Juan San Miguel was traveling to Florida seven years ago with his father to purchase equipment for the gym he was envisioning to laydown a marker in his young life.

San Miguel was in his early 20s at the time with few financial resources but determined nonetheless to see his goal through to completion. The Weslaco native knew he wanted the gym to have a Mid-Valley location.

“The whole trip I was scrolling (on his phone) and searching for a good location,” he said. “On the way back, my father says, ‘I know just the place.’ ’’

Getting back home, the gym equipment of dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and leg presses was put in storage as San Miguel searched for a location and startup capital. The location suggested by his father is in Mercedes, a 14,000-square-foot building, facing Expressway 83 on its northside and between Mile 2W in Mercedes and FM 1015 in Weslaco. The building had many previous uses, including being a church and an event center, and a first look indicated the facility needed extensive interior renovations.

Making It Happen

McAllen businessman Hasmukh Patel was the building’s owner and took a liking to San Miguel.

The elder business owner encouraged the aspiring young entrepreneur to pursue his dream of owning and running a gym. And so, San Miguel did. A key stop was one made at the Mercedes Economic Development Corporation. He needed startup capital, “desperately,” as he put it, and sought a loan from the EDC.

“I stood there and I was really nervous,” San Miguel recalled of his pitch to the EDC board and its executive director, Melissa Ramirez. “I had to do my best to make it impossible to say no.”

The EDC board would get to a yes answer on the loan. It gave San Miguel the break he needed to get things going on what would become Top Gym at 3039 W. Expressway 83 in Mercedes.

“Their help was crucial,” he said of the EDC’s assistance. “I thought, OK, I made it this far. Let’s open.”

‘Knew What I Wanted’

Getting to an opening date would take a few more months.

There were building renovations to complete and then subsequently dealing with the worst of the COVID-19 era in 2020. Businesses like gyms were limited on operating hours and customer capacity. San Miguel looks back at those months five years ago as just another challenge to get through – and having faith he would do so.

“I knew what I wanted in a gym,” he said.

San Miguel wanted Top Gym to be a go-to destination for serious lifters and athletes in the Mid-Valley. Being in Mercedes gave Top Gym an ideal location for commuters who wanted a convenient middle-of-the-Rio Grande Valley location for morning or late afternoon workouts. An “about us” description on the gym’s website describes it as “a no-nonsense training environment for those who want real results.”

“No group classes, just raw, intense workouts and a community that pushes you to be your best,” the website description continues.

Quickly fixing broken equipment is another important tenet at Top Gym, adding to the emphasis San Miguel places on customer service. Top Gym also features an extensive store with plenty of merchandise to go with healthy prep meals and juices. And there are two sauna rooms. It was in one of the sauna rooms where San Miguel says a new customer in recent years could not believe the youthful-looking entrepreneur owned the gym.

But he does. And the loan the EDC gave him over five years ago? San Miguel made good on it. As of mid-June 2025, it was paid off, he said.

Now, it’s on to opening a second location in the Edinburg/McAllen area as San Miguel’s next big goal while not losing sight of what got him to success from a modest start.

“The gap between good and great is getting better at smaller details,” he said. “People remember how you make them feel.”

-         Ric Cavazos