Mission Statement
Fitness Industry Experts provide health and fitness businesses with extraordinary insights and breakthrough strategies for success in the United States and the international marketplace. Our objective is to accelerate sales, open new markets and increase profitability with the ultimate goal of building lasting value for the business and the brand.
Here are background overviews of our principal consultants:
Rich Hanson
In 1979 Rich joined Nautilus in Southern California as a regional sales manager when most people thought Nautilus was a submarine. By the time Rich left Nautilus in 1984, to help launch StairMaster, the Nautilus brand was a household name doing $30 million in annual sales. In his eleven years as a StairMaster partner and regional sales manager, the company went from oblivion to over $50 million in annual sales. A Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology and experience evaluating hundreds of exercise products and concepts enables Rich to recognize product mechanical design improvements as well as the biomechanical and physiological impact and benefits for the end-user.
Sean Harrington
In 1977 Sean sold a company that produced a tennis product he designed and manufactured. He was looking for a new challenge and had the good fortune to meet Nautilus founder Arthur Jones. Sean was very impressed with the simple logic behind the Nautilus philosophy and opened the first true Nautilus Fitness Center in Brentwood, California. In four short years Sean grew that single four thousand foot location into a thirty-eight-club chain doing over $40 million dollars in sales. After selling his clubs in 1983 Sean put his full efforts into the product development and manufacturing of Heartmate computerized exercise equipment. He sold that business to StairMaster in 1989 and has subsequently worked with multiple companies to bring their products successfully to market.
Ralph Cissne
A marketing and communications specialist with over thirty years of advertising and public relations experience, Ralph has created brand development and strategic marketing campaigns for many leading fitness companies beginning with the launch of StairMaster Sports/Medical Products in 1984. Ralph directed the StairMaster program through 1992. His Morgan Road creative team has also developed successful marketing campaigns for diverse fitness industry clients including MYE Entertainment, Sportsmith, eFit Financial, American Service Finance, Paramount Fitness Corp., MicroFit and Enercise.
Jackie C. Mendes
A rare blend of fitness business and hands-on class instruction, Jackie Mendes is an experienced marketing communications and brand management executive, specializing in the promotion of fitness, health and wellness-related products, