Norwin resident Bill Viola, Jr. found it surprising that there were no substantial fitness or health events in the greater Pittsburgh area geared toward a young, active generation.
Having previously competed as an athlete at the annual Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, from 1996 to 1999, an event hosted by weightlifting legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, Viola had the opportunity to meet Schwarzenegger, who not only recognized Viola’ s karate school, Allegheny Shotokan, as the top team in the nation in 1998, but also encouraged him to follow his dream of creating a health and fitness event in Pittsburgh.
It was then that the annual Pittsburgh Fitness Expo, the most established multi-sport expo in Pittsburgh, was born. The signature event, the“ Kumite Classic,” is the competition component. The expo takes place each year over Memorial Day weekend at the Monroeville Convention Center— the place it has called home since 2004.
This type of event was not only new to Pittsburgh; it was something different for Viola, too. But he had a wealth of previous life experiences upon which to rely, in addition to the knowledge instilled in him by his father.
“ I founded my company, Kumite Classic, in 1999. I was a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and had moved to Los Angeles to gain experience in the entertainment industry,” Viola explains.“ My father, Bill Viola, Sr., who is the co-creator of the sport of mixed martial arts, was a prominent sports promoter in the 1970s and 1980s, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I was accepted into the Screen Actors Guild and worked with some of the biggest producers, directors and actors in Hollywood. Armed with all of that, I was able to establish the Pittsburgh Fitness Expo.”
Viola notes that although most major expos have a full-time, year-round staff, he had just a vision and a few friends.“ I was a quintessential workaholic. That first year of the expo was built on passion. I am fortunate that I grew up in the game, so to speak, learning all that I did from my father, but I was still young, at only age 22. I knew my reputation would be on the line, and if the first event wasn’ t successful, it would be hard to rebound. I went‘ all in’ to make sure people took me seriously. It worked.”
To make the expo happen each year, Viola and his wife, Jenn, organize and complete everything. They have been together since the first expo took place and have now been in business for 17 years. Today, she serves as the director of registration, a job he acknowledged as the most difficult and stressful. Viola considers himself the producer, just like in the movies, a job in which he takes ideas and makes them happen.
“ Each day, I wear a different hat,” he says.“ I do sales, marketing, PR, logistics, social media and web development. I build the brand and put out fires. I operate at every level of the business. Over the years, however, Jenn and I have learned how to delegate better and trust our instincts. She has a business degree from Pitt and a master’ s from IUP, so she is savvy. We work well together.”
Viola admits, though, that if they both didn’ t have a true love for fitness, the expo wouldn’ t work. He also acknowledges their friends and family members, all of whom are the main reason the pair’ s annual expo has been a success.
Although the first expo was well-attended, Viola says that was just scratching the surface, as it did not include the expansive amount of events that are in place today:“ After the inaugural year,
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Viola in 1998.
Antonio Brown and Bill Viola, 2012 Kumite Classic.
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