What started with a rack of dumbbells, five members, and a vision has grown into one of Kentlands’ longest-running independently owned fitness businesses.
This year, Foundry Fitness is celebrating 15 years of serving the Gaithersburg and Kentlands community. Owner Eric Pellicci, a lifelong Montgomery County resident and Quince Orchard High School graduate, opened the gym in May 2011 with a goal of making trainer-led fitness more accessible.
“I believed there had to be a way to provide the accountability, guidance, and results of personal training in a more affordable setting,” Pellicci said. “Money comes and goes, but changing someone’s life is forever.”
Foundry Fitness began on Main Street in the Kentlands before expanding into three larger locations over the years. Since 2019, the independently owned gym has operated from its current location at 205 Market Street West.
Over the past 15 years, Foundry says it has helped hundreds of local residents improve their health while building a community that extends well beyond the gym. Some members have been there since the beginning, including one original member who lost more than 60 pounds and still trains there today.
Beyond fitness, Foundry has become an active supporter of the local community. The gym sponsors organizations and events including the Kentlands Kingfish swim team, Kentlands Under the Lights, and the annual Kentlands/Lakelands 5K. Each holiday season, it hosts a toy drive benefiting The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins and also sponsors and leads the warm-up for the annual Jingle Bell Run, which benefits the Arthritis Foundation.
Along the way, Foundry has earned multiple Neighborhood Fave awards and been featured on FOX 5 DC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the gym provided Assault AirBikes for Washington Wizards players to use while training, and the facility also served as a filming location for a Chevrolet commercial that aired during the 2020 Army-Navy football game.
To mark its 15th anniversary, Foundry has released limited-edition commemorative apparel for members and plans to celebrate the milestone with longtime Kentlands neighbor Vine Alley.
Reflecting on the anniversary, Pellicci said the milestone belongs just as much to the members, trainers, families, and local businesses that have supported the gym since 2011. “For 15 years, we’ve measured success not by memberships, but by the relationships we’ve built, the confidence we’ve helped restore, and the lives we’ve had the privilege to impact,” Pellicci said. “Our mission has never changed: help people become healthier, stronger, and more confident.”
After 15 years, Foundry Fitness remains one of Montgomery County’s longest-standing independently owned fitness studios, continuing the mission it started with in 2011.
