Adventure 212 fitness center has Amherst connection

By Steve Ellingboe
The Spirit

At Adventure 212, it's all about finding that extra degree. The new high-tech fitness center, bistro and spa, which opened last month, is located in the Portage County Business Park in Stevens Point, but it has a definite Amherst connectiion.

The business is run by Amherst natives Michelle Peariso and Andria Davisson, and its principle investor is their father, longtime agri-businessman and entrepreneur Richard Pavelski of Amherst Junction.

The building, an ultra-modern 37,000 square-foot facility located just south of the Hostel Shoppe on John Joanis Drive in the county's Business Park, was built by Blenker Construction of Amherst. Both Michelle and Andria attended the Tomorrow River Schools through eighth grade and then went to Pacelli for high school. Michelle, who earned a chemical engineering degree from Michigan Tech, was previously an operations manager at Kimberly Clark in Appleton. She holds the title of president of Adventure 212 and oversees the day-to-day management and marketing of the center. Her sister, Andria, a graduate of UW-Madison, has a background in fitness training. She is certified as bothe a massage therapist and a Pilates trainer, and previously operated Pilates Place in Stevens Point. She serves as vice-president of Adventure 212 and will focus on creative class programming, Pilates instruction and massage therapy at the center. Adventure 212 is a full-service, family-focused fitness center with training areas for both adults and youth.

The adult fitness center includes traditional strength-training equipment and free weights, along with four group cardio studios, Pilates and yoga rooms, spinning classes, a warm-water therapy pool, whirlpool and a full gym for pick-up basketball games and volleyball leagues.

To complement its strength and fitness programs, Adventure 212 also incorporates on-site therapy and chiropractic services for those needing rehabilitation for acute sports injuries and longstanding aches and pains. A complete massage therapy area is also part of the center.

The youth section of the facility, designed for 8-to-17-year-olds, is a dazzling cutting-edge facility known as the "XRKade Club," which combines interactive cardio and strength-training with state-of-the-art video technology designed "to get young people both physically and mentally healthy," according to Michelle. In addition to traditional strength-training equipment, the youth gym also features an array of high-tech interactive gaming equipment, such as continuously moving climbing walls, virtual skateboarding and snowboarding machines, interactive kickboxing, virtual boxing, a Jackie Chan game, and an activity based on the popular "Dance Dance Revolution." "The goal of the program is to get young people both physically fit and build their self-esteem," says Michelle. "One of Andria's passions has always been youth fitness and fighting childhood obesity."

"The entire family can work out at the same time," says Michelle. "Adults can work out and do their thing, while their kids are also doing something active and fun and having the same type of social interaction as their parents, but with kids their own age." All sections of the center are staffed by personal trainers. New members receive an initial physical assessment so that a training program can be custom-designed for them. The facility also offers drop-in child care (including infants) for members, and a closed-circuit video system even allows parents to watch their kids on video monitors while working out. As part of thier commitment to being a full-service wellness center, Adventure 212 also incorporates a trendy Bistro that serves breakfast and lunch and offers an array of healthy, organic choices. The menu includes an assortment of healthy breakfast options and a variety of salads, wraps and panini sandwiches for lunch. The beverage menu includes fruit smoothies, healthy juices and a complete offering of gourmet coffees, espressos and cappuccinos.

"We really thought this area needed a restaurant where people could come for healthy, organic meals," Michelle says. The Bistro is open to the public for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Next door to the Bistro is Entree Vous, a new business concept designed to help busy families with meal preparation. Although open for less than five weeks, Adventure 212 already has nearly 500 members.

"We're very excited about the initial response," says Richard Pavelski, the primary investor and principal owner of the facility. "We've been getting a lot of positive comments from people and leaders in the community. The membership level is pretty much on track for the business plan we put together, so we're very happy with the first month's progress."

According to Michelle, the center hopes to have 1,000 to 1,200 members by the end of the year, and then continue to grow from there. "At 211 degrees, water is hot," she explains. "At 212 degrees, water boils, and with boiling water comes steam. And with steam, you can power a locomotive. That one extra degree makes all the difference," she continues. "We're all about helping people find that extra degree - taking the small steps they need to improve their whole self, not just their fitness self."

Adventure 212 offers various levels of membership options, and free one-week trials are available. Tours of the center are availble daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more informaiton, visit the center's webiste: adventure212.com or call 715-343-0212.