BONNERS FERRY — Sam Brown, an owner of Apex Fitness and Martial Arts, wanted to move to a mountain town with his young family when it came time to launch his business. It was in talking with his family that his father suggested a place he had once traveled through but never stopped — Bonners Ferry. 

“I’m originally from back East,” Brown said. “I was talking to my dad one day, saying I felt like I should move out West again. He said, ‘Bonners Ferry.’ He had journeyed through here when I was 2 years old and never forgot the place.” 

After moving West, Brown lived in Montana for about five and a half years before finding a home in Bonners Ferry, where he has now lived for nearly 12 years. 

He later became a founder of Apex Fitness, which first opened at Three Mile, north of Bonners Ferry. The original space quickly became too small, prompting Brown to search for a new location. 

The current building required extensive remodeling before it could be used. 

“It took me about seven, eight months of six days a week working to remodel this place,” Brown said. “I didn’t want it; it was the only thing I could get. So, I had to work with what I had, and it was a good choice, because now this place has all kinds of kids' programs and it’s packed every day.” 

Today, Apex offers wrestling, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu and taekwondo. 

“Whatever there’s a need for in the town, we’ve done our best to provide it,” Brown said. “It makes the schedule crazy. It’s just a train of kids in and out of here.”

Brown said youth programs are his favorite part of the job. 

“I just taught a class with almost 20 kids up there, and in an hour, I’m going to have another 30 wrestlers in there running around,” Brown said. “Just the ability to spend time, build relationships with all these kids and their families, watch them compete, watch them grow — it’s terrific.” 

“I had my first jiu-jitsu grandchild, which is a joke,” he added. “I had a girl who started in my class as a kid who still trains with us. She grew up, got married and had a kid, and now her son is in my 4-year-old class. It’s cool to see that cycle.” 

This year, Apex started its own wrestling club in Bonners Ferry, in part to allow athletes to train year-round. 

“One thing I took away from my daughter being in the high school program for a couple years was that once high school season ended, she had nowhere to train,” Brown said. 

Though Apex had not previously hosted a banquet, Brown said the end of freestyle wrestling season felt like the right time, a sentiment shared by wrestling coach Doc Wright. 

“The banquet was a celebration of both the athletic and personal growth our students achieved during the 2025 folkstyle season,” Wright said. “While we honor their work on the mats, it was equally important to recognize the discipline, character and resilience they developed during the season.” 

Brown said Bonners Ferry is the heartbeat of Apex. 

“The support from local families and businesses is what allows us to keep our doors open and our mats full,” Brown said. “We don’t just see ourselves as a gym; we see ourselves as a partner to this community in raising a strong, confident and resilient next generation.”