Capital MMA & Elite Fitness—Team Takoma

Capital MMA & Elite Fitness—Team Takoma is a high-performance mixed martial arts (MMA) gym that serves athletes and the local community, focusing on discipline, strength, and personal growth. With long training hours and high facility demands, maintaining a comfortable, well-lit space is essential for both performance and member experience.

The Opportunity

Running a high-performance gym requires dependable systems and efficient operations. For Team Takoma, the lack of air conditioning made summers especially challenging, with the gym becoming uncomfortably hot for both training and recovery.

They were looking for a way to improve comfort, reduce energy costs, and upgrade aging equipment without taking on a large up-front expense.

The Upgrades

Team Takoma completed energy efficient upgrades that included:

• High-efficiency HVAC system improvements

• Interior and exterior lighting upgrades

Through program incentives, 60% of project costs were covered, significantly lowering their investment. Team Takoma also utilized the Small Business Energy Advance program, allowing them to move forward with no up-front cost and repay their portion over time with 0% on-bill financing.

“I didn’t expect it to be as straightforward and easy as it was. They kept me informed throughout the whole process; it was really smooth,” said Jay Ferrari, founder and instructor at Team Takoma.

The Results

The upgrades delivered immediate benefits for both the business and their members:

• Improved indoor comfort—especially during hot summer months

• Enhanced lighting for safety and visibility

• Reduced energy use and operating costs

• No upfront financial burden

The impact was felt right away. Ferrari shared, “When I told people we were getting air conditioning, you could just see this wave of happiness go through the gym.”

By combining incentives with flexible financing, they were able to modernize while keeping their cash flow focused on growing the business.