From One Gym to Northeast Ohio's Fitness Empire: The ONYX Story

I was in the crowd at the ONYX grand opening on May 1, 2017. The energy in that Northfield Center space was something: part gym, part pep rally, part proof of concept. Emil Gamidov, the founder and president, moved through the room like a man who had been waiting years for this moment. Looking back, he had. What most people in that crowd didn't know was how long the road to that opening had actually been, or how much longer the road ahead would turn out to be. One Location, No Guarantees Before ONYX, Gamidov ran a consulting company serving personal trainers and fitness professionals. It was a business that kept him close to the industry without the weight of a lease, payroll, and equipment debt. The Northfield location changed all of that. “When we first opened ONYX in Northfield in 2017, the original vision honestly wasn't as big or polished as what people see today,” Gamidov said. “At that time, the goal was simple: survive, compete, and prove ourselves in a very difficult industry.” Proving themselves meant going up against one of the most disruptive forces in the fitness business. Planet Fitness was in the middle of an aggressive national expansion, and when a location opened near ONYX in Macedonia, Gamidov felt it immediately. “Those early years forced us to become creative, resilient, and extremely hands-on as operators,” he said. He didn't run from the competition. He studied it and decided to position ONYX somewhere entirely different. Building the ‘Affordable Luxury’ Lane The concept that defines ONYX today, “affordable luxury,” didn't emerge fully formed. It was sharpened by pressure. Gamidov saw a gap between the $10-a-month budget gyms flooding the market and the old-school country club facilities charging steep monthly dues for aging amenities. Neither option felt right to him. “We believe people shouldn't have to spend country club pricing just to have a beautiful, motivating place to improve their health,” he said. In practice, that means members pay between roughly $30 and $70 per month depending on location and membership tier, and walk into spaces that include premium equipment, luxury locker rooms, saunas, pools, basketball courts, group fitness, recovery amenities, kids programming, cafés, and personal training. Not every location has every amenity; each club is built around its community. The philosophy, though, is consistent. The market has responded. Willoughby Hills hit 3,500 members shortly after opening. Solon, not yet open, has already attracted nearly 3,000 pre-registrations, and ONYX is currently signing up VIP founding members for an exclusive pre-opening event before the doors open to the public. ONYX now counts roughly 20,000 members across Northeast Ohio. “That has never happened to us before,” Gamidov said of the Solon pre-registration numbers. “The affordable luxury idea is catching on.” Closing the Beginning In September 2025, ONYX closed its Northfield location, the place where everything started. For anyone watching from the outside, it could have looked like a retreat. Gamidov sees it differently. “Northfield will always be emotional for me because that's where everything started,” he said. “Every entrepreneur has a first chapter, and Northfield was ours.” The decision came down to infrastructure. As ONYX grew, its standards evolved — larger footprints, better parking, stronger visibility, more amenities. The original Northfield space simply couldn't keep up. “I don't look at Northfield as a failure at all,” Gamidov said. “I look at it as the foundation that built the company. That location gave us our first members, our first team, our first lessons, and ultimately the confidence to expand. Without Northfield, there is no ONYX today.” Five Locations, Zero Outside Investors ONYX currently operates locations in Fairview Park, Niles, Twinsburg, Willoughby Hills, and Hudson , with Solon set to open soon and the Flats on the drawing board. Every dollar of that expansion came from within. “The company is still 100% privately owned by me,” Gamidov said. “We have no outside investors and no equity partners.” That independence has shaped how ONYX grows, slowly enough to do it right, fast enough to maintain momentum. Without investor pressure to hit quarterly targets, Gamidov can make decisions based on long-term brand value rather than short-term returns. “Remaining independently owned has allowed us to stay flexible and make long-term decisions based on the vision for the brand,” he said. The Hudson Bet Earlier this year, ONYX acquired LifeCenter Plus in Hudson for $2 million , a significant departure from the company's usual approach of building from scratch. The property came with indoor and outdoor pools, racquet sports courts, family amenities, and decades of community history. &ld