[Q&A]


ATHLETE OWNED COMPANIES SUPPORTING ATHLETES


By: Kevin Loughery Athlete-run businesses are


nothing new in the sports world. After all, who better to produce gear for athletes then those who participate in those sports? At USA Weight- lifting, however, two athletes- turned-entrepreneurs


have


raised that bar. Samantha Zimmerman, founder of Kilo Gear wrist wraps, and Greg Everett, founder of Catalyst Athletics, are supporting the USA Weightlifting 2013 World Championships Team by sup- plying the team members with wrist wraps for competi- tion/training and straps for training for this year’s compe- tition.


USA Weightlifting caught up with the two business owners:


What gave you the idea for your company?


Kilo Gear- “I hurt my wrist not too long ago and I liked the support that you got from the elastic wraps, but they’re kind of boring and black—the ones that most weightlifters wear. I saw the ones that Cross-Fitters were wearing and they were really bright and colorful, so my grandmother and I sat down to try to find a way to combine the elastic with the bright colors, and we came up with that design. I found a seamstress who mass produced them for me.”


“I search fabrics through local or whole- sale fabric companies, and find what- ever customers want and price it based


10 >> WEIGHTLIFTING.TEAMUSA.ORG


on how much the fabric costs. I come up with the designs myself and then the seamstress sews them. She’s local in Mobile, Ala., so everything is made in the United States.”


Catalyst Athletics- “I started Catalyst Athletics in 2006 and it kind of took over another company I had called The Per- formance Menu, which is a digital jour- nal we’ve been publishing since 2004. We opened the current gym we’re in now in 2008.”


How much time between coming up with the idea and having a finished product?


Kilo Gear - “It really didn’t take long at all, but I didn’t originally plan on selling


them. I made one for my- self and I help out with the USA Weightlifting Level 1 certifications, and a lot of cross-fitters go to that, they saw me wearing them and asked where I got them. I told them I made them, so they wanted me to make some for them, too. Jason (Sam’s fiancé) and I sat down and thought, ‘We could sell these.’”


What is the advantage of having an athletic back- ground in helping other athletes?


Catalyst Athletics - “I think it’s the same as a coach having been an ath- lete—you understand the


needs and desires of the athletes, and it is a lot easier to accommodate them when you can relate to what they’re experiencing.”


What made you decide to donate to the 2013 World Team?


Kilo Gear - “I thought that it would be fun and the wraps match the singlets that they’re wearing. They go well to- gether and they’re functional, too. Not everybody wears wrist wraps, but if you do wear them, why would you not want to go out on the world stage and sup- port your country even more?”


Catalyst Athletics - “Well, why not? We can more than accommodate that. We actually just had those straps made


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