Beach’s Ian-devastated Hammerhead Gym finds a home in Cape Coral
A near Category 5 hurricane was no match for a United States Marine looking to follow his dream with his wife, despite Ian wiping their business clear off the sandy streets of Fort Myers Beach.
Armand McCormick, along with spouse and business partner Sarah, had just relocated to their own slice of paradise from Iowa, as they had opened a gym in the small town a year prior as a place for vacationers and residents alike to use. Their plans were to make the location even better, as they frequently vacationed on Fort Myers Beach and sold a portion of their business back home. They even opened a subsequent location between the beach and Sanibel.
In fact, the couple had been there just two weeks before Hurricane Ian forever changed the landscape of Southwest Florida.
Hammerhead Gym on the beach was flattened. Back wall caved in. Roof collapsed. Equipment strewn about. The location near Sanibel was flooded heavily with some equipment salvageable.
“We went from about two locations to zero really quick,” Armand said. “We stumbled upon a pile of rubble (at the Beach location). The entire back wall of the gym got knocked out and our equipment was thrown through it.”
Luckily for the McCormicks, their house located near the secondary gym location only suffered wind damage and no flooding, while their beach rental was decimated.
For any potential Florida resident, the dangers of a hurricane is always something you’re told when relocating. For that danger to be so present, so powerful, so soon, was something the couple couldn’t have imagined.
“We had talked about it before we moved down here,” Armand said. “It’s one of those things that everyone’s OK with. But I guess what you don’t actually think about is a building completely washing away. That was one that’s kind of not on the radar. It doesn’t feel like you can carry enough insurance or be prepared for an entire business just to wash away.”
Sarah added, “It was so much shock, really. We moved down here with this whole plan of being on the beach all the time and enjoying a whole different life than we were used to in Iowa, and none of that played out. It was really shocking and obviously emotional. It’s like losing a part of you. When you own a business and you really love it, it’s a part of you.”
Naturally, some doubt whether to go on or not crossed Armand’s mind.
“I would think anyone is a liar if they said, especially if they were in a case like some of the business owners and people who lost literally everything, they didn’t think about packing it up and leaving,” he said.
Sarah said the doubt didn’t come until six months after the fact.
“At first it was like, ‘OK. Get it back together.’ Motivation was high and you think you can make life normal again. Once I realized that it really was never going to be what I thought it would be, then I started to second guess.”
Armand, a former lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, was presented the Silver Star for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In March of ’03, his battalion was blasted with mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and automatic weapon fire. He drove his lightly armored vehicle into heavy fire at an enemy machine gun position and crashed it purposely into an occupied trench line. He then left the vehicle and continued fighting while taking direct fire making his way through the trench and continued to press forward with success. As fellow soldiers arrived, he returned to his vehicle. His actions greatly reduced the enemy’s ability to cause harm to his battalion.
When asked if his will and determination to go own after his business was wiped out had anything to do with his military experience, Armand said, “Yeah. Absolutely.
“The way I was in the military is very much the way I run a business. And if you talk to anyone that’s been a part of my team, they would say the same thing.”
Armand also gave credit to his wife.
“I couldn’t ask for someone better to be with, because (Sarah) just says ‘OK, let’s go.’ We started with nothing up in Iowa, and that’s been our mentality is we can defeat anything. We’ll do it. It’ll take a lot of effort and work. But we got it.”
While the secondary gym location, after a lot of hard work, time, and refurbishing, became operational, the McCormicks found another opportunity in Cape Coral.
The thought of “what are we going to do” in terms of providing financial stability for their home and two children was running across their minds.
“We were looking for anything to do,” Armand said. “People are still working to rebuild. People aren’t really looking to work out right now. We were scratching and clawing trying to figure out how to make money.”
It was Sarah that stumbled upon what is now a piece of their original vision come to life.
She found a building for sale in the Cape last April while still having ongoing repairs made to their home.
“It kind of clicked,” she said of what was formerly Gulf Coast Fitness on Cape Coral Parkway.
The McCormicks discovered the owner was not going to reopen the gym and was trying to sell. While they weren’t necessarily looking to buy, the McCormicks worked out a deal to lease the 10,000-square-foot location for a new Hammerhead Gym.
“The stars kind of aligned,” Sarah said.
Hammerhead Gym in the Cape opened on June 1 of 2023, and slowly but surely, it has come into its own.
“We bring to the table something different than what was here, and what the corporate-type gyms around the state offer,” Armand said.
Sarah added, “It took some people time to realize what we are and have to offer. We know fitness and that’s our passion. That’s why we own gyms.
“Once people started to realize our passion, the vibe in here totally changed and there’s a lot of energy.”
The McCormicks say what sets Hammerhead Gym apart is their attention to detail and accessibility. The gym is open 24 hours, 365 days. Memberships can also be purchased online. They offer high-level personal training, classes, and nutrition for all ages and levels. Armand and Sarah are often at the gym, always in the fold, and have a team of professional and knowledgeable trainers.
“The knowledge that we bring with our experience — we’ve been doing this for 20 years, each of us,” Sarah said.
Both Armand and Sarah have a CrossFit background, having coached and competed.
Armand also has his Masters in exercise physiology strength and conditioning.
“The level of programming here is probably unmatched to anywhere throughout the state,” Sarah said. “Knowing what to do when you go into a gym is half the battle.”
While it wasn’t always the vision, the couple are excited to have their business in one of the fastest-growing cities in America and to bring the highest level of service they can to residents.
“The amount of people Lee County is bringing in… it’s insane,” Armand said. “We’re starting to see the culture in the gym get better. The excitement is increasing every day.”
Sarah added, “I’ve been telling myself since last September that everything happens for a reason. I mean I feel that God put us here for a reason. And even though it might not show itself right away, I think we’re right where we’re supposed to be.”
The gym offers veterans and active military a 20% discount on membership, with discounts also available to police, fire, and EMS.
Hammerhead Gym in Cape Coral is at 1013 Cape Coral Parkway East. For more information, visit hammerheadgymfmb.com/cape-coral.