Franchisee Profile: Bob and Kris Ireland Franchisees of Aurora, Colorado

Location: Aurora/Centennial, Colorado
Expected opening: Early July 2011


Q: Where are they originally from?
A: Bob and Kris Ireland are originally from Seattle, and have lived in the Denver area they are proud to serve since 1999 (and in Colorado for over 22 years).

Q: Before Franchising, what were they involved with?
A: Prior to joining the Max Muscle Sports Nutrition family, Bob spent decades in the corporate world, including a 30-year career with United Airlines as the Managing Director for the Flight Training Center. A graduate of Princeton University with a degree in aeronautical engineering, he began his career in his hometown of Seattle with Boeing.

Kris is a 30-year professional in the legal field having served as a paralegal with multiple firms in Denver, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also known as the mother of Katy and Jeanne, their daughters, and the center of Bob and Kris’s lives even though they’ve left the nest.


Q: How did they learn about the brand?
A: Bob has always been into fitness and after his career with the airline industry ended, he was able to focus his time on fitness. He developed a passion for leading a healthy lifestyle. His learning about the MMSN franchise opportunity came at the perfect time as he was very eager to continue down the path of health and wellness and could now do so through an exciting new career and help others as well.


Q: Why was this brand the right fit for them
A: Bob’s fitness roots started with managing and competing on his high school gymnastics team and college cheerleading squad. Challenged with family genetics of obesity, Bob has maintained his fitness through biking and working out, taking his regime to new levels during the run up to Max Muscle ownership with the support of Max Muscle’s superior products.
Kris is equally dedicated to her personal fitness, having long extolled the virtues of healthy eating, and growing up as the only kid at grade school with brown bread in her lunch sack. She has avoided “fad” diets while sticking to healthy alternatives, and made sure the kids knew the meaning of “complete protein”. Prior to their Max Muscle commitment, Kris also used Max Muscle Sport Nutrition’s products and became an advocate of the MMSN’s proteins, weight loss supplements, and nutrition plans.

Knowing that diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, both Kris and Bob have maintained and used their health club memberships continuously for many years. They look forward to serving the Centennial-Aurora-Southlands area and helping members of the community reach their health and fitness goals.


Q: How do they see the brand connecting with their local community?
A: Both Bob and Kris are extremely active in their community already and will use MMSN as a new way to provide value to the community. Currently, Kris is a volunteer chaplain at the Medical Center of Aurora and will complete formal education for the chaplaincy. Bob is a member of the Colorado Symphony Board of Trustees (and of the CSO Chorus), and a board member of the Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network.

They plan on connecting with the local high schools and proposing to create nutrition plans for student athletes. Similarly, they would like to become involved with the local fire and police departments to help develop nutrition plans for firemen and policemen.

Franchisee Profile: Colin Armbruster, Regional Developer for Colorado and Utah

Colin Armbruster has set ambitious goals for growing Max Muscle Sports Nutrition as a Regional Developer for Colorado and Utah and is well on his way to reaching them. He oversees ten locations currently open with seven more in development in Colorado, and one location with two more in development in Utah. Leading community outreach programs and spearheading mass business development efforts, this Australian native has taken MMSN by storm with his energy, creativity and passion. Colin is in continual contact with his franchisees (in Utah and Colorado) and is always working on cross promotions and community outreach initiatives. Colin considers a great career milestone that in Colorado alone, the franchisees under his guidance have serviced over 20,000 MMSN customers!

Where are you from originally?
I am from Australia originally. I was part owner in another business, Enterprise Asset Solutions, and then in 1999 decided I wanted to have a crack at the U.S. Market. When I got to the states, my office was in Saint Lois, MO. I then moved from St. Lois to Denver, CO and was doing International Business Development. When I met my wife, I knew I was tired of moving around and wanted to stay in one location and develop a business that had significant growth potential. I knew my international business development skill set could come in handy and was ready to take the step up from being a minority shareholder to owning a business.

Before franchising, what were you involved with?
Prior to franchising, my business acumen was international business and enterprise asset management, consulting, as well as software solutions.

How did you learn about the brand?
I became interested in franchising opportunities so much so that I attended three different franchise concepts' discovery days. I felt by far the most at home with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition. I really followed Max Muscle’s evaluation process. Additionally, I spoke with the franchise development people and got to know them on a personal level. As far as the corporate staff, I met with MMSN executives in California, and took great heed to do my due diligence. I knew this was a highly lucrative business.

