Writer / Megan Jefferson
Joe Thatcher, a Kokomo, Indiana native played major league baseball for nine years. During the offseason, he’d drive down from Kokomo and train with Dr. Jayme Gordon, who has more than 20 years of clinical and teaching experience in sports medicine and performance. When Thatcher retired from playing baseball professionally, he decided to partner with Gordon to create Pro X, an integrated training and state-of-the-art programming facility for athlete development.
Pro X Athlete Development opened in November of 2017 in a temporary facility in Westfield. They always knew they’d build their own facility but thought it would be beneficial for them to start operating and learn how they worked with one another.
The business grew and they’ve since started building a large-scale, 60,000 square foot facility in Grand Park Sports Campus. This 400-acre sports complex currently features 26 baseball and softball diamonds, 31 multipurpose fields for soccer, football and lacrosse.
Casey Arnold, Vice President for Hamilton County, Community First Bank was approached for financing.
“The Pro X founders were looking for a relationship as opposed to just the commodity that is banking these days,” Arnold says. “We are proud to be a small local bank that invests in our communities.”
Pro X’s goal is to provide an athlete everything they need in one building.
“It’s the integration of sports performance training, rehab and physical therapy and also sports specific skill instruction,” Thatcher says. “So, the idea is that an athlete can come in and get bigger, faster and stronger. They can work physically on their health and injuries and can also practice.”
The business has hired expert staff to implement programming. They have plans to work with a soccer organization and have soccer athletes as young as two or three years old in programs. They will also work with individuals of all ages and teams in both private training and small group classes. There is a football division that will provide a pre-combine training program for future NFL players training for the combine and the draft. At the current facility, they have numerous professional baseball players that train with them all winter long. Baseball specific training includes private hitting classes, pitching development and arm care programs, camps by MLB players, position-based skill development camps and team practices.
The new Pro X building will open in a couple of months. Thatcher feels Pro X will complement Grand Park nicely and help it and the city of Westfield grow.
“We will attract the best athletes from around the country,” he says, “They will be here training and will be spending time in Westfield. We are excited. It will be the premier training facility in the Midwest.”
Thatcher feels fortunate that he has the opportunity to interact with future athletes.
“I was lucky enough to play at the highest level for a long time, experience some amazing things and learn a lot,” he says. “If I can help some kid experience half the things that I did playing sports and it helps them grow, become a better person and make a positive impact on their life, that’s the ultimate reason for doing this.”
Learn more about Pro X at proxathlete.com.
