Summit City Climbing Company is reaching new heights through the power of community

Walk into Summit City Climbing Company in Fort Wayne’s East Central Neighborhood, and you’ll see ropes, chalk, and climbing holds. This small, 3,000-square-foot climbing gym quickly gained a following even before opening its doors. The co-founders built the business on a simple premise: put the community first and the rest will follow.

Before they could even welcome their first climbers, they faced severe roadblocks. The city delayed their certificate of occupancy, giving them a moving target of fixes and changes required before they could open their doors.

During this delay, the bills kept piling up. The co-founders had to pay rent and cover their staff without bringing in a dime of revenue.

“There were a couple of points where we started charging into credit cards, and just maxed out seven credit cards by the end of it,” says Co-founder Edwin Chow. “Because we were like, ‘Hey, we’re still not open yet. We’ve got to pay rent. We got to pay our people.’ So it’s like, this is what we just have to do.”

To make matters worse, the property was vandalized. The damage cost thousands of dollars to repair, and insurance refused to cover the incident. It was a discouraging blow that left the team questioning their path.

“There were a lot of points where we’re like, ‘When is enough enough? When do we stop this?’” Chow says. “But at the end of the day, we said, ‘Hey, this is for the community, and this is what we desire for the community. So let’s keep going.'”

Chow says the community-first mindset at Summit City Climbing carried them through the turmoil. They didn’t just want to open a place for people to climb. The vision was also to create a catalyst for good. 

This ethos is baked right into the co-founders’ DNA. Before opening the gym, all three owners worked extensively in the nonprofit sector. One served as a young adult pastor, another worked for an immigration center in Fort Wayne, and Chow worked for a parachurch organization.

“I didn’t know if I’d call it a strategy more than a hey, this is who we are,” says Chow. “Is it a strategy? I mean, you can call it that. But more than anything, it’s true.”

Because of this background, the men constantly look for ways to partner with local universities, high schools, and nonprofits to do good across Fort Wayne. For instance, when a severe cold snap hit the city, many individuals facing medical crises lacked basic winter gear. Summit City Climbing partnered with the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission to host a shoe and sock drive. The response from their members was overwhelming.

“We collected over 400 pairs of shoes and 600 pairs of socks in 10 days,” Chow says.

The momentum didn’t stop there. The gym later hosted a coat drive, gathering hundreds of winter coats for the same cause. It also partnered with Iris Family Support Center, collecting over two years’ worth of diapers for families in need. During the summer, staff teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne to collect sporting goods and balls so local kids could play outside.

Chow credits the generous spirit of Fort Wayne for these successes.

“Whenever we do a drive, or whenever we do a resource drive or support a nonprofit, they show up, and they give,” he says. “They’re truly a hub for social services.”

Chow also brings his military background into the gym’s operations. He actively serves in the Army National Guard with the 1^st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment in Fort Wayne. Naturally, the gym has become a training ground for local service members and regularly hosts local units and ROTC groups for physical training.

The gym climbing industry has started to take notice of Summit City’s unique approach. Case in point: the Climbing Wall Association (CWA) invited Chow and his team to speak at its annual convention in Salt Lake City this month. The CWA Summit draws thousands of industry professionals from across North America.

At the conference, Chow and his team hosted a session teaching other gym owners how to become destinations in their own towns. He challenged the notion that social media metrics and follower counts are the gold standard in marketing.

“We [spoke about]…how we redefine virality,” says Chow. “[This means] people in your community talking about who you are, whether they’re climbing or not.”

Chow also wants to encourage other owners to look beyond their climbing walls. In his words, “Our encouragement is, ‘hey, you need to be a staple for your community. You need to give to nonprofits. You need to do resource drives. You need to be a catalyst for good and kind of lead the transformation within your context.’”

Summit City Climbing shows no signs of slowing down. The gym is currently exploring partnerships with Fort Wayne Community Schools to launch rock climbing clubs. Chow wants to provide local students, especially those from low-income families, with a healthy outlet for their minds and bodies.

Whether an absolute beginner or a seasoned veteran, Chow contends that anyone can find a home at Summit City Climbing. Their youngest climber is five years old, and their oldest is a lively 72.

“We just love Fort Wayne, and we’re for the community,” says Chow. “So anything that we can do to support the community, we’re all about.”