“Gravity Vault, indoor rock-climbing franchise, targeting new facility in Lehigh Valley”

This article focuses on Gravity Vault expanding to Lehigh Valley. Jared Esposito discussed why he decided to go with the Gravity Vault concept and further discussed the real estate process of finding a facility. Lucas and Tim expanded on being named New Jersey Small Business Persons of the Year and further discussed the history of the Gravity Vault Brand. Read the full article here or preview below. 

“Gravity Vault, indoor rock-climbing franchise, targeting new facility in Lehigh Valley”

By: Nick Falsone 

Jared Esposito wants to literally get folks in the Lehigh Valley off the ground, but he first needs to figuratively get his own business plan targeting the region off the ground.

Esposito, of Upper Saucon Township, this month signed a franchise agreement with The Gravity Vault, an indoor rock-climbing facility in New Jersey that has won accolades in the growing rock-climbing community and from business leaders in the state.

The business’s founders, long-time friends Lucas Kovalcik and Tim Walsh, opened their first facility in 2004 in Upper Saddle River, N.J. A second one then opened in Chatham, N.J., but the agreement with Esposito would create the first one west of the Delaware River.

Kovalcik and Walsh, who earlier this year were named New Jersey Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, say what their facilities offer is far more substantial than the typical indoor rock-climbing apparatus found in some local gyms and collegiate fitness centers. The Gravity Vault will feature at least 30-foot-high ceilings and up to 20,000 square feet of climbable surface, the founders say.

Read full article here. 

"SBA honors owners of The Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym in Chatham"

Owners, Tim Walsh and Lucas Kovalcik traveled this past Tuesday to Washington D.C. and were welcomed as special guests to the White House. They have climbed their way to the top since opening in 2005 and are looking to the future, adding more locations. Preview how they got there below or read the full article here.

"SBA honors owners of The Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym in Chatham"

By: Independent Press

Two long-time friends and New Jersey natives, Lucas Kovalcik and Timothy Walsh know what it is like to climb to the top. They took their passion for fitness and rock climbing and turned it into a successful business.

Today the owners of The Gravity Vault LLC, a premier indoor rock climbing facility with locations in Chatham and Upper Saddle River, were named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2013 New Jersey Small Business Persons of the Year.

In making the announcement at the company’s Chatham facility, SBA’s New Jersey District Director Al Titone said Kovalcik and Walsh were selected for the award based on criteria that include: Staying Power (a substantial history of an established business); Growth in Number of Employees; Increase in Sales; Financial Strength of the Company; Innovativeness of Product or Service Offered; Response to Adversity and Contributions to Aid Community Oriented Projects.

Read full article here.

Refresh Your Training

Are you tired of the same old routine when you head into the gym? Thanks to Climbing Magazine we have some fresh ideas to try next time you come in. Read full article here or begin below.

"New workouts to refresh your gym training"

By: Julie Ellison and Alex Biale




Thanks to your local climbing gym, rock climbing is a four-season, every-day-of-the-week sport. It’s always sunny in the plastic paradise, even during the dark, cold, and wet winter months. Easy and instant access should do wonders for your climbing, but there’s a fatal flaw to many climbers’ training regimen: monotony. It’s easy to fall into a blah routine or just hop on any 5.10 with the shortest line. But infusing your workout (and it is a workout) with purpose, variety, and motivation will yield big results in your strength, endurance, and power. We teamed up with professional coaches and trainers to develop 13 workouts that will maintain psych for the gym and your winter training. The best part? All you have to do is climb. No complicated multi-month schedule to follow—just pick a specific workout and go. Of course, the upside to training is not only a more impressive ticklist come spring, but a beautiful and awe-inspiring physique to go with it. We know you didn’t get into climbing for those rippling muscles, but we haven’t heard any complaints.

Benefit key

Power: High-intensity movement or maximum strength combined with speed and the ability to do a hard move quickly and forcefully; climbers need this for “big” moves, lunges, and dynos, among others

Endurance: The ability to do lowintensity work for a long time, meaning how long you can stay on the wall

Power-Endurance: The ability to sustain high-intensity movements; being able to do many hard moves in a row

Technique: How to move efficiently with footwork, hand moves, sequences, beta, etc.

Continue to full article here.