Kyle Davis Deegan has gotten busy. As a corporate real estate attorney and partner at the Dallas law firm Locke Road, and as a parent to her two children, ages 3 and 5, she is able to balance her work, her new role as a parent, and her new role as a parent. , and was trying to balance her health. It was nearly impossible for her to cram everything in, especially when the various elements of her health routine are scattered throughout the city.
So she built a one-stop shop. Wesley Wellness Club opened in late October and offers multiple membership packages with a variety of fitness classes and spa features such as an infrared sauna, lymphatic massage and cold plunge.
“You can access those things, but you have to go to a separate space from the gym,” Davis-Deegan said. “You can't just work out and then walk across the hallway and jump out into the cold. That's what I wanted personally, to maximize my flexibility and feel my best.” Ta.”
In the months since the health club opened, Wesley has gained about 100 members across the gym's various demographics, with a steady stream of visitors from subscription services like ClassPass.
Davis Deegan, 38, invested more than $250,000 of his own money to start the club on Ross Avenue near Lower Greenville. She received a loan of approximately $1.4 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Without that, none of this would have been possible,” Davis-Deegan said. Although she earns a good salary as an attorney, she is a small and medium-sized business without the funds or access to information that she had, especially when it comes to knowing what resources are available from agencies like the SBA. I can't imagine becoming a business owner.
“That's why this program is so important, and that's why it's probably underutilized in some communities,” she said.
The loan paid for the gym's addition, furniture, equipment, labor, and even an initial stock of beet and kale chips.
Secretary of State Isabella Guzman, a member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet, visited the 6,800-square-foot health club on Tuesday as part of a tour of the nation's Black-owned small businesses launched with support from the SBA.
The SBA has doubled loans to Black business owners and tripled loans to Latino businesses, including in Texas, as the agency touts a small business boom under the Biden-Harris administration. said Ted James, the SBA's regional administrator for five states. .
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.5 million new business applications were filed in 2023. According to the SBA, this year is the busiest year for new business applications and marks the third consecutive year of historic growth for small businesses.
The SBA said the administration averaged 440,000 new business applications per month during the first three years of the administration, 46% higher than the average for the previous four years combined.
“16 million new small business applications were filed, black ownership rates are the highest in 30 years, and the number of black households owning small businesses has doubled,” Guzman said. . “These are really exciting times.”
The gym is equipped with lavender lockers and self-service acai machines. Davis Deegan's goal is for all members to know the story behind her and Wesley. The club is named after her daughter.
“This is my love letter to her,” Davis Deegan said. “She's there to encourage her to do her own thing.”
