First and foremost, I am a husband to Tia and a father to our three children, Braxton, Dominic and Matteo. Tia and I have been together for eight years and married in 2019. Our boys were able to be a part of our ceremony which was very exciting for them and very meaningful for us. I was born and raised in Lincoln Nebraska. I competed in select hockey as a youngster, then bodybuilding after that and onto mixed martial arts. After a TBI in a serious car accident, I was forced to find a different way to stay competitive. After some time dabbling in endurance type events, I found CrossFit. Four years later, I’m training harder than ever. I’m a better all around athlete than at any other point in my life and I’m not getting any younger.
My passion for fitness began when I discovered the benefits of off-season training and “eating healthy” after my freshman year of hockey. I quickly saw how the benefits of exercise helping me in excel in hockey as well as building confidence socially. My passion for fitness spilled over into career potential when the nutrition store owner I was shopping with asked me what I was going to do when UNL started in the fall (this was the summer after my senior year). I replied; “Well, that depends on when you decide to hire me.” And that is when my career officially started. I began working the next day. That was 2005. My passion led me to achieve the position of “Director of Store Operations” in Nebraska where I directly managed the number one franchise in the country and oversaw three other locations.
After nearly eight years, an opportunity came to purchase a Max Muscle franchise in Omaha. I took the opportunity with my long time friend, Tanner Andrews. Tia was pregnant with Dominic so I felt compelled to make a move for the betterment of our family’s future. In 2019, we broke away from Max Muscle and rebranded to Elite Nutrition.
Over eight years later, I love my career no less than I did almost sixteen years ago when I started. I have a passion for fitness and spreading that to my family, friends and clients. I’m confident that many of my clients would tell you that we are just friends in fitness. I’ve always felt responsible for teaching a lifestyle as I never loved the idea of being a “pill pusher.” Our motto has always been my philosophy; “building lifestyles, for life.” I’m not just here to help you look better, but be the healthiest version you can be. I want you to achieve your goals, maintain and build on the goals. Also, to be a positive influence to potentially improve the lifestyles of your family and friends around you. This has been my passion for years and through my career. Of which I have been able to improve myself as a coach and making achieving your goals a reality. If you need the knowledge, accountability and tools, I’m here to help!
I am the old man of the group at 41. I have been married to my wife Nicole for 2 years. We have a large blended family, 6 kids, that keep us very busy. I have been a business owner for most of my adult life. Over the past 8 years Steve and I have owned Elite Nutrition, formerly Max Muscle, and it has been an amazing experience. Going from a franchise, to our own brand was a risk, but thanks to the work of our team and our extremely loyal customer base, we have made that transition successfully.
My fitness journey has been a long one. When I was 25, I was out of shape, overweight and overall not healthy. I had two young kids and I wanted to make sure that I could be active and around for them. So I hit the gym. At first it was a lot of cardio and some weights. Started doing bootcamps and got into running and obstacle course racing. I have ran 7 Tough Mudders, 4 half marathons and several other miscellaneous races. Steve and I ran 2 World's Toughest Mudders, that is a 24 hour race, in New Jersey and in November. The first year, we completed 40 miles and the second year we did 50, which was quite an accomplishment.
After that I started doing CrossFit. Did that for several years and then found Powerlifting & Strongman. These two disciplines have been my focus over the past several years. I have competed in 3 Strongman Events, taking 3rd, 2nd and 1st in my last competition. I have qualified for Nationals twice and I think that 2021 will be the year that I go and see how I stack up against the Nation's Best. I've competed in 2 Powerlifting competitions and finished 4th and 2nd. I love competition. It is what drives me. I also love the challenge of pushing my old body to do things that I never thought I could.
My passion for Fitness and Nutrition has been a long one and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to help others. I know what it is like to be out of shape and I know the work it takes to make that change. I also understand that to have long term success, you need to make it a lifestyle. It needs to be who you are, so that is why our philosophy has always been "making lifestyles for life." It is who we are and what we do. I couldn't be more proud of the business we have built, the staff that we have had along the way and the tremendous support we have received from all of you. Most of the people that come in have become great friends. I am lucky to be able to come to work, work with one of my best friends and talk to friends all day long while sharing my passion for fitness and nutrition. It truly is a blessing.
When it comes to guilty food pleasures, I have many. My go to right now is cereal. I just like it at all times of day. I have been better about measuring it, which is progress!!! My favorite is Cookie Crisp.
I have been with Elite Nutrition for over 5 years now. I’m engaged to my fiancé Monica and we both share a passion for fitness. I have been continuously educating myself and learning from experience in the fitness world for over a decade now. I am grateful that I have a job that allows me to help people understand and achieve a healthier lifestyle. At Elite Nutrition we always preach that a realistic and balanced diet is the key, and I have a hard time saying no to some Buffalo Wild Wings.
