Staying fit and healthy can feel like a full-time job, which is why quality assistance and expertise at a convenient location are always appreciated. That’s part of why we were excited last Friday to help cut the ribbon on Mission Fit, downtown Sanford’s latest health and fitness option.
This family-run business is the labor of love of husband-and-wife duo Dr. Jessica Mertz and Coach Rick Plona, alongside their dedicated support team of family and friends. Originally started in a basement in Baltimore, Mission Fit moved to Apex before finally settling in Sanford thanks to the thriving small businesses community and opportunities in our area. Mission Fit offers a bit of something for everyone on their fitness journey, from strength training to physical rehab services to nutrition counseling to health education, and they are proud to work with everyone from elite athletes to true beginners. And through their partnerships with providers like Everbloom Pelvic Health, they can help their customers with more specialized training and therapy needs, or refer them to those who can.
We are very happy to welcome Mission Fit to our business community, not just for what they do, but where they do it. Mission Fit is the second small business in July alone we helped cut the ribbon on in downtown Sanford, joining Aunt Kay’s Classic Collections at the other end of Steele Street. They’re across the street from Digital Dragons 3D, who’s opening we celebrated in March. We could fill this whole column with the new small businesses that have located in downtown Sanford in recent years, but you don’t need us to tell you that our downtown area has seen spectacular growth and revitalization. Downtown is the center of our community, and each new business that opens there makes it a more enjoyable place to work, shop, and live – and makes it easier for the next business in line to open its doors.
We are, of course, proud of the growing attention that national chains and franchises are giving to Sanford and Lee County; it’s proof that some of our country’s biggest brands see our community as a good bet. But we are just as proud of the small, local businesses who are breathing new life into our community’s original center of commerce, shaping its unique character. Mission Fit may be a business with a special focus on building physical strength, but they are just as much helping to build the strength of our community’s commercial core. Welcome to Sanford and Lee County!