VALDOSTA —Just one year ago, the Eikenberrys took over ownership of Winnersville Fitness.

The gym, 1711 Norman Drive, has endured a number of owners, and Melissa Eikenberry said she was always there along the way.

She began as a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym, the first gym to ever be housed at that particular location, she said.

“This is kind of my home gym” she said. “It’s where I started working out years ago, and it’s kind of like coming home.”

Melissa Eikenberry, who also co-owns FitMix Group Fitness and Personal Training with her husband, said they decided to purchase the gym and transform it into Winnersville Fitness after it was put up for sale early last year.

Melissa Eikenberry got into the business because she wanted to help others achieve their best results while Shawn Eikenberry’s passion for fitness stems from his time in the Air Force.

The husband and wife began working out in the gym while they were dating.

“We’ve always been around the fitness industry or in the gym or doing something,” Shawn Eikenberry said. “It’s always been a big part of our lives. It only became natural when the opportunity to buy this with where she started out. It made sense to do it.”

The Eikenberrys take pride in having a business that’s not only family owned but veteran owned, too. Melissa Eikenberry is an Army veteran.

All funding received from membership fees and more stays local, Shawn Eikenberry said.

“It puts money in our employees’ pockets,” he said. “Allows us to do a lot for the community and help out,”

Winnersville is equipped with dumbbells, treadmills, ellipticals, Bosu balls, battle ropes, spin bikes, stair climbers, weight plates, kettlebells, medicine balls, resistance bands and more.

Classes offered include pilates, cardio kickboxing, Zumba, dynamic yoga and cardio circuit. Various early morning boot camps are also available.

The gym has three stand-up and two lie-down tanning beds and an outdoor training area that features a tire course, pull-up bar and more.

Products such as water bottles, sports drinks and protein shakes are available for purchase.

For customers who are parents, Winnersville has supervised daycare hours, 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday and 5-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The gym employs 15 members and has received 600 new members within the last year, Shawn Eikenberry said.

“Every month, our memberships increase more than we lose,” he said.

Visit winnersvillefitness.com to learn about membership packages. Call (229) 469-4292 for more information.