While working for a military contractor managing recreational facilities at various overseas locations throughout Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan, Travis Luethe was right where he wanted to be.

Although he worked 12-hour days seven days a week in an environment where a mortar or rocket attack on the installation wasn't out of the realm of possibility, Luethe wouldn't have traded it for anything.

"I had a rewarding experience," said Luethe, who worked for both the Air Force and the Army during his five-year stint overseas. "It was a great chance for me to work with troops in a support role."

That role provided him the opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with a wide range of Army and Air Force leadership and build strong relationships.

"The camaraderie over there was huge," Luethe, 39, said.

But the Oregon native decided to come back to the states toward the end of 2010. He started searching for an opportunity to purchase a small gym and found Vital Fitness in Lakewood on a classified website.

"(The previous owners) had done all the hard work building the place up," he said.

Luethe purchased Vital Fitness in December 2010 and has been running day-to-day operations since. While working overseas, Luethe made sure to keep a normal, consistent routine for troops at his facility with a packed calendar of activities and events.

"We always had something coming up - something for them to look forward to," he said.

That could have been a road race or triathlon or other weightlifting or fitness contests.

"We wanted to bring a taste of home to them as much as we could," Luethe said.

And the former amateur powerlifter is applying all the knowledge he acquired working with troops overseas to his new endeavor.

"I want to be able to provide another fitness option for troops in addition to the base fitness center," he said. "This is a place where they can come and just be a civilian."

He's put a focus on making it a comfortable place for military spouses, as well as offering affordable and flexible membership plans so Soldiers or Airmen don't have to worry about being locked into a contract if they deploy.

"I just want to make it easier for them," Luethe said.

Luethe also enjoys the interaction he still gets with local troops. On one recent afternoon at the gym, Luethe was helping Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldier Sean Maly with some of his powerlifting exercises.

"It helps a lot to have (Luethe) because he knows all the guys in my local powerlifting federation," said Maly, a Wisconsin native who works out at Vital Fitness about three times a week.

Giving back to troops and their families isn't the only thing Luethe is passionate about. He has plans on hosting as many local fitness events in the community as he possibly can.