CHARLOTTE – Waxhaw residents Jenafer and Christopher Carelli are introducing a “smart-gym” concept to the south Charlotte area.
The couple will open their first location of The Exercise Coach on Aug. 30 at 6230 Fairview Road, Suite 290 in Charlotte. They plan to open another location by early 2021, likely in the Ballantyne area.
Outfitted with high-tech computerized machines instead of traditional equipment, the fitness studio concept offers highly personalized programs optimized for efficiency, resulting in only two 20-minute workouts per week.
The national franchise combines bio-adaptive exercise technology with the guidance and encouragement of certified coaches. Studios create an experience that blends personalized strength and interval cardio training in each session.
The couple moved to Waxhaw last year from New York.
From 2008 to 2018, Jenafer worked at the managerial level as a controller for a globally recognized hedge fund with more than $30 billion assets under management. Jenafer decided to pursue her second career at TEC to align with her passion for health, wellness and helping others while still utilizing her skills in accounting and management.
Christopher has 13 years of managerial experience with globally recognized companies, including seven years at the executive level with a financial services company running its office services and facilities operations for its New York City-based headquarters. After spending six years as a stay-at-home father for two boys, now 11 and 13, Christopher received a master’s degree in sports business management in 2011 and began working in sports business/media.
Recently, Jenafer’s mother was diagnosed with a rare brain disease, forcing the couple to re-evaluate their priorities.
“We knew we needed a better quality of life from the rat race in New York, to maximize the time we could enjoy as a family, to make a difference beyond our family and ensure we will have the necessary funds to send our kids to college,” Christopher said. “Ultimately, this led us to TEC, which checked off all of those boxes for us both: helping others, a successful business model, technical foresight and franchise expansion trends.”
Rather than use its proprietary technology to court the most athletic people, The Exercise Coach offers privacy, convenience, personalization, efficiency and guidance to change the quality of life for those less familiar with fitness.