TRUE Stories: Frank Trulaske
Founded in 1979, TRUE Fitness has become a leader in the commercial and residential fitness industry. You may know our name and our products, but we would also like to introduce you to the people behind the brand – those who help make up our TRUE family.
Over the next 12 months, we will be introducing you to a new face behind the brand you know and love.
Today, we are talking to the ‘face’ of our company – Frank Trulaske, Founder and CEO of TRUE Fitness since 1981.
Since its founding in 1981, TRUE has been built on two core guiding principles: Build the highest quality products and support them with superior service. “I decided, if we are going to get in this business, we are going to be the best, number one treadmill. That was the product we made for many, many years and that same philosophy is true today,” said Mr. Trulaske.
Frank Trulaske built the company on the core pillars of quality and service. “The idea really came from my father purchasing an American Tread X treadmill in 1979, and my brother and I helped him get it in the house and we began running on it. We were outdoor runners. At the time, was just maybe at the beginning of people running outdoors.” Over time, the duo had issues with quality, and decided that they could build a better treadmill. “This led ultimately to, I said to my brother, this could be a great concept for us as a business opportunity.”
TRUE Fitness continued to innovate over the years. In 1987, TRUE introduced the first removable safety key on a treadmill. The following year, TRUE entered the commercial space with the introduction of the 900 Premium Commercial Cardio Line.
In TRUE fashion, TRUE added to its lineup of premium features with the addition of the Soft System®, orthopedic treadmill belt, HRC Heart Rate Control®, patented Soft Select®, and the addition of ellipticals, bikes, the TRUE Stretch®, Alpine Runner Incline Trainer, and climbers. While the company was rapidly innovating, one key attribute remained TRUE – the commitment to putting our customers first.
“I think the way we put customers first in designing our products is to make them simple, less service, user friendly, beautiful styling. Products that meet the market needs of the customers,” said Frank. We have become the oldest family owned and operated company in our industry thanks to our focus on designing, building and servicing excellent products. TRUE holds a product design expertise, and provides exceptional product quality. In addition, we offer responsive service to ensure all of our customers are taken care of. We go to great lengths to deliver exceptional personal service.
When you walk through the doors of TRUE, you see a sign that reads integrity matters. When asking Mr. Trulaske why integrity matters to him, he stated “I believe integrity matters for many reasons. But, integrity is our word. If we say we are going to do something, we do it. We are here to be the best and support everybody that’s a partner with TRUE.”
Learn more about our founder Frank in our first installation of TRUE Stories.