OKEECHOBEE — You may have noticed some changes at the Workout Anytime gym in the Winn Dixie Plaza.

The new owner of the gym, Scotty Carlisle, spent 14 years active duty in the Army and then four years in Reserves before his discharge. Originally from Ohio, he joined the Army at 18 and travelled all over the world.

Carlisle was trained as an intelligence analyst and then later focused on cyber security. When asked why he bought a gym, he explained he has many interests and still has a full-time cyber security and AI consulting job.

Fluid in Spanish and Portuguese, Carlisle has visited more than 30 countries. After leaving the Reserves in 2018, Carlisle purchased a van and lived in it during the pandemic, traveling all over the U.S. “I loved the experience. I just bought an Expedition overland vehicle and plan to do it again. I plan to live in it fulltime as I open gyms.” He explained he thought it would be simpler to be mobile so he could move around as needed.

He said living in a van during the pandemic made it easier to just move around with freedom. “None of the borders between states were closed,” he explained. “It worked out nicely. I was always outside, travelling around. The only time I would come back to civilization was to laundry or buy groceries.” He said by living this way, he was able to avoid crowds and craziness that went with it. He stayed in campgrounds rarely, because his van was set up to be completely off grid. “I literally went everywhere in the western half of the U.S.” So far, he has been to 39 states and said for van life, he liked Colorado and Arizona the best.

His plan is to eventually purchase several gyms and switch over to doing that full time,” he said. “It’s more enjoyable, and there is a lot less to learn and keep track of.” He went on to say cyber security is a crushing field. He enjoys the AI side of things, because it can be fun to play with, but with cyber security, things tend to be a little different.

“Just last week, I was in a six-day bootcamp,” he said. “It was 10-12 hours per day.” He had to do this training and still studied several hours every night to achieve certification. “It’s just grueling.”

“It will be nice to switch and do the gym stuff full time,” he said. The gym in Okeechobee is his only one right now, but he is working adding some more.

Though he does not live in Okeechobee, he visits often as he travels all over the country. The previous owner of Workout Anytime was a friend and mentor to Carlisle, and Carlisle purchased into the franchise about two years ago. When Carlisle found out the Okeechobee club was for sale, he jumped on the opportunity. “It’s a really great community, and that club is one of the top performing clubs in the franchise.”

“We’ve made a ton of changes already in the Okeechobee club,” he said. “We completely revamped the way we do our billing. There are no more contracts, and you are able to cancel on demand.” Aware of allegations and complaints online about people saying money was taken out of their bank accounts after they canceled their membership, Carlisle said this will no longer happen. “That was the driving factor for these changes.” He added that they no longer send accounts to collections or check their credit. Members pay month to month, and billing is done every two weeks. “When they are ready to cancel, they can just cancel. No more making it difficult. No more making them come into the gym to do it.”

“We also changed the way we do the cleaning in the gym. We are adding new equipment and plan a grand reopening in January.”  They want to relaunch and show the public what they are doing at the gym.

The changes also benefit the staff, with each employee receiving a raise. There is also a new dedicated manager. “We made these changes to help with employee retention as well as to stay in line with the increasing minimum wage.” He explained this should solve problems with the cleanliness and maintenance of the gym as well as the professionalism of the staff. “I think we have effectively solved all of the previous problems we were having.”

Though he is unmarried and has no children, Carlisle has several people he has taken under his wing in an attempt to help them get on their feet and in some ways, considers these his children. At the coming grand reopening, Carlisle intends to launch his new nonprofit, The Sacred Grove. For many years, Carlisle has concentrated his attention on helping survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence. “We look for these incredibly talented and intelligent women, and we remove them from the situation. We get them into safe housing and give them a stipend to live off of. We get them medical attention.” He went on to give examples of some of the women they have helped. They have gotten braces, dental work, etc. taken care of for these women. One woman was diagnosed with leukemia, and they have been paying for her treatments. Now, she is in remission and is in college in Peru and is also working full time.” He said the goal is to provide these women with independence and stability. Until he started the nonprofit, Carlisle was funding these things either himself or with help from friends, but now, he will be able to accept donations as well. To find out more, visit the website at https://www.sacred-grove.org/.

Atlanta-based Workout Anytime is a premium, 24/7 fitness concept with over 190 locations across the U.S. Founded to provide members with state-of-the-art fitness facilities and an exceptional experience at an accessible price point, the brand delivers a strong, profitable business model for franchisees. Built on the foundation of “Think Big, Keep It Simple, and Do It with Integrity,” Workout Anytime is preparing for significant expansion across the U.S. by offering business-minded entrepreneurs a compelling opportunity to join a proven, rapidly growing brand. Franchise opportunities are available, and more information can be found on http://workoutanytimefranchise.com/.