Before the sun rises, employees of Family First Dental of Kennewick are drilling hard — but not into teeth. They’re working out at Orangetheory Fitness gym in Kennewick.

A group of nine coworkers from Family First Dental at 419 N. Yelm St. in Kennewick regularly work out together before heading in to work. They call themselves the Sunrise Club.

“It’s a good way to get our energy out before work,” said Jenny Ingersoll, office manager at Family First. “Most of us are sitting all day. It’s fun to have that accountability where you know someone shows up to work, but they weren’t at the gym — you’re in trouble.”

It will be three years this June since the group took an introductory and private class from Orangetheory and started the habit of getting up early to exercise before tackling teeth.

Orangetheory, which also has a Richland gym, is a group workout center that uses heart rate zone training and a coach to personalize the workout.

“They make it a lot of fun, and I don’t have to think about my workout,” said Pat Redman, a dental hygienist. “They have it all planned out.”

The dental team’s results since starting their workouts at Orangetheory?

“I’m in a lot better health," Redman said. “I’ve lost about 40 to 50 pounds. We’ve also become more friends than just coworkers. There’s a lot more energy inside the office.”

“There’s more camaraderie,” agreed Ingersoll. “We’re doing something outside of work we can talk about that’s not work-related.”

“Anytime we’re working out, it’s great for our physical and mental health,” said Nate Watkins, partner dentist at Family First Dental Kennewick. “Just providing a better balance in life and creating a better work environment — I’ve definitely noticed the difference.”

Family First Dental Kennewick’s Sunrise Club wakes up early to work out together at Orangetheory in Kennewick before heading into work.

| Photo by Jamie Council

Watkins said he even sees patients at Orangetheory — for a workout, not a toothache.

While Watkins commands the floor at Family First, Head Coach Marc Leonard handles the heart rates at the gym.

Leonard called the Family First group “great people.” “They showed up every day at 5 a.m. I was like who are these crazy people? Love them. They work hard and showed up consistently. They are some of our biggest supporters since day one.”

The symbiotic relationship between the two businesses has curated a stronger community and highlights the best parts about two activities many people find tough: Going to the dentist and waking up early to sweat.

“Any time we can help other businesses to succeed and thrive, it’s going to help the community,” Watkins said.

Family First Dental has five locations in the Tri-Cities and Watkins said it strives to be more than just a place where patients get their teeth cleaned. The sunrise workout group demonstrates the type of environment people can expect at the clinic, Watkins said.

“I think it just shows the environment that you’re going to see and feel at Family First Dental,” he said. “We’re a close-knit group of people that provide great service to our patients. We enjoy being around each other, and I think it shows in the way we can interact with patients and develop those relationships. We provide great dental care and great relationships to those in the community.”