Changes are coming to PMX ProMaxima, a nearly 60-year-old company based in the Gulfton Management District under the guidance of David Hoodis, who became CEO/president in January 2022.
David Hoodis & equipment for first responders
The changes at the manufacturer of strength and conditioning equipment include a rebranding, partly to make it easier for people to remember the company’s name.
The company may be the largest supplier in the nation of exercise equipment to schools.
Hoodis talks of parents remarking that their children work out at a particular gym without remembering the name of the company — ProMAXima — that made the equipment.
“They don’t remember ProMAXima; it’s a very hard name to remember. The name of PMX seems to be a little easier to remember,” he said. “It creates a more modern look and feel. I don’t want to walk away from the legacy that got us where we are today, but I also want to reimagine who we can be.”
That legacy began in 1967 in the 5300 block of Ashbrook Drive.
It started “pretty much out a very small little warehouse,” Hoodis said of the company. An office was built in the mid-1970s or early 1980s across the street from the multi-building warehouse site.
“We’re on six acres,” he said. “We have a lot of capacity to grow in our current location.”
The company has about 150 employees and makes gym-type work-out equipment throughout the U.S. and the world, Hoodis said — while obtaining most of its materials locally.
“The fact that we’re close to the Port of Houston is very helpful. So, we get a lot of products (through) the port,” Hoodis said. “Then also being in the Oil Patch (Houston oil and gas exploration) world, we get a lot of steel, and all the benefits of having a lot the steel companies.”
The Gulfton location suits the company, he said, because the nearby Loop 610 West provides easy access to transportation of the goods and his employees.
”The workforce is here. Houston being without zoning, you have pockets of industrial and pockets of residential, so we’re able to get workers that are very readily available and close to freeways,” Hoodis explained.
After graduating from Sharpstown High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston.
His background includes working in real estate, sporting goods, Walmart and other retailers.
Coming home to family was a big reason Hoodis returned to Houston after working in Austin, Dallas, New York State, Israel and other locations.
PMX ProMaxima was also an attraction: “I’m into a great brand that has potential to grow. I love the fitness industry because it is a growing business; people are really into it and it’s going to continue to evolve. What I saw was a brand that had a lot of opportunities for expansion and growth.”
Part of the growth includes integrating more technology into the use of equipment made by his business. He has invested with
an Israel-based technology company that is creating constant ways of tracking a person’s physical workout.
“That’s one of the big goals. It’s creating even a greater seamless experience for our clients — making it a one-stop shop, making it easier for them,” the owner said.
Hoodis said that technology has or is being tested both in Canada and Houston.
“People want to have better ways of working out,” said Hoodis, who added that he works out in a gym. “Part of working here was motivating for me to get in better shape.”
PMX ProMAXima makes exercise equipment for markets that range from schools to health clinics to the military and first responders, and Hoodis applies a personal touch by telling customers about the quality and durability of the equipment.
“We do custom colors that match the branding of the facility that we’re selling to, whether it be a high school gym, a commercial gym or a rehabilitation center,” said Hoodis. “Fifty percent of our business is (in) education. We believe we’re the largest manufacturer for K-12 schools in America.”
He said the company serves all Fort Bend County schools, for example.
Also, “we do rehabilitation equipment, and we do medical equipment,” he continued. “One of our largest clients is a 600-chain health clinic that does rehab for mainly seniors.”
A warehouse tour starts with outbound shipping, where a truck driver is helping a shipping crew load his truck as part of a deliberate fostering of teamwork. With its own fleet of trucks and nine drivers, the company’s ability to deliver and install its custom-made equipment is a competitive advantage as Hoodis sees it.
Warehouse space includes an upholstery shop where the focus is on making a product that will withstand use in high schools, colleges, the military and apartment complexes.
“Through years of trial and error we’ve created the right recipe for the seats/padding,” he said. “If we can withstand a middle school or high school kid, we can pretty much withstand anyone.”
The company customizes the equipment with colors and logos. Metal railings against a wall included a logo indicating they’re intended for the Alief Independent School District.
The crew includes 50 welders and top-notch cutting-edge machines such as benders, laser-cutters and a computer-controlled spindled cutter.
Hoodis talks of a 25-year employee who has grown from a material handler to a laser technician. While walking through the warehouse, he knew many employees by their first name.
He said Walmart, one of his former employers, set out straight-forward and simple principles no different than what is followed at PMX ProMAXima: “Treat everyone with respect whether it’s your customer, client or employee and they’ll come back.”
As the company grows, it will continue to share the wealth with its workforce, he said,
“So, when we win as a company, they are going to win as individuals. It’s growing talent and growing the business.”
“Every business is a people business,” he remarked. ‘If you create an atmosphere where people can thrive and survive and grow, then you’re going to see success. And we’ve seen that.”
Hoodis said employees make the equipment with care.
“We try to share the success with our factory. When we do an install, we show pictures and show the reaction of the facility and of the students, of the users. It’s an American-made product and we said that with pride and with certainty. And it is built to last.”
As the company grows, it will continue to ‘share the wealth,” he said, adding that last year the company gave employees the largest bonus ever given in its history.
“If you don’t believe you’re in the people business, whatever business you are in, then you’re going to fail. It’s all about people. People are your key to success. Treat them like they deserve to be treated.”
www.promaxima.com
1-800-231-6652
— by Karen Zurawski
