members went to a recent event in Denver to compete.

Lewis touts Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s coaches, too, for solidifying the culture, and that’s another selling point, as Lewis said, “You can go find jujitsu anywhere nowadays. You can just look on YouTube, and it’s there.”

And most jiu jitsu gyms are going to have a lot of similarities, so the question becomes: What’s the difference? 

“For us,” Lewis said. “I think it’s the experience and the attention to detail from the coaches. For sure.”

Benefitting both businesses

One of the advantages Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai co-owner Kevin Lewis really likes about being located in the same building as Mesa Fitness, 3229 I-70 Business Loop in Clifton, is the potential for crossover between customers of the two businesses.

That’s appealing to Mesa Fitness, too, as General Manager Paul Manzella wrote in an email interview, “We are already seeing crossover between the two businesses, as many of their members are existing Mesa Fitness members. We anticipate that this relationship will continue to grow, creating additional value for members of both organizations.”

Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was the kind of tenant Mesa Fitness was looking for after the space became available.

“We are very intentional about our partnerships and would not lease space to a business unless we believed it was a strong fit,” Manzella wrote. “Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu aligns well with our overall mission of promoting health, fitness, and active lifestyles, making it a natural complement to Mesa Fitness.”

Like it was made for them

When Lewis first viewed the available unit at Mesa Fitness, he was pleased with what he saw: a wide-open space that was essentially move-in ready for a business like Grand Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

“It was turnkey, basically, because it’s blue and gray, like our colors,” Lewis said. “Everything was kind of just, ‘All right, just put some mats on the floor.’ It’s kind of just set, ready to go.”

Watching the kids grow up

Lewis said the classes he teaches are primarily for kids.

“I love the kids’ programs,” he said. “I teach the little ones, ones that are like the biggest pains in the butt, but I just love teaching the kids.”

Watching kids transform and gain confidence and purpose from jiu jitsu is extremely rewarding.

“I’ve seen kids that come in – 4 years old, shy, crying – and get on the mat, and now they’re still here training with me, and they’re strong 12-year-olds that are confident, that can handle themselves,” Lewis said. “And it’s all because of jiu jitsu, because it puts kids – and it puts adults – puts you in those uncomfortable situations that you realize you can’t fold, and that you have more in you than what you’re giving and putting out.

“And just with that, you get what? You gain a lot of confidence in things like that.”

Great for the grown-ups, too

It’s not just kids who evolve and reap great rewards. Many adults come to love jiu jitsu for its benefits physically and mentally. Lewis said jiu jitsu can change your life, and he speaks from experience.

“It changed my life,” he said. “It does for a lot of people, you know? I think a lot of it has to do with what it does for people.

“I’ve seen it change a lot of lives, a lot of lives. I’ve just seen it help, I couldn’t tell you how many people. It’s a fun, amazing experience, you know, to be involved in that.”

Lewis said he was a police officer for about 15 years, the last few in Grand Junction, and when he started jiu jitsu, it provided stress relief.

“You can come in, you don’t have to worry about anything outside the doors, the bills, the fight with the wife that morning, the kids not wanting to get up and do whatever,” he said. “You come in here, and it puts you actually in the moment of something. And that moment is not getting choked out, not getting an armbar, not getting smashed. You know what I mean?

“It’s hard nowadays to be in the moment of things. … You come in here, and it’s like, even if it’s just an hour, it’s amazing what it does to the brain and stuff, just to be in the moment.”