Scottsdale gym owner stands behind defiance of closure order, no mask rule

PHOENIX — A Scottsdale gym owner is standing by his decision to remain open and not require masks despite a closure order issued Wednesday by state health officials.

Jeff Mahaffey, owner of Self Made Training Facility, said he won’t close despite the order from the Arizona Department of Health Services because he believes there’s no reason his business shouldn’t be open.

“This isn’t some self-righteous stand or some money-hungry stand,” Mahaffey told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Tuesday. “I can afford to stay closed a lot longer than the people who work out of our facilities can but they rely on us to stay open.

“I’m damn sure going to stand up for small business so that we can stay open and they can keep providing food on the table.”

The closure order was issued because Mahaffey didn’t complete the attestation form required for gyms to reopen after they were temporarily shutdown statewide June 29.

Mahaffey said Self Made Training Facility’s Scottsdale location never closed, so an attestation form for reopening shouldn’t be necessary.

The private gym, located near 100th Street and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, has taken on more than 40 citations and $100,000 in possible fines during the pandemic as a result of staying open, according to Mahaffey.

The state health department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order against Mahaffey and the gym in an effort to get them to agree to the reopening terms stated in a previous executive order issued by Gov. Doug Ducey.

“We just didn’t think the data and numbers supported our gym closing,” Mahaffey said. “We just didn’t see the point in it to be honest.”

ADHS handed out the closure order during a week in which case levels in the state reached record numbers.

Health officials have been stressing the importance of wearing a mask in public settings — especially indoor ones — but Mahaffey said his staff and customers won’t be required to wear one.

The gym is by appointment only, so Mahaffey believes they can limit who enters the facility at any given time.

“I just will not mandate my independent contractors, my personal trainers or the clientele to wear a mask if they don’t think it’s necessary,” Mahaffey said.

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