Weight and conditioning center honors donor

  Tuesday, April 14, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University today announced that it will name the strength and conditioning center inside its new Robert W. Plaster Center in recognition of a gift from one of its alumni.

“It will be known as the ProMaxima Strength and Conditioning Center in honor of their generous gift of equipment,” said Kendall Gammon, director of development for intercollegiate athletics. “We wanted the very best for our university and ProMaxima certainly fits that requirement. Their gift is a wonderful addition to the Plaster Center.”

ProMaxima is headquartered in Houston, Texas, but its connection to the campus dates back to the late ‘60s when its owner, Bob Leppke, graduated from Pittsburg State.

“Bob is a big believer in hard work and strategic planning,” said Gammon. “It’s how he built his business, and why ProMaxima is an industry leader. When he saw the scope of the project and the level of support it had from our community, he knew he wanted his Gorillas to use ProMaxima equipment.”

Encompassing more than 11,000 square feet of space, the ProMaxima Strength and Conditioning Center is more than triple the size of Pittsburg State University’s current center.

“ProMaxima’s gift is amazing,” said Jim Johnson, director of intercollegiate athletics. “They are the top equipment supplier to our armed forces, which lets you know it’s the very best you can find. It’s great to have this quality of equipment for our students.”

Pittsburg State will receive ProMaxima’s gift of equipment, more than 20,000 pounds in total, on Tuesday, April 14. Student-athletes have volunteered to help move the new equipment into the Plaster Center.

“The level of excitement for this project is just incredible,” said Gammon. “Our student-athletes are excited for the grand opening, and want to do everything they can to make certain the Plaster Center is ready to go on April 21.”

The Robert W. Plaster Center ribbon cutting will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21. Tours of the facility will be available following the ceremony.

The Plaster Center was funded through a unique partnership of private donors, student fees and a $5 million investment from the City of Pittsburg. The 154,000-square-foot facility houses a 300-meter track, 100-yard turf field and the 11,000-square-foot ProMaxima Strength and Conditioning Center.