Stone Co. Climbing
College Station, Texas
Specs: 12,000-square-foot bouldering-focused gym has a target opening date of this summer. The facility will also offer yoga and assorted fitness equipment, as well as a Tension Board, a campus board, and several hangboards.
The gym was ultimately the result of eventual co-owner/COO Stewart Slack and eventual co-owner/CEO John Pritchard meeting at a church in Dallas. Slack, who has a real estate background, was already keen to open a climbing gym, and Pritchard had management consulting and climbing experience. Their shared expertise provided a perfect combination for getting the project off the ground.
Pritchard is a graduate of Texas A&M University, which also resides in the town of College Station. He says the gym’s development has been helped by the fact that there are many college students nearby who already possess climbing interest, experience, and a familiarity with bouldering/gym culture. “When a [Texas A&M] Aggie hears that you are a former student, there is an immediate camaraderie,” Pritchard tells CBJ, adding that top-rope and speed climbing expansions in the gym are possible in the future as well.
Architecture Firm: Arkitex
Walls & Padded Flooring: Vertical Solutions
CRM Software: Rock Gym Pro
Instagram: @stonecoclimbing
Website: www.stonecoclimbing.com
In Their Words: “We know how isolating the world can be. Climbing aims straight at the heart of that, so if Stone Co. can cultivate a welcoming and healthy community that changes lives for the better, we reach our highest goals.”
—John Pritchard, co-owner/CEO
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