Jason Martinez’s career in retailing was taking off in the early 2000s as the Mercedes native returned to the Rio Grande Valley with the recent opening of a Foley’s department store at La Plaza Mall.

The McAllen mall went into another gear in that era after landing a big department store from a renowned regional chain with Houston roots. It was in those years that Martinez graduated with a business finance degree from the University of Texas San Antonio. He caught the attention of Foley’s managers who hired him and set him on a track to management after successful years of floor sales.

There was another element in his life where he was finding enjoyment and fulfillment, and that began to feel like a calling. It’s the world of fitness and body building and coaching others to be a better version of themselves. In 2004, he pursued that path, opening a gym in Weslaco with financial assistance from family to start the business. It would turn out to be a wise investment. 

Building A Business

Over the next 12 years, his Weslaco gym became a Mid-Valley mainstay as his own career in bodybuilding competitions took off. 

Martinez would become a recognized bodybuilder in the sport under the auspices of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness. It’s an international governing body that oversees many of the sport’s major events. 

Martinez has retired from those competitions. He’s now focused on another Mid-Valley gym he owns and operates, The Grind RGV fitness center in Mercedes. He opened The Grind in 2015 and would close his Weslaco gym the following year as corporate gym chains began to aggressively enter the Valley market. Now back in his hometown, operating a successful 5,000-square-foot gym, Martinez relishes the connection he has with members as he continues his work as a personal trainer and coach.

“I’ve seen what it’s done for me and how it has helped me,” he said of being fit and keeping up the work to stay that way. “It’s a fountain of youth. To hear members tell me that they feel better, more energized and that they feel better about themselves, that’s the satisfaction I get from helping people.”

Coming Home

There wasn’t much business activity to speak of on the intersection of Expressway 83 and Mile 2 E Road when Martinez opened his gym at the Mercedes East Plaza. 

The Mercedes Economic Development Corporation recruited him in 2015 to open at the new plaza with some incentives to encourage him to return home. Growth on the eastern edge of the city seemed far off back then but today it’s another story. The Gateway Travel Center has opened just down the access road from the plaza and is already proving to be a middle-of-the Valley hub for truckers and commuters.

A Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s are part of the travel center development area as developers gravitate toward the Mid-Valley and its land availability along the expressway. 

“There’s a lot of opportunity here with all of the open land we have in Mercedes,” Martinez said. “The city is growing more this way so hopefully that will bring more awareness.”

Fit & Connected

Martinez’s gym on a recent weekday morning was brimming with activity.

Fitness enthusiasts from Harlingen to Mercedes, and some smaller towns in between, were moving from station to station, utilizing free weights, plate load and pin select weights. There’s plenty of cardio equipment as well. There are as many women as men at The Grind, with Martinez commenting that “social media has opened the door that it’s OK to work out and lift weights, it’s not just a man thing anymore.”

“It’s not a luxury anymore,” he said of being physically active and exercising. “It’s now a necessity to better your life.”

If fitness enthusiasts pump iron at The Grind, they’re sure to get the attention and time of the gym owner and his staff. The connection to members is what makes the Mercedes gym feel like a great place to hang out and get busy working out with friends and staff they come to know well.

“I know my members,” Martinez said. “You’re not just a number here like at the corporate gyms. We build a bond with our clients.”