The Catalyst

Ocala's Next Mayor: Ben Marciano

• Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership • Season 1 • Episode 7

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Get to know the incoming  Mayor of Ocala, Ben Marciano. With his first term starting this December, he won the election uncontested thanks to his popularity and widespread support in the community.  Ben has become a well-known figure in Marion County since opening his highly successful gym, Zone Health & Fitness nine years ago. Learn more about his priorities for Ocala and why he felt called to public service.

Nonprofit Featured in this Episode: Kut Different

Ben Marciano
Mayor-Elect, City of Ocala
Owner, Zone Health and Fitness, Mayor, City of Ocala

Ben began his career in the fitness industry more than 20 years ago as a health trainer, quickly advancing to become the executive director of the Frank DeLuca YMCA in Marion County. Under his leadership, the facility grew in reputation and membership. With successful partnerships and philanthropic support, new programs were implemented to benefit members as well as the greater community.

In 2014, Ben and his wife Danielle became business owners, opening the first Zone Health and Fitness near downtown Ocala. Their second location, Zone West, opened in 2017 and is currently undergoing expansion to better serve the growing population on the Southwest side of Ocala. Zone Health and Fitness serves thousands of members with the goal of keeping Ocala safe and healthy for generations to come. 

He earned an associate degree in criminal justice from The College of Central Florida and remains active with local law enforcement to help drive community awareness and assist in youth outreach. He was instrumental in the creation of the Chief Greg Graham Legacy Foundation and is active with many charitable organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County, Project Hope, the American Heart Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Men’s Prayer Breakfast and many others. 

Ben announced his candidacy for Mayor of Ocala in December of 2022. After drawing considerable support from the community and endorsements from the Professional Fire Fighter of Ocala and Ocala’s Fraternal Order of Police, he ran uncontested and became Ocala’s Mayor-Elect. His term will begin in December of this year. 

Ben and his wife have 3 children and are members of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. 

The Catalyst is hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas Law Firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios, located in Ocala, Florida. New episodes, guests, and perspectives of leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

Natalie McComb:

The Catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership in the Ocala Metro, hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and economic partnership, sponsored by Douglas law firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios located in Ocala, Florida. Welcome to the catalyst. I'm your host Natalie McComb, Vice President of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership Foundation. And I'm joined today by mayor-elect Ben Marciano, owner of Zone Health and fitness. Great to have you on the show, Ben.a

@Ben Marciano:

pleasure to be here with you.

Natalie McComb:

So first off, congratulations on being the city of Ocala as mayor-elect. Did you ever imagine as a kid that you would be serving as an elected official?

@Ben Marciano:

Never honestly, this was about two years ago that it came on my heart, but I never would have thought I'd be a mayor of Ocala. Yeah.

Natalie McComb:

And what a privilege. We're very excited to have you. After running a successful business with two locations here in Ocala since 2014, what made you run for mayor after obviously, being very busy working on your business, expanding your business, you say that it kind of came to your heart? Can you talk a little bit about that? So when you talk about that, that personal

@Ben Marciano:

So lately, you know, early in my business, it was a lot about how can I be successful for myself, and it fulfillment, I guess, for you early on in the business you was always driving it. Being a business owner is not easy. So every day it was about going to work and making sure the business was successful. And I really was not fulfilled. When I found my happiness and peace is when I served others and I found some success, you know, but I also think a big part of served the community. And we really, we've done that well as an organization, zone health and fitness has, I think we've served the community well, and I've loved it. And that's really when I think of the mayor job is the job is to serve the community and make the community better. So it really is, I think it has been that fulfillment and growing your team. Can you talk it's my purpose and passion. And that's why I'm excited for it. a little bit about your team? Yeah, so I'm blessed to have an amazing team at Zone. Tracy, who is now the owner-operator has been with me since my days at the YMCA, she came over to zone and she's amazing. But I will tell you that they're like family. And early in my career, I was very much about driving people pushing them hard getting the results that we wanted. And today I'm more about how do I help them just be better. And because of that people have naturally grown with the organization and been more committed, and they've grown closer to me. So the more I serve others, the more they naturally come in. And it's just it's it's a great feeling.

Natalie McComb:

And for those listeners who may not be aware of what the responsibilities of Mayor of Ocala are in this community, can you explain a little bit more about what the role entails?

@Ben Marciano:

Sure, your number one responsibility is to oversee our police department, which we have an amazing Police Department, we're the fourth safest place to live in the country. So I think they're doing their job well. So my job will be to support them and serve them, you also have the ability to veto anything that comes comes before city council. So really almost have like the last say, and then one of the things that really intrigued me about the position is you have a lot of influence, right? As the mayor I want to use that influence to do good and to help our community be better. So as a mayor, you can make a call, open any door, you get people in a room, you could talk about issues, and you can really make a lot of positive change.

Natalie McComb:

I know one of the things that the mayor often gets as well as is they're sometimes the first person to get a phone call, right? Or there's when there's a challenge or, or something that you know, folks in our community are seeing. And that's going to be a big part of it as well as sometimes you're going to be the one that'll need to escalate that to the right departments, the folks that need to make a decision.

@Ben Marciano:

Absolutely. I already get the calls down. Yeah, you know, so and I it's almost like, I had practice for years going up to this because I've helped so many people struggling with addiction, they would call me someone struggling to find work. I have a lot of connections. You know, it really was almost like a training ground the last several years because I was so involved in the community to get ready for this position.

Natalie McComb:

And how do you balance that? I'm sure it's hard when you get a phone call and you you want to immediately jump in and say yeah, let me roll up my sleeves and handle it. But how do you balance it when it may be something that you can't

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, I think you need to know one of the things fix right away? that I'm really good at is knowing my resources and connecting people and I think that'll be that's a big part of the job too is knowing who in the community can actually who can help these people. So I try to use the resources in the community and just connect people.

Natalie McComb:

And you studied Criminal Justice at the College of Central Florida before starting your career in the fitness industry. But you remained very active working with law enforcement as an owner of the zone so explain to me a little bit more about how you've stayed supportive of our first responders and what you've done as a business owner.

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, so my grandfather who raised me was a retired New York City police officer and I looked up to him so much, I used to hear his stories and said, I always wanted to be in law enforcement. Obviously, it took a different career path, but I still have so much respect for them, I've had the opportunity to do ride alongs and just see what they go through every day. And they truly are amazing. So anyway, that I can support them and be there for them. We just we love supporting them because they the work they do every day to keep us safe is amazing.

Natalie McComb:

Any particular initiatives that you want to highlight that have recently created some partnerships for you?

@Ben Marciano:

I will tell you, one of the things that I'm proud of...we started the Greg Graham Legacy Fund after Greg passed away. He was an amazing servant and police chief in our community, we started this fund to not only make sure that his legacy lived on, but to support the things that were important to Greg. So we've used that fund to help people battling addiction, we've also established scholarships for firefighters that couldn't afford to go to fire college, we've started to look at ways how we could help for those who want to be able to become police officers. But I'm really excited about that organization, and what we've been able to do and the results we've been able to get.

Natalie McComb:

And that's wonderful, because you're also helping develop that talent pipeline for both police officers and firefighters, which are both professions we desperately need folks to continue choosing to serve our community and obviously stay in our community after graduating from fire college or wherever they choose to continue their education. That's wonderful. And what do you think is the top challenge facing local law enforcement agencies today?

@Ben Marciano:

I think it's retention and recruitment. If you were to talk to our police chief, that's what he would tell you. And I think across the country, I'm sure they're dealing with the same thing. I think we have an upper hand because we love having officers in the state of Florida, and obviously in the same thing in Ocala. We've recruited officers from outside our state, but we still need more. I mean, the way that our city is growing, we need to be able to recruit at a higher level and then also retain. We lose our officers after about three or four years in the job because they're recruited by the public sector, or maybe some of the stresses that they go through trying to raise a family, it's really hard on them. So we have to figure out creative ways to be able to retain them also.

Natalie McComb:

What would you like to see in terms of the support that we can provide for officers so that we're helping with things with like PTSD? Or, some of the stresses that they have on the job and dealing with. Those that may be struggling with mental health or addiction?

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, I think we've started. I know the hospital district has sort of defined programs to really help these guys, but they gotta want to talk about it and get the help. I think the unique opportunity I have is my perspective coming from struggling with mental illness and drug addiction. I think being able to share with those guys that courage comes when you speak about it, right. So I think continuing just to make sure that they know that you can talk, you can ask for help, and that we are there for you. And then make sure that those resources are available, and they feel safe to be able to take advantage of those resources.

Natalie McComb:

Well, and as we look at not just public safety, but your campaign platform focused a lot on on prioritizing mental and physical health, as well as preparing for strategic growth in the city in the county. So you shared in a recent interview that Marion County is ranked in the bottom third in the state of Florida for overall citizen health, which is pretty startling. So what do you hope to do as mayor to address that?

@Ben Marciano:

Yes, and I saw an article the other day that it is rated as the most unhealthy city in the state of Florida. And it just broke my heart to see that. So and it's, you know, when you think about it is a coincidence that I'm coming in as the next mayor with 25 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. So I'm really excited about that. So some of the ideas I have is really educating people, the importance of it, a lot of times when people want to make a change is when it's almost too late, like something serious has happened, I really want to educate people that don't wait until that moment, let's make the change now and it doesn't necessarily have to be something like joining a gym we would love to see people in gyms, but walking, getting out with the family being active. Those are all things that we can do. We have beautiful parks in our community. We need to start, I think engaging people more and getting people out. What I will do as mayor is form committees, specifically focused on my initiatives, and then I will bring the best people in from the community that focus on these areas. And we will build a plan around really making a dent in these issues.

Natalie McComb:

And I think a huge piece of it too, is I think when sometimes folks look at goal setting for their health, or even their mental health, it may seem like too big of a task, right? And that sometimes setting small goals is really what gets people to see that change. But then also that sense of communit,y and I think that's part of, especially during the pandemic, we may have lost some of that sense of community where you feel like you have that support structure. And I think that's what is great about joining a gym or being part of a group that walks together is you have that sense of community. Have those folks that can help you stay accountable?

@Ben Marciano:

I would tell you what, after COVID, that was one of the biggest things we heard we were shut down for, I think 45 days. And when people came back, that's what they said they missed the most was the interaction with others. And so yeah, you're exactly right, that community is such an important part of the success in that journey.

Natalie McComb:

And you know, I wasn't going to talk too much about COVID. But you reference 45 days closed, as a business owner. How was that? How did you get through those days and try and look at and, and see, like, hey, there's a light at the end of this tunnel, you know, we're gonna get through this.

@Ben Marciano:

I'll tell you, it wasn't easy. Um, we're part of a group of health club owners across the country. So we talked every day of strategies and different things that we could do. But, you know, I think leaders step up during tough times. And we called all our employees and and said, We're gonna be here for you. We're, even though we're shut down, we're going to make sure that we take care of you. We'll serve the community during this time. We had resources available cleaning supplies, we had food in our cafe that we knew was gonna go bad. So we said, let's feed first responders, let's get out our cleaning supplies to people who need it. Let's take advantage of this time to update our facility and have people painting and so we kept people in work. And we came together as an organization. And I think it made us better in the end.

Natalie McComb:

So obviously, we've talked a little bit about your own struggles overcoming substance abuse, and addiction as a young adult. And I know that it guides a lot of the work that you do in providing folks that second chance. So tell me more about how you've provided that opportunity as a local business owner to your team members. And not all business owners would take that

@Ben Marciano:

We do know a lot of the treatment centers around the area, I will tell you, even just a lot of our members are in chance, right? They may be afraid to hire somebody with a recovery they come in, there is a place down the bay, down Zone Plaza, that is actually a place where people go for meetings. But it was just important to me knowing that I got a second past addiction or, you know, a past arrest. You know, what chance when I was struggling to be able to help people. So we would you say to them if they're kind of unsure if that's the have a lot of our staff that have come either from maybe a treatment program or have struggled at some aspect of our life, and we've given them a chance. And they're always so grateful. And they always give their all. And I'll tell you, the thing that I enjoy the most is watching them develop into their full potential. It truly is awesome. I love it. right direction to go? And I tell you, listen, we've had our struggles along the way, it hasn't been all great. But I will tell you the instances that have been great have significantly outweighed the ones that have not, in fact, I have some people that are very high up in the organization that started off as a cleaning person, and have worked their way up. And to me that is just it's so worth it to see that and the difference they have made has been it's tremendous.

Natalie McComb:

And how would you describe your your leadership style?

@Ben Marciano:

I would tell you in the past, I was very much authoritative I would be on you push you, push you to the limit. Nothing ever, would make me happy. It was always about what the next step is. And along the way, I burnt a lot of people out frustrated a lot of people and I really was not a great leader, I really was not. It took someone very close to me telling me you're not a great leader, Ben. And it really hurt me. And I wanted to be a great leader, I just thought that that was the way to do it. And what I realized is that when I serve people and truly care for them, that's when people will follow you when they know that you care. So it was about three or four years ago that I made that shift and I would consider myself a servant leader is that I am truly someone that wants to help someone be the best that they can be. And that always comes first and then that naturally causes the people that you're with to naturally want to come closer to you and follow you.

Natalie McComb:

And what a friend, to be able to have that honest conversation with you and give you that advice. And for you to be able to receive it right. And sometimes we have to have conversations like that with with our employees as well, where we may look and say, you know, hey, I know you could be better. I know you could do that next step. But you got to give it just that little additional effort. And, you know, sometimes that's not an easy conversation for a new leader or a new business owner to have. Because they don't want to burn those bridges. Right? And they, you know, they want to inspire folks to do better.

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, my employees used to have a communication method that when I pulled up in the parking lot, that they would let them know I was there and they were, they'd be fearful. They wouldn't want me there. Right? Yeah. Today, they look forward to it. Like you get excited. And that's the difference. They're happy to be at work. And they're able to focus on their job and be successful and really impact people's lives because we make them feel great. Yeah, you know, so that's wonderful.

Natalie McComb:

And what have you found the most challenging as a business owner during this what nine years that have zone health and fitness?

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, I would tell you early on I used to think it was managing people. Now I enjoy that the most and really love that. But I would just say the constant changing. And in preparing, you know, you talk about strategic growth in You know, I think you can stay in your old ways and eventually that's what happens to a lot of businesse. They just out run their time, and then they shut down because they're not changing. You have to be ever changing and looking for what's new and creative, especially in the fitness industry. So we're just really, just constantly looking at how can we get better and to improve our services so that we can keep our members engaged and successful along the way. in your campaign platform. So in preparing for strategic growth what do you think are the top issues that you're hearing from the community that you hope to address as mayor? I mean, you hear the roadways are starting to get overcrowded and our school systems, it's growing tremendously. And I tell people, I think it's a bottleneck from five years ago, like we didn't realize we were going to have this unbelievable amount of growth, right? And growth is good, you want to grow, because if you're not growing, you're going backward. I remember in 2008, when it was the other way, and that was way worse, right? So I think we just want to be strategic about it and get in front of it and have the right plan. I do see good things happening. You know, we have City, County, School Board all meeting together now. So we just need to continue to do more of that. So that we're all on the same page, building the right infrastructure to support this growth. And I look at myself as a good leader and being a voice for the community to really make sure that we're making the right adjustments and changes as we continue to grow.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, And well, what other businesses or services would you like to see come to the City of Ocala?

@Ben Marciano:

Yeah, I mean, I think the one that was on my heart right now is the women's domestic violence shelter. We recently lost the women's domestic violence shelter, right. We do have services in our community, but I want to bring a new shelter into the community. One that really takes care of these women. And that is a place that they should feel proud of when they're in there. And we've had the opportunity to visit a couple outside of our community that I think are great facilities. So that'd be something I really want to make sure that we have. I think we're three times the national average on domestic violence in our community. So we need a great center for that. So that'd be something that I really want to work hard on to make sure that we get in place.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, that's wonderful and obviously a priority. That's what's immediate. Given the changes that we've had here. What advice would you give to other leaders who may consider running for public office because this was the first time you've run and have been successful, which is wonderful, but I'm sure it wasn't all easy and took a lot of thought and consideration.

@Ben Marciano:

I think the biggest thing is surround yourself with good people. I had a great campaign team. But also the thing, I really was very honest and transparent about who I was. I think sometimes that it's easy to get caught up into being what everybody else wants you to be, I just wanted to be real. And if the community liked that, then it was a good fit. So I just think, be real, and be transparent about what you want to accomplish who you are. I had a lot of skeletons in my closet. So I just shared them all. Yeah, and put it out there.

Natalie McComb:

I understand. So today is a special day for you in the zone celebrating nine years today. How are you celebrating?

@Ben Marciano:

So we have essentially a birthday party at the gym on Pine and we have food and giveaways and we're doing a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. And it's just a thank you like we're there with our members, thanking them. I'm there all day. And we're just appreciating them for being with us. And we have a lot of members who are been with us since the beginning.

Natalie McComb:

That's wonderful. And you reference the American Heart Association, I know you've served on a number and continue to serve on a number of nonprofit boards in the community and, and you're frequently utilizing Zone as a vehicle to obviously support the community through giving your members the opportunity support. But what's one nonprofit you'd like to highlight for the show today?

@Ben Marciano:

Well, the one that is on my mind right now is Kut Different. You know, and I have been spending a lot of time in the northwest side of town. And there are a lot of issues that they're dealing with, gun violence, you see young kids that are committing murders. They're getting involved in the wrong things. What I really love about this organization, it's really impacting that community and in teaching these youth that they can become something and really modeling for them. And I really love that and I think those those guys, Jamie and Myles really are doing a great job and I look forward to growing that program so that we can make even a bigger impact.

Natalie McComb:

Talk a little bit about so Kut Different what what they do and who they serve. Yeah,

@Ben Marciano:

So they specifically work with the black youth in the northwest side of the community. Well, actually all over Marion County, if you can get, you know, to the location that they serve, but they also go into the school systems. And it's just about teaching them that they have hope. They bring them to colleges, they introduce them to businesses in the community. They teach them values. I mean, they really, it's amazing what they're doing for them. I mean, I look at that program and wish I had something like that growing up and they're just doing a great job with them.

Natalie McComb:

Wonderful and we'll include a link on on the episode page for folks to learn a little bit more about Kut Different and what they do. And now a word from our sponsor.

@Sponsor: Douglas Law Firm:

Hello, this is Jeremiah block with the Douglas law firm. We are a full-service law firm with many practice areas to serve your particular needs. We are located in downtown Ocala at 110 North Magnolia Avenue. Coming from a seventh generation family here in Ocala. I am honored for our law firm to partner with the CPE to bring you these podcasts. We hope you enjoy it.

Natalie McComb:

So this is my favorite part of the show. We end with our lightning round questions. So just have a little bit of fun and get to know you a little bit better. Ben. So what trait do you value most from your team members?

@Ben Marciano:

I think it's their caring heart just the how they go out of the way to serve others. And when I talk to people, that's the thing that they tell me most about my staff they give, they tell me they're just so caring. And they are constantly serving the members.

Natalie McComb:

Best part about living in Ocala?.

@Ben Marciano:

The people. My dad is actually in town I shared with you. He's from New York, he said when you come to Ocala, it's different. People truly do care. You know, you can feel that. And I think it's it's that spirit of just caring in our community.

Natalie McComb:

Yeah, yeah. What was your first job? And what did you learn from that experience?

@Ben Marciano:

So I've worked at Scotties hardware as a hardware store back in the day, and I learned all the things not to do. I was a horrible employee. I really was. Yeah, yeah. So there is yes, you can change and grow through those instances, but I learned all the things that you shouldn't do as an employee.

Natalie McComb:

Nice. Okay. So maybe some of the things right, as you look back now, and you say no, no, we're not gonna go down that road. Right.

@Ben Marciano:

Exactly. Everybody's got to have a first job. Yeah.

Natalie McComb:

So who is a leader that that you admire and

@Ben Marciano:

I'm sure you know, Harvey Vandeven. But the look up to? thing I love about Harvey is he, first of all, he's so humble. And everything about Harvey, everything he does is about serving others. So because he does that, everybody just naturally wants to be around Harvey. They want anything that Harvey asks you're going to do because he truly has a heart to really just take care of people.

Natalie McComb:

Well, thank you, Ben, so much for being on the show. Today. Again, we have been Ben Marciano, mayor-elect for the City of Ocala. He'll be starting his term in December. And he is the proud owner of zone health and fitness which is celebrating nine years. So thank you for being on the show. Ben,

@Ben Marciano:

Thank you for having me.

Natalie McComb:

Thank you for joining us for another episode of The Catalyst hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership. Sponsored by Douglas Law Firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios. New episodes, guests, and perspectives on leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Have a suggestion for a future guest email us at thecatalyst@Ocalacep.com