Businesses partners, R. Jon MacDonald and Robert Moffatt are set to build a fitness franchise. PHOTOGRAPH BY: R. JON MACDONALD   Oberlin Students Compete in VentureQuest 2002 By Tony Forbes DECEMBER 6, 2001--While most upperclassmen are worrying about graduation requirements and final exams, senior Robert T. Moffatt and junior R. Jon MacDonald are busy recruiting employees and balancing the budget for their company, Lo Fat Fitness. Lo Fat Fitness, a multifaceted fitness company that focuses on the success and education of the individual, began as a winter term project. Moffatt, an economics major from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, officially founded the company last May, recruiting MacDonald, a visual arts major from Worthington, Ohio, to help run the company. The mission of Lo Fat Fitness is simple, and focuses on helping individuals make healthy life choices. "Lo Fat Fitness gets people to start exercising if they are not exercising, and provides them with professional help to accomplish their goals," MacDonald says. "We can do this on an individual level, or for an entire company of employees." In addition to coping with the daily demands of their business, Moffatt and MacDonald have entered VentureQuest 2002, a contest for startup businesses that boasts a grand prize of $50,000. Sponsored by the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), the contest is designed "to help established and aspiring entrepreneurs take an important step in making their business dreams a reality by launching a regional business planning challenge." Having already participated in a COSE networking event, the duo is confident of success. "There is no doubt in our minds that we have a product that could win in the under-thirty or startup categories," says Moffatt. Regardless of its finish in the contest, Lo Fat Fitness seems to be gaining a local following. The company has already signed Sales Building Systems of Mentor, Ohio, on as a client with Lo Fat Fitness' wellness consulting program. The attraction for businesses, Moffatt explains, is "that companies offering wellness programs usually see reduced health care costs, greater employee productivity, and improved employee retention rates. These benefits will allow Lo Fat Fitness to develop even in a troubled economy." Moffatt and MacDonald are confident of their company's ability to succeed. "Even if we don't win the contest we'll continue to push the company, find investors and work to continue the success of Lo Fat Fitness," MacDonald says. Moffatt and MacDonald plan to increase the company's clientele this coming year, and will expand their services into the greater Cleveland market. Eventually, they plan to offer their services throughout the entire Midwest, says Moffatt: "We expect our business to take off from here. We currently plan to be in two more cities and to have sales over $1.2 million in just three years. Oberlin is simply our launch pad."
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