By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Blink Fitness prides itself on the cleanliness of its gyms, so when the novel coronavirus pandemic forced non-essential businesses such as gyms to shut down, Blink franchises across the country found themselves with pallets of hospital-grade disinfectant, gloves, wipes and other cleaning supplies.
“A few weeks before the shutdown we placed a massive order,” said J.J. Potrikus, area manager for Blink Fitness Upstate NY, which has locations in Liverpool and Onondaga.
A Blink franchisee in Massachusetts began donating cleaning supplies to doctor’s offices, daycares and other essential businesses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A bunch of the franchises followed suit,” Potrikus said. “In a time where a lot of us are feeling helpless, this was a way we felt like we could help.”
Blink Fitness Upstate NY is partnering with CenterState CEO and the Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce to distribute cleaning supplies to essential workers in the Syracuse area, helping out entities such as the U.S. Postal Service, several local ambulance corps, the Salvation Army and the Rescue Mission.
Potrikus said Blink has donated thousands of dollars’ worth of supplies and has plans to donate more. The Salvation Army received 20 cases of sanitizing wipes, two dozen bottles of hospital-grade disinfectant and 10 cases of gloves.
Potrikus encourages other non-essential businesses to donate supplies if they are able to do so.
“Some of the bigger hospitals have a good supply chain right now but some of the smaller organizations — doctor’s offices, daycares — are struggling,” he said. “I think businesses that are closed should donate too. We’re all in this together.”
Essential workers and organizations in need of cleaning supplies can contact J.J. Potrikus at [email protected].
Aside from donating cleaning supplies, Blink is working to keep its members engaged on social media with daily workout videos and expanded access to its app, which contains 500 digital workout classes and other features.
“We’ve opened up access to our app to all of our members. … Usually it’s a premium feature,” Potrikus said. “There’s healthy recipes on there, there’s meditation and mindfulness stuff on there and how exercise can help make you feel good in times like these.”
While New York state’s stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines have many of us feeling cooped up, Potrikus said he is trying to maintain his routine at home and is working on professional development opportunities for Blink staff.
“We’re planning our welcome back party right now,” he said. “Everyone’s eager to decide how we can come back from this and how we can stay positive from this.”
