Stretching to achieve his goals

Dick Hartzell said he never thought of giving up.
By TRACEY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Dick Hartzell was stretched thin at times, but he never broke.
He believed in FlexBand, the product he invented, so much that he didn't quit, even when he was on the verge of losing everything. His perseverance paid off.
FlexBands -- giant, heavy-duty rubber bands -- are used in various training regimens to help athletes improve their flexibility, foot quickness, vertical jump and coordination. FlexBands are also used for physical therapy and rehabilitation for injuries. The bands are used by pro teams in all major sports, including the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL.
Hartzell invented FlexBand exercise equipment and founded his company, Jump Stretch Inc., in 1980. He operates the Jump Stretch Fitness Center on North Meridian Road in Youngstown.
Hartzell's son-in-law, Carl LaRosa, manages the gym, which features a 2,000-square-foot "rubberband room" equipped for FlexBand workouts and another room with traditional weights and cardio equipment. A chiropractor does rehab on the premises also.
Although FlexBand is doing phenomenally well now, Hartzell said it took a lot of determination and hard work to get to this point.
Hartzell, a Struthers High School and Youngstown State University graduate, taught and coached football at various high schools for 15 years. While coaching, Hartzell was frustrated with the injuries his players suffered while training on traditional fitness equipment.
"I was standing there in my weight room infuriated because two kids had been hurt and weren't going to be able to train for a while. ... I thought, why can't this be done on some type of a rubber product, and the answer came right back -- Jump Stretch."
The idea was born. Hartzell didn't know exactly what it would be, but now that he had the name, he decided to develop a product.
A rough start
Two years later, Hartzell retired from teaching and developed the FlexBands and a base to secure them to, a fitness device he called the Jump Stretch.
Hartzell said he was so confident in his product that he never thought twice about going back to teaching.
"I allowed my teaching certificate to expire so I couldn't retreat. You can't have one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat," he said.
But Hartzell said he had to weather several years of obstacles, including financial devastation, before his product finally took off.
"I thought some company would want to buy this brilliant idea, and I could make a million dollars and go retire, but it doesn't work like that," he said.
Hartzell said he invested everything he had in Jump Stretch, taking out loans, three mortgages on his home and using his teacher's retirement.
"In 1985, I had to go to Goodwill to get a turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and there were no Christmas presents. That hurt me," he said. "I wasn't providing for my kids, but I was on a mission, and you have to keep going even when it hurts."
Hartzell and his family moved to Alabama when a company there bought into his product, but after 2 1/2 years the company let Hartzell go. Hartzell had to hire an attorney to get the rights to Jump Stretch back.
Hartzell said that year was his lowest point. His father and sister-in-law both died, and he lost his home because of his financial situation.
"It was suggested to me on a number of occasions that it might be easier for me to file bankruptcy and just leave it," said Hartzell. "I said it would be easier for me to die than it would be to quit."
Back to his roots
He returned to Youngstown and began to bounce back. First he persuaded the Phar-Mor group to back his product. Then he opened a Jump Stretch gym in the Phar-Mor building in downtown Youngstown.
As the FlexBands gained acceptance, Hartzell became the strength-training coach for the now-defunct Youngstown Pride basketball team and began working with Jim Tressel, the former YSU football coach who led the team to three national championships.
"That gave me a whole lot of marketability and acceptability with the product," said Hartzell.
Hartzell began working with professional sports teams and said soon almost every team in the NBA and MLB was using his FlexBands. He had also implemented fitness programs for SWAT teams in some cities and for the Navy SEALS.
But in 1992 Phar-Mor backed out, and Hartzell found himself without a facility or financial backing again. An acquaintance let Hartzell use part of a warehouse for his business until Hartzell got a loan to build his current facility.
Since opening the facility in 1998, Hartzell said his profits have increased every year.
"I've done thousands of clinics and I've sold rubber bands on airplanes, in bathrooms, in parking lots ... anyplace I am," he said.
Hartzell said his family and his relationship with God are what kept him going through the tough times, producing a well-worn Bible as testimony to the times he turned to God.
"I study this Bible every morning and don't make any moves without prayer and study or without my wife, Cheri. God is first and my family is next," he said.
Hartzell said he has no plans to retire or move.
"People look at Youngstown and say 'bad, bad' but I say 'good, good.' I love it here, I grew up here, I don't want to go someplace else," said Hartzell. "And I'm not worn out. I'm going to do this until the Lord calls. As long I can help people, I'm going to keep working."
Spry and fit at 64, Hartzell is anything but worn out. He demonstrates the use of his FlexBands by grabbing one end while an employee hoists Hartzell's body into mid-air.
Although some people had their doubts that Jump Stretch would succeed, Hartzell said it never crossed his mind to give up.
"I like to win. I love to fight. When I decided to do Jump Stretch, the goal that I set for myself was to impact the world in strength training, and that's been achieved. Now my goal in the morning is how many people can I help today."