What are some of your triumphs as a Regional Director for this brand?
I headed a Regional Director Leadership program for MMSN. I wanted to share not only “what to do” but also how to do it. My previous background working with documentation and systems really helped me know how to fine tune complex corporate initiatives in both a measurable way and one that is digestible to franchisees. I also talk about local community outreach programs to my franchisees so they know that as store owners, there is so much they can be doing to reach out to the community, which in turn helps to grow their business and the brand.

How do you see the brand connecting with your local community?
I do a regional newsletter that goes to 20,000 customers in Colorado. I keep it simple by focusing on community news. Relevant topics like high school student nutrition, weight loss stories and local trends from the perspective of MMSN. Writing about these and other respective topics creates brand recognition and credibility. Connecting with our consumers on a personal level is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work. By getting involved in 5k’s, marathons, fitness shows, and more, we are able to champion healthy lifestyles, establish relationships with our loyal clients, and build our brand.

Our commitment to our communities extends even further. As an example, we work with the U.S. Marines in Colorado to get them in better shape for recruiting. We also just participated in a charity event with Goodwill and worked with Ryan Cornell’s Golf Tournament to raise money for the heart wing in the Children’s Hospital in Denver.

Franchisee Profile: Mike Pringle Franchisee of Atlanta, GA

Los Angeles native and former NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL) star Mike Pringle is now with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, and he is gearing up to open his Atlanta, GA location in May, 2011. Pringle is an award-winning athlete whose career highlights include: Being inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame, scoring the most rushing touchdowns in 2004, and being listed as one of the greatest running backs in CFL history. Pringle had impressive stints with the Montreal Alouettes, the Denver Broncos, and the Atlanta Falcons.

Before franchising, what were you involved with?
Before I was with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, I was a college, NFL, and CFL football player. I had achieved great success because I built my life around hard work and dedication. I was interested in joining a franchise system that held my same values and centered upon my love of sports, nutrition, and overall health.

How did you learn about the brand?
To research the brand I spoke with a lot of people. I really wanted to know what Max Muscle Sports Nutrition was all about. I found the executives as well as the franchisees to be engaging and energetic. Existing franchisees spoke freely to me about their personal experiences and I felt really welcomed from the get go. After learning about the business model and brand, it solidified that this was where I wanted to be.

Why was this brand the right fit for you?
I knew I needed to do something that really fit my personality. After my football career ended and I began looking into different avenues and even dabbling in franchising, I felt I was missing my passion. I love being around athletes and working out. In fact, to me, working out was often more fun than the game. The culture at Max Muscle Sports Nutrition engages people like me every day.

How do you see the brand connecting with your local community?
There are a few things I do locally, but among my favorites is coaching youth leagues. I see a lot of parents pushing their kids to be the best, but parents often don’t know that kids need to be conditioned. It is imperative that these kids are on the right meal plans, and it has been fulfilling to work with coaches to help guide these youths to optimum health for a potential sports career later in life. I have also worked with other former NFL players to coach NFL hopefuls, track athletes, and even Olympic hopefuls to realize that they can achieve their goals, both in fitness and in life.

What are your future goals?
There are a lot of good areas to target with this opportunity. I am not only striving to reach out to elite athletes, but soccer moms and weekend warriors—anyone who is looking to have more energy. Everyone, regardless of age or ability can benefit from better health and nutrition, and this includes MMSN products and nutrition plans. I hope to continue my work with local students and charities and getting the word out that better health is doable. I am committed to growing this brand and look forward to owning five locations in the future.

Franchisee Profile: Fred & Cynthia Pressley Franchisees of Tampa, FL

Opened: October 6, 2010
Location: 1540 South Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, FL 33629

Husband and wife fitness fanatics Fred and Cynthia Pressley of Tampa, FL opened their Max Muscle Sports Nutrition franchise in October 2010. As first-time business owners in a tough economy, Fred and Cynthia’s success over the past few months has far exceeded their own expectations, in part because of their whole-hearted dedication to the endeavor. Despite often working over 60 hours a week (each!), the Pressleys took some time out of their busy schedules to talk about where they came from, how they got involved with Max Muscle, and where they’ll go from here…

Q: Where are you from and what did you do prior to franchising?
Fred: I’m from Pennsylvania and my wife Cynthia was born in New York, though her family is originally from Haiti. We both came to Tampa to get our masters degrees—mine is in public health and education and Cynthia’s is in Science. Both of us are also Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches™ through NESTA, as all Max Muscle franchisees are required to be. Before we got involved with Max Muscle, I was practicing law full-time and Cynthia managed two YMCA facilities in Tampa while working as a personal trainer.
Cynthia: I still teach exercise classes. I’m an instructor at Shape Fitness and also work full-time as a wellness coach for United Health Group, a health care provider, in addition to spending my afternoons and weekends working and managing the store with Fred. It’s a long week but I love what I do! I come from a long line of business owners—my family owns several businesses in Haiti—so it’s exciting that I get to carry on that tradition as well.

Q: How and why did you get involved with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition?
Fred: We decided we were interested in business ownership, but we wanted to pick something in which we already had a vested interest and substantial knowledge. We did some exploring, went to franchising events—it took awhile to find a concept we actually liked. Then we discovered Max Muscle Sports Nutrition. We were impressed with the corporate structure and liked the concept because of the health and fitness connection—we both have educational and occupational backgrounds in these subjects as well as a deep personal interest. Cynthia is a fitness instructor and wellness coach and I used to play NCAA Division 1 Tennis in college. So, we pulled together our finances and took the plunge—it was a risk but we were excited to start something new and different together.
Cynthia: Max Muscle Sports Nutrition gave me the ability to deliver more nutrition services to my clients in addition to the fitness services I provide as an instructor. By becoming Max Muscle franchisees, we also became Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches™ and were provided a forum through which to offer these premium services and products.

Q: Tell us about your experience so far. What have you accomplished? What do you hope to accomplish?
Fred: So far the experience has been great. Business has been steadily increasing and we’ve enjoyed using Max Muscle as a way to connect with and provide for our local community. We had a store opening celebration last month that was a huge success—the local all-female football league came along with several other local vendors. Right now, our main goal is to continue working hard and developing our business within the community. If all goes well, there is certainly potential for expansion.

Franchisee Profile: Reginald Lee, Franchisee of Tualatin, OR

Opened: October 19, 2010
Location: Tualatin, OR

Originally from Rochester, NY, Reginald Lee spent 30 years working in sales for the cable broadband industry and traveling all over the country, from Tampa to San Francisco to Spokane to Portland. When he found out about Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in 2009, he knew he’d stumbled upon a chance for a fresh start in an industry he’d always been interested in—sports nutrition. An avid cyclist and life-long fitness fanatic, Reginald opened his own Max Muscle Sports Nutrition franchise in Tualatin in October 2010. Here, he shares with us a little about how he got to where he is today.

Q: How did you learn about the brand?
A: Over those 30 years in sales management, I experienced lots of changes and consolidation and was constantly relocating. Finally, I decided it was time to try something new. I first heard about Max Muscle Sports Nutrition back in 2009; I learned that they were trying to open stores in the Portland area and I just really liked everything I heard about the brand. There were five successful Max Muscle stores in metro Portland before I arrived, but I saw that there was room for more.

Q: Why was this brand the right fit for you?
A: Max Muscle sells only high quality, legal products. They have an outstanding reputation as industry leaders, backed by an impressive system of above-board corporate leadership. Furthermore, fitness has always been an important part of my life. I played sports all through high school and I’m now an avid cyclist. At Max Muscle, we’re working with folks who are trying to change their lives. Our customers are comprised of a very diverse group of people and interests, from mixed martial arts to high school sports. All of these people are looking to better their health and lives, and I love being the person they turn to in order to make these healthy changes.

Q: How do you see the brand connecting with your local community?
A: We regularly donate to local charities and get involved in community events. I participate in the Regatta Run, a fundraiser in Tualatin in the name of local high school student who died in combat in Iraq, in addition to raising money for a scholarship fund in his name. We’ve also donated gift certificates to other fundraisers and foundations, including the American Lung Association.

Q: Tell me about your family.
A: My son is 29 and was a Washington State wrestling champion in 1999. He currently lives in Philadelphia. My daughter is 9 years old. She has been figure skating the past 4 years is current the 2-time U.S. Figure Skating Pacific Regional Champion. Our whole family has always been very focused on fitness, nutrition, and athletics. My wife, Kate, who also runs, rides a bike often and teaches and races in-line skating.

Q: What are your future goals? Development plans?
A: Our future goal is to open a second store in Gresham, OR, probably in 15 months or so. After that, who knows? I could definitely see us opening even more locations in the future.