When we first met about 4 years ago, you had just
moved back from California and were looking for
a place to open your own gym. Why did you move back
to Joliet?
I moved back to Joliet because my daughter and her
mom had left about a year prior. Man, I really loved it
out there. I didn’t take a minute of it for granted,
especially when I found out I was moving away.
So you move away from everything you were working
for and essentially start over. What happens next?
Traction really heated up when I got back, and I got a
couple opportunities I’m really thankful for. I started
helping to run a nightclub in downtown Chicago as a
VIP Host. I was the guy suited up at the base of the
Penthouse Lounge, definitely playing the bouncer role,
but it was more about selling the guests to get in and
selling them bottle service. As you can see, my variety
of experience is pretty extensive. (He laughs.) At the
same time, I continued working in the fitness industry.
You know, I’m institutionalized in it, can’t really get
away from it. I was going from a couple different gyms
and developing sales programs for them to run a
functional business. That was a part time gig, but I also
h