An LSU graduate has parlayed the $3,000 in seed capital she won at last year’s LSU Student Incubator Venture Challenge into a new fitness business.
Andrea Roberts, who was among five winners to receive a share of $25,000 in total prize money at the pitch competition, has launched a family-friendly fitness center called FamilyFit Athletics. It’s located at 19973 Thad Cain Lane, Suite A1, in the shopping center anchored by Albertson’s at the corner of Highland Road and Airline Highway.
Roberts says her new fitness center, which offers personal training as well as strength and conditioning classes for both adults and children, focuses on fun and aims to eradicate what she calls “gym intimidation.”
“We base our programs on relevant physiological and psychological research that helps motivate participants and instill an enjoyment of fitness,” she says in a prepared statement. “We strive to eliminate gym intimidation and encourage children to associate exercise with fun, so they understand that exercise is important and can be fun.”
While the fitness center is geared toward families, Roberts notes that adult classes at the center are open to all. The center also offers sports performance training to youths through both group classes as well as one-on-one training.
FamilyFit Athletics recently reached an agreement with a basketball organization in Prairieville to offer private team strength and conditioning sessions to every team with children ages 10 and older, and the company hopes to arrange similar deals with other local sports organizations in the future.
A native of Opelousas, Roberts graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in business in 2004 and a master’s degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in sport and fitness administration, in 2013.
—Steve Sanoski
