Joseph Duenas has never deviated from his goal to provide Mercedes and the Mid-Valley with a fitness gym that’s designed to be inclusive and welcoming.

A Marine veteran and current firefighter and paramedic, Duenas got started with a Mid Valley Fitness gym in 2017 at the Mercedes Industrial Park. He would eventually move his growing gym to the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets. It would be the home for the Mid Valley Fitness for three years. Being amidst one of the region’s busiest retail zones gave the business a good visibility.

It also brought parking issues for the gym’s members and what could be long walks in hot Valley weather to reach the gym. All of that is a thing of the past with the recent move of the fitness gym to a location along Expressway 83, and just east of the outlets. The new address for Mid Valley Fitness is 7013 E. Expressway 83, Suite E, in Mercedes.

“Moving here, right next to the expressway, makes things so much easier for our members,” Duenas said during a recent Mercedes Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting celebration. “This location is smaller than where we were, but there are a lot of perks to moving this way.”

Hector Rocha, Jr., the chamber board president, praised Duenas for keeping the fitness gym in his hometown.

“Once a Tiger always a Tiger,” Rocha said of Duenas, a Mercedes High School graduate. “It’s wonderful to come here and support those who want to bring something positive to Mercedes.”

Programs For Everyone

Duenas kept his focus on finding another spot in Mercedes when deciding to relocate his business.

Where he relocated Mid Valley Fitness was once occupied by another gym. The space itself in a plaza located on the intersection of the expressway and Mile 2 E Road is a familiar one for local workout enthusiasts. Duenas has established a different kind of gym than from what formerly existed there. He oversees a staff of 10 that includes five coaches. The program and training options are designed to serve everyone from elite athletes to members trying to improve their health conditions.

There are group fitness programs for all ages, men and women, a MVF Kids program for ages 6-10, along with private training and nutrition coaching. Duenas is enthusiastic and welcoming, as is the MVF staff that he relies on heavily. He is a fulltime firefighter and paramedic for the city of McAllen, so the MVF staff is instilled with the gym culture Duenas promotes and believes in when he is not available.

“Everyone has different needs and goals,” Duenas said, referring to his gym members. “We help everyone. You can be training for a marathon or trying to reverse type 1 diabetes, we cater to everyone.”

Rocha of the chamber says it’s the kind of service to customers that enables Duenas to “succeed in a difficult economic environment,” in reference to current national trends. The chamber president says MVF is “differentiating itself from other gyms.” In line with that philosophy, Duenas speaks of service to the community and helping people to get healthy with the coaching and mentoring needed to reach their goals.

“Offering that option to get healthier outside of the medical industry means a lot to me,” he said.

Community Is Key Word

Duenas is equally pleased to be in Mercedes and continuing to base his business in the Mid-Valley city.

Mid Valley Fitness serves RGV commuters traveling up-and-down the expressway who stop at MVF for a workout. All business and memberships are appreciated, but Duenas has a natural preference for the community that raised him.

“Community is the key word,” he said. “Growing up in Mercedes, being from Mercedes, knowing the people here, this city has a special place in my heart. The heart of this gym is Mercedes.”

Duenas now looks ahead to growing his business and adding more space to his new facility. There are goals and aspirations at his MVF gym to serve more members looking to improve their health at a facility located in the heart of the RGV.

- Ric Cavazos

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