UNIVERSAL GYM TO BUILD NATIONAL DEALER NETWORK & TARGET $2 MILLION IN SALES

MAY 22, 2000, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA--Legendary Coach Vince Lombardi believed in Universal Gym Equipment. It was the only weight-strengthening equipment he ever endorsed.

Over the past forty-two years, the Universal name has become so much a part of the sports and fitness vocabulary that the name is synonymous with fitness equipment. "Universal" is used interchangeably the way people say "Kleenex" instead of "tissue" or "Xerox" instead of "copy." And there's probably not a professional athlete alive who hasn't used a Universal at least once.

Universal reaped $54 million in annual sales its top year and supplied fitness equipment to Olympic teams around the world before filing for bankruptcy in 1996. In 1998, six businessmen from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, refused to let the American-born legendary company die. When Flexible Flyer bought Universal in Florida bankruptcy court, it sold the rights to Universal's name and weight-lifting products to the Iowa Group.

Universal's new owners took possession of $1.5 million in inventory in early 1999 and brought the company's corporate offices and warehouse back to Cedar Rapids, home of Universal's offices and manufacturing plants from 1985-1993. The company's products are now manufactured in eastern Iowa.

"We were intrigued with the idea of bringing Universal back to Cedar Rapids and getting the company back on its feet," says Steve Sadler, Universal president and part owner. "Universal was a great company when it was in Cedar Rapids. Everyone I talked to loved working for the company. It was a quality name, American-made product and people took pride in that."

Sadler came out of retirement to steer the company that he bought along with brothers Tom, president of Sadler Machine Company and John, president of Sadler Power Train. Other partners include Peter Elliff and Gary Mally.
Universal resumed manufacturing in June 1999, and as of May 2000 is averaging $100,000 in monthly sales. The company currently has seven full-time employees and is painstakingly rebuilding its national distributor network by handpicking dealers who are well established in their region. Two of these "new" dealers are old friends. Bob Kennedy, owner of Universal Fitness and Leisure in Columbus, Ohio, has been a dealer for 30 years and Mickey Carroll, owner of Southwest Fitness Products in Tucson, Arizona, has been selling Universal for 22 years.

Universal's circuit from world-class manufacturer to bankruptcy court to rebirth in the Iowa cornfields is a story that began in 1957 when Universal Gym Equipment, founded by Harold Zinkin, leaped from California's Muscle Beach to launch the fitness revolution. The key to this revolution was Zinkin's multi-station weight equipment, called the "Universal Machine," which offered the double benefit of allowing more than one person to work out at the same time while also increasing safety by eliminating the danger of weights falling onto the user.

With this machine, Universal introduced the concept of circuit weight training, both for total body conditioning as well as supplemental conditioning for athletes. The revolutionary training machine featured several exercise stations with separate stacks of flat weight plates that moved up and down on solid steel runner guides. A unique weight key system allowed users to easily change the amount of resistance.

Since its introduction in the 1960s, Universal's multi-station Centurion has become the backbone of many high school and college weight rooms. Sadler estimates that there is somewhere between 50,000-75,000 Centurions in use around the world.

The multi-station machine was just one of the many "firsts" that Universal brought to the fitness industry. For example,
Universal became the first fitness equipment manufacturer to use computers to analyze the complex mechanical forces involved in body movement and athletic performance.

This biomechanical research led to the development of Universal's patented Dynamic Variable Resistance (DVR). DVR automatically and progressively adjusts the machine's weight resistance to accommodate the body's changing leverage during each weight lifting stroke.

Capitalizing on its experience with DVR multi-station machines, Universal developed a full line of biomechanically designed DVR single station machines.

Universal also introduced the Aerobic Super Circuit, a fast and effective workout that increases muscular strength, flexibility and cardiorespiratory endurance. The Aerobic Super Circuit combines circuit weight training and aerobic exercise to provide total body conditioning. The program also solves the problem of overcrowding as it moves from station to station quickly and efficiently.

Universal products are now used by schools, colleges, health clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, hotels and resorts, hospitals, sports medicine clinics, multi- housing complexes, fire departments, police departments, city recreation departments, official Olympic training centers, professional sports teams, government and military installations, and employee fitness centers.

Universal representatives have helped design and equip the national Olympic training centers in 20 countries, including two elite Olympic training centers in the People's Republic of China as well as provincial health program centers located throughout that country. Universal is also a major supplier of fitness equipment to foreign athletic groups as well as foreign-based U.S military.

In keeping with this pioneering spirit, Universal's new owners are determined to remain on the cutting edge of innovative exercise equipment and program development.

"Our philosophy during this reconstructive stage is to build on the solid Universal name that has always meant quality, fun and fitness," says Sadler. "Our goal is to have $2 million in sales this year, and re-establishing our national network of dealers ties in heavily with achieving this goal. It's an exercise in commitment, initiative and endurance, which is what the Universal name is all about." (Inquiries regarding dealer opportunities should be directed to Universal's Steve Sadler, president,

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