RJS Fitness Supports the “Shop Local” Movement and Becomes Certified Locally Owned.

Redondo Beach, California-----June 12, 2013-----Russ Samuels, the owner and founder of RJS Fitness first set roots in the fitness world working for a large multi-national gym. While he was grateful for the learning experience, it did not take long for him to realize that he had philosophical differences with the business model. He felt that the larger gyms were not doing enough to help people. Samuels explained: “It’s no secret that the goal of a large corporate gym is to enroll as many members as possible. What little they do for the members once they signup is disconcerting. I knew that I could create an atmosphere to nurture members who wanted to embrace a life of health and fitness.” It was this realization that moved him to open his own local independent fitness studio. RJS Fitness opened its doors in Redondo Beach in 1999 and has recently earned its Certified Locally Owned designation. “The focus of RJS Fitness captures exactly why independent businesses are so important and why we believe in recognizing and supporting them. At a corporate entity, clients are numbers. At RJS, clients are nurtured. They’re better able to give clients more personalized attention to achieve results,” states Heidi Butzine, founder of ShopLocal.us and creator of the Certified Locally Owned program. “It’s local indie businesses like RJS that help keep our local economies thriving, create jobs and in this case, has kept our community physically healthy for 14 years.” It does not take prompting from Russ Samuels to identify the differences between RJS Fitness and his peers. The list rolls out with ease. He points out that RJS has “career” trainers, as opposed to “summer” trainers. And his trainers work with clients by committee, offering clients greater flexibility with their personal schedules. He adds: “We like being identified as a better work-out experience. We’re proud to become Certified Locally Owned because we enjoy being associated with caring, high caliber businesses.” About Heidi Butzine Heidi Butzine is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, wine aficionado and shop local expert. Her most recent book, Shop Local: A Practical Pain-Free Guide to Shopping with Purpose, is the result of extensive, hands-on research and part of her personal mission to get more people to support local businesses everywhere and strengthen the communities where they work and live. A successful business woman with a knack for finding business solutions, Heidi created a successful consulting agency that was coveted and purchased by a Fortune 500 company. She runs several of her own businesses and works with organizations based around her passion for writing and travel, her love of wine and her desire to help small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. She is the founder of ShopLocal.us and Certified Locally Owned™ and creator of Wineopolis® Citizen's Guide wine travel book series. About Certified Locally Owned Certified Locally Owned makes it easier for people to find and shop at local businesses based on a proud distinction and certification of locally owned and independent businesses across the U.S. The Certified Locally Owned™ program was created to help local shoppers easily recognize locally owned or independent businesses based on our certification. The certification carries marketing benefits including being featured and marketed on the top-ranked ShopLocal.us web site as well as a unique business QR code, which marketing experts can attest is an excellent way to measure effectiveness of business advertising. For more information, contact: Mike Mena at 310-316-0612 or mike@ileanainternational.com. ###