EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS

Your fitness is her business

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

	TRR photo by Charlie Buterbaugh Cynthia Fracasse and friends stand in front of mural painted by Paulo Fonseca on the side of Liberty Fitness. (Click for larger image)

LIBERTY, NY — An hour with Cynthia Fracasse will reveal this entrepreneur’s drive to push the community role of Liberty Fitness beyond what standard health clubs have accomplished.

Her 10,000 square-foot building contains a nautilus gym with elliptical trainers, a full free-weights gym on the lower floor, referred to as “the pit,” with over 20,000 pounds of weights, a tanning booth, a steam room and sauna, the Moo Duk Kwan Karate Academy, led by Kathy and Joey Poppo, and the Main Street Dance Studio, led by Sherma Williams.

In addition to dance classes, high and low impact classes like boxercise, step aerobics, jazzercise, stretchercise, full-body toning and yoga classes are taught.

Fracasse is a master trainer with 14 certifications; she has the authority to teach others how to become personal trainers, and she intends to create jobs in Liberty with her teaching ability.

In addition to her professional attributes and fully equipped gym, Fracasse has proved that a business plan can gain support and resources from a multitude of community agencies.

A mother of four, she used to study entrepreneurial books while her son attended story time at the Liberty Library. Her successful business ownership is the result of numerous consultations with Sullivan County business development agencies, including the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC).

“They [CWC] believed in me wholeheartedly and walked me through every step of low-finance funding. With their help, I was able to open doors for Sullivan County since I was the first person to get this loan,” she said.

The Sullivan County Planning Department and the Village of Liberty also supported Fracasse’s plan.

“Although it took 18 months to pull all three funding agencies together, it was well worth the wait and patience. In the end, over 50 economic development agencies gave me counsel, preparing me for my entrepreneurship,” she said.

“I see a renaissance going on and I am excited to be in business in Liberty.”

Fracasse’s business has become something of a landmark in Liberty since one of her employee’s, Paula Fonseca, painted a mural on the side of the building, which was donated to the Assembly for Liberty’s Investment in Visual Enhancement (ALIVE), a renaissance project that was recently awarded $50,000 from Sullivan Renaissance.

“The mural projects the ethnic diversity of the county, unity, family values and the splendid colors of the Catskills. But, my wish is that everyone take it personally and find their own story in it,” she said.

“I’m in business to stay, just like the mural.”

The challenges of making a business work in a small town have certainly worried Fracasse, and she said she has put every last nickel into her enterprise. Fortunately for the town, she plans to take her experiences and teach kids how to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit.

Her next project will involve teaching kids how to raise funds and develop plans for community-based businesses; a program she believes will prevent youth from putting themselves at risk.

For more information call 845/292-0756.