People of Rock Hill: Get Fit With Troy

Troy was one of those kids who was good at most everything. He was singled out in third grade as having artistic talent and was a known athlete who added value to his baseball, basketball and football teams.

By ninth grade, though, Troy started drinking and smoking pot. He got kicked out of school a lot – so much so that he was 20 by the time he graduated.

Battling alcohol and substance abuse addiction and not knowing what to do after high school, Troy joined the Army Reserves to help pay for the architecture and drafting classes he was encouraged to take at York Tech. Neither path interested him and within six months he quit both.

Troy’s trajectory in life took a major turn when he landed a job as a bellhop at the 500-room Heritage Grand Hotel at the internationally-renowned PTL Club in Fort Mill.

Far from the view he’d have gained by taking other jobs at the resort, Troy’s job as a bellhop introduced him to a whole new world. He met people from all over the globe and was exposed to new ideas and was given a ton of responsibility – including the literal keys to the castle. His job was empowering, even glamorous. His confidence soared.

When PTL closed, Troy packed up his people skills and years of experience and moved on to hospitality positions across the city.

Troy’s success only fueled his drug and alcohol habit. At age 29, the good and the bad collided and things got ugly. Troy got his first DUI and wrecked his car. In an instant, everything changed. He moved back in with his mom, couldn’t drive. For two years, he was in limbo.

Then, in January 1995, he met Sandra. Their first date was at a gym called Coops on Celanese Road. Sandra liked to work out, and Troy wanted nothing more than to be with Sandra, so Troy worked out too.

That May, they married.

Everyday, Troy thanks God for his wife. She saw the Troy underneath the addiction and was willing to take a chance on a work in progress even though, as Troy says, he “he had neither a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.”

At age 35, after six years of marriage, he was charged with another DUI. Sentenced to one year of probation and outpatient therapy, he was at a crossroads … and he chose to walk a new path.

On his way home from outpatient therapy, he stopped by the Upper Palmetto Y and got himself a membership. For two years, he steadfastly worked out. Admittedly, he’d replaced one addiction for another, but this one bore fruit and the yield was plentiful.

Members started taking notice of Troy, and leadership did too.

In 2003, Lou Reeves – who was then the Fitness Director at the Y – offered Troy a part-time job on the fitness staff greeting people, stocking towels, cleaning up the gym. Lou’s gamble paid off. Troy proved to be an immediate asset, calling up the skills he’d first learned as a bellhop and making a major impression.

Troy earned an invitation to become certified as a fitness instructor. Within six months of gaining certification, he went full time. In 2006 – less than a year later – he was promoted to Fitness Coordinator and Personal Trainer.

At a client’s suggestion, Troy sought the opportunity to make a fitness video – the success of which led to a TV show with a four-year run. Called, of course, Get Fit With Troy, every episode was staged in a client’s home, demonstrating that everyone achieve health and wellness.

In 2009, Troy opened the first of many gyms. For the next several years, he tested new locations and refined the matrix of his success. Ultimately, he landed on a blend of in-home personal training and a comprehensive gym.

Today, Get Fit With Troy operates out of a 2,000 square foot studio on Anderson Road. And in Fall 2019, there’ll be a much bigger (7,000 square feet to start) sister location at Knowledge Park.

There’s a lot that intrigues us about Troy’s story, but it’s his business approach that made the Beyond Marketing team become instant raving fans.

“Too often”, Troy says, “business people hire fitness people and open a gym. They then hire people who look the part but haven’t had to fight to lose a pound in their lives.”

Troy went about building his brand the opposite way – he brought in business people to support his fitness vision and consistently hires those he’s trained to train others. Their journey is empowering and their influence is huge.

What’s more, Troy is selective about his clientele. The vibe in his gym is critically important: “If your heart’s not in it, Get Fit With Troy is not the place for you. If you’re heartbroken, though, we can fix that. Life’s too short to have a bad attitude. Let’s be happy, let’s be supportive. Let’s all give the best we’ve got.”

Troy’s building an army of loyal change agents and together they’re making a profound difference in the lives of teens and seniors and every age in between.

In fact, some of his clients have been training with him for since day one more than two decades ago. “It’s all about relationships,” he says, “We trust in each other and we accomplish big dreams. I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without them either.”

Reflecting on his journey, Troy is humbled by his good fortune: “I was given this. GIVEN this. And I’m going to give it all I have.”

Boom. That’s how you make lemonade, y’all. Cheers to your future success, Troy!