This was my very first start up company. At the time I was a Pre-Med major, an avid fitness enthusiast and a personal trainer. I had a client request, from a very high net worth individual, to create the perfect workout experience in his home. I told him the close to perfect world have to be close enough, because a majority of the commercial fitness equipment that I had fault has an ergonomic, physiological or biomechanical issues in the way in functioned. He stated that was an easy fix, just find a way to build it from scratch. I laughed, he was serious. I pulled a number out of the air for me to attempt to build a few pieces of “perfect” fitness equipment, I thought I made it a high enough number that he would boldly refuse and I would be off the hook. Surprisingly, he wrote me a check for the full amount plus 20%. I took it as a challenge and thus spent the next two months researching commercial equipment, learning all there was to know about metal fabrication, to ball bearings to cable tensile strength.

I leveraged the talents of my colleges engineering and athletic departments. I conducted in gym interviews and read every trade magazine on commercial fitness equipment. My engineers, under my guidance to insure functional movement built around the human form, AutoCaded  the 5 pieces and a breakout / parts list of the individual components which would be assembled into the final unit. A few more attempts in fabricating finally yields the completion of my first order. Ironically, there was even a substantial amount left that I paid between the engineers and myself. The end product was well received and an entrepreneur was born. My first satisfied customer was so proud of his equipment he gave me referrals to several of his business associates including Billie Payne, who had recently won the 1996 Olympic Bid for the Atlanta.

Eight months and 11 Olympic facility contracts later, Cynergy had grown to a 102 piece commercial fitness line in a span of less than 12 months. Two local factories in Lagrange and Thomasville, Georgia produced my fitness equipment line on a full time basis.

By mid 1995, we were hiring designers, salespeople and an administrative staff to manage the chaos that can follow as you learn your craft on the job.  We rebranding the company and positioned our equipment as an exceptionally high quality, truly innovative fitness and rehabilitation line, while maintaining reasonable cost and outstanding customer service. By early 1997, we we awarded a $2.5 M GSA contract for 3 military bases and the Congressional gym.

Our competition took notice in mid 1998 we received 2 buyout offers. By years end, company was sold under an asset acquisition by January 1999.