Trapper Fitness Center co-owners Barb and Jim Gregoire are proof business partners don’t have to think the same to be successful.

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Jim, 65, approaches fitness with a precise and scientific eye, his wife Barb said.

The softer touches, including flowers and a mellow dog that lounges at their feet, is her influence, she said.

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But, the couple can agree that providing an outlet for better health is crucial.

“That’s the whole thing,” Jim said.

“It’s our passion.”

Craig Daily Press readers voted Trapper Fitness Center, 261 Commerce St., the best health club in Moffat County during the newspaper’s 2012 Best of Moffat County contest.

For Barb and Jim Gregoire (pronounced greg-WAH), appreciation goes both ways.

The most enjoyable aspect of the business is “the people in the community here,” said Barb, 56. “They’re wonderful.”

The Gregoires have run the business together for nearly two years. Before they took it on as a private enterprise, Jim served as the center’s manager through Colorado Northwestern Community College.

Exercise is a pivotal component of their lives both at and outside of work.

Barb and Jim moved to Milner from Laramie, Wyo., where they first met at a gym.

For their second date, they went for a run together.

“I’d always been a solo runner,” Barb said, laughing. “Not anymore.”

They take pride in helping customers from a wide range of ages and lifestyles.

“We can take care of hardcore athletes to middle-aged housewives to 90-year-olds,” Jim said. “We can find a fitness plan for almost any person that wants to get fit.”

Jim is a firm believer that movement is key to that goal.

“I know if I can get (customers) moving better, all else will follow,” he said. “They’ll lose weight. They’ll be trimmer. They’ll be toned. They’ll be healthier. They’ll be stronger.”

Barb relishes working one-on-one with customers, including those who usually shy away from gyms, and “watching their confidence grow,” she said.

“It’s just fun to watch people get stronger,” she said.

Since moving to the Yampa Valley, the couple has enjoyed the clientele they’ve worked with and grown to know in Craig.

“They’re really down to earth,” Barb said. “They’re real people.”

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1793 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com.