South Cook News

At the March 7 meeting of the Village of Tinley Park Board, village officials welcomed representatives of Ground Rules Jiu Jitsu and Gas N Wash to talk about their operations in the community.

Fran de la Vega and Dave McAndrew, co-owners of Ground Rules Jiu Jitsu, approached the board to speak about their business. They had been to several board meetings within the last year to get permits and approvals for their gym as they were in the process of opening their business. 

McAndrew told the board that the club opened on Nov. 5, and in the few months since then, the gym already has close to 100 members. They range in age from 2  to 62. They have classes for adults in the evenings throughout the week and morning classes for kids, with open-mat sessions on Saturdays. Anyone – all ages, skills, and abilities – is welcome to come join a class or train. 

The board was told de la Vega and his wife teach most of the classes, both of them having trained in Jiu Jitsu for over a decade, starting as adults in their 30s. de la Vega shared how McAndrew and their other partner also started as adults, and their wives are also starting to train in it. He said that Jiu Jitsu is not a violent, fighting weapon to train in, like many think, but is a healthy way to move and get in tune with your body, while learning skills that can apply to real-life situations. 

Alex Kugar was also at the meeting to represent Gas N Wash, with the Tinley Park site the second location in the area. The business offers a variety of convenience items, snacks and foods, drinks, high-quality fuel, and car-wash options. It is located at 7451 W. 183rd St. Kugar thanked the board for the opportunity, sharing that his business was growing fast and he was looking to opening a third location soon.

Mayor Michael Glotz thanked the board's staff for giving the entrepreneurs a chance to talk about their businesses.

"Just to echo that [from Fran de la Vega], we have an excellent staff and board who are very pro-business and friendly," Glotz said. "So thank you to all our staff for supporting [Ground Rules Jiu Jitsu]. Looking forward to seeing [trustee William Brady] as an instructor there soon."