Empower U Spotlight Series

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Interview: Zak Ziegenbein, Owner at CrossFit Millard

Address: 16919 Audrey St Omaha, NE 68136

Specialty: CrossFit Millard

Interviewer: Hey everybody, It’s Alex with EmpowerU. Today I got Zach Zigenbein with Miller CrossFit. We’re just going to kind of go over a variety of things and get to know Zach and his business more. So Zach, just to start out with, tell me a little bit more about your business and kind of CrossFit Miller and your journey of starting that up.

Interviewee: Yeah, yeah. So we started that in 2016. Started actually out of my garage. I had a couple clients there and then we moved into a retail space base later that year and it’s just grown organically from there. So yeah, we do mix up weightlifting, conditioning. You know, we’ve been a registered CrossFit affiliate now for almost 10 years, so heck yeah. Been doing all right.

Interviewer: Nice. What made you gonna get involved in CrossFit in the first place?

Interviewee: I was just looking for like something that was like more of a challenge and I was into like a kickboxing kettlebell gym kind of before that. Coached at that place for a little while and, and looked for cross. Found out CrossFit around 2012 or something like that. And yeah, it just was a good time. So it was a lot of fun.

Interviewer: Yeah, very cool. What did you do before you opened up your own gym?

Interviewee: I ran a business with my family manufacturing company and. But yeah, just got really into fitness and it’s always athletic and things like that and played a lot of sports and stuff in high school, college. But yeah.

Interviewer: Nice. Very good. So, yeah, kind of going off that what makes your CrossFit gym like a little bit more unique or would stand out compared to kind of any other CrossFit gyms around the area?

Interviewee: Yeah, we’re a little bit smaller than some CrossFit so we get a little bit more personal attention. We have brand new equipment. All of your things real nice from Rogue. And so it’s just. And it’s a good location. It’s real convenient for families and people that are working in here.

Interviewer: Where are you exactly located?

Interviewee: Again, we’re at 168th and Harrison.

Interviewer: Okay, nice. So you said that you get a little bit more one on one attention. What would you say you have like members wise numbers?

Interviewee: Oh, we float, you know, close to like 80 to 100 members. So yeah.

Interviewer: Nice. What’s staffing like at your gym? Obviously there’s you. What do you have? What else do you have?

Interviewee: Eric Mason, who’s our morning coach. And then Scott Toon helps out a little bit. And then also my wife’s a coach.

Interviewer: Nice. So in a given kind of Monday Through Friday or just a Monday, for example. How many classes do you have like offered in a given day?

Interviewee: I think it’s like 6, 5, 69 a noon, 4:30, 5:30.

Interviewer: So kind of. Yeah, everything that you could think of throughout the day. So say, kind of going back forward. Say there’s somebody that’s new and they kind of want to try out the new CrossFit, for example. They’ve never done it. What should they kind of expect going into CrossFit? What would they expect, you know, their first day?

Interviewee: Yeah, I mean first, first class is really easy. You come in, there’s a warm up, a strength portion and there’s some conditioning after that. You don’t really need anything special most of the time. Just athletic shoes, gym shorts. Kind of come as you are and kind of get into it as you go.

Interviewer: Okay, very good. So if we want to sign up for a class, you said there’s designated times. Do I just show up? Is there like an app or is there a website I should sign sign up for classes on?

Interviewee: Just go to CrossFitMiller.com it’s all there on the website. Just click try free class and you get up to five free classes and you can sign up online.

Interviewer: Yeah, easy enough, easy enough. So you said yeah, just kind of bring in your natural workout gear and then that’s all you kind of need for your first day much. Yeah, easy enough. All right. So kind of going off that we have somebody that might want to try it out. Do you have any like promotions for new people at all or like any like a free week of class or anything like that?

Interviewee: We do have to offer up to five free classes. So you’re always welcome to come in and try it for like an entire week and see how it works in your schedule. Come to different class times and try it out.

Interviewer: Very good.