After growing up in the Florida Panhandle, Derek Millender made his move to Northeast Ohio to make his career as a trainer and coach for Cleveland’s beloved professional sports teams.
Derek first worked for the Cleveland Indians for several years before landing his current position as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head strength and conditioning coach—a position he’s held for 11 seasons.
In 2017, Derek opened Rise Nation Cleveland, a VersaClimber studio located at 1026 Euclid Avenue.
After visiting the flagship Rise Nation in Los Angeles in 2015, Derek decided to bring the concept to Cleveland, as he had already been incorporating VersaClimbers into workouts for decades.
In one interview, Lebron James even commented on his love for VersaClimbers and Derek’s workouts. “If I could only have one piece of equipment to train with for the rest of my life, this would be it,” said James.
We caught up with Derek to learn more about the evolution of Rise Nation, how the studio weathered the pandemic storm, and what he loves most about the Gateway District below!
What sets Rise Nation apart from other fitness facilities in the area?
Our concept is centered around the fact that our workouts are 30 minutes. A major part of the Rise Nation experience is the music and the lights. We have a really cool lighting grid in the ceiling that our instructors control through an iPad. So, let’s say I’m using a Post Malone song in the workout; I can then create a pattern in the ceiling that reflects the beats. We also have mirrored ceilings, so it looks like the lights are going forever. It’s like being at a concert while you’re working out! That’s what makes us very unique because it feels like you’re going to your own private concert while simultaneously working on your wellness and fitness.
What is the community like at Rise Nation?
It’s a very, very strong community. I knew going into it just with how loyal the city is and that grittiness and toughness that’s associated with living in Cleveland. What I didn’t know was how strong this community was going to be and how resilient they would be for us at Rise Nation. Going through the riots last May and dealing with the pandemic was tough, but it really made us stronger. We were fortunate to be one of the businesses that was able to reopen after the riots and the pandemic shutdowns, so I’m very fortunate and thankful that my team is so committed to running things the way we envisioned. It’s been a great experience for me both as a coach and as a business owner.
What do you love most about Cleveland and the culture here?
It feels like home now. I’ve found a really good tribe of people that I personally connect with, and I value that and know that it’s something you can’t take for granted. The sports are great, but that community feel is special. After those long winter months when the spring and summer hits, it’s such a great place to live and enjoy outdoors. In many ways, we appreciate it more than someone that has it everyday!
What’s the best part about being located downtown in the Gateway District?
It’s the main vein. If you’re going to a Cavs game, if you’re going to a Browns game, or to Playhouse Square, you’re right there. I wanted people to see Cleveland differently. When you go to a city’s downtown area, it’s a really good barometer on diversity, on the economy; there’s so many things you can visualize and see from a city’s downtown. I wanted us to be centrally located between the East and West Sides. When people visit or come downtown for sports games or entertainment, I want us to be an offering. So if you're staying at The 9 or The Kimpton, you can get your workout in at Rise Nation, go to Restore to get a smoothie, and walk to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later in the day. I wanted us to be a part of all that.
How did COVID-19 impact your business? What’s the plan going forward?
We had to shut down completely. Our machines are bolted to the floor, so we couldn't lease them out or have virtual classes. We shut down until June of 2020, so that was a big hit for us. When we reopened, we had two reopenings under the different restrictions and implemented new measures to our daily logistics—like capacity limitations, doing temperature checks, adding more time in between classes so our staff can clean, etc.
We’re still operating at limited capacity, but my goal later this month is to start slowly opening it up and have more climbers available. We want to be very cautious with how we reopen and make sure everyone knows we will continue to keep their safety in the forefront. It’s going to be a slow progression so we can learn along the way and make sure people still stay distanced. There’s a plan to it and we’re excited to get back on track.
To learn more about Rise Nation, you can follow Rise Nation Cleveland on Instagram or check out their upcoming classes.