How the Dapto gym that runs on sweat not profit built social capital

Spurning government funding, Crocker's Gym instead relies on local business partnerships and private support

Crocker’s Gym gets a facelift, the first for more than decade, Vito Gaudiosi, right, said. Pics supplied.

A Dapto gym, all 11m x 11m of it, is a case study in sustainable social impact businesses aplenty across the Illawarra would envy.

Crocker’s Gym, opened in 1999 by former Australian middleweight champion and police officer Vito Gaudiosi, operates as a non-profit and remains a rare example of grassroots, purpose-driven business with deep community impact.

Yet for all that business longevity, Gaudiosi’s strengths lie beyond business fundamentals, according to his childhood friend, and entrenched Wollongong businessman, Ken Tugrul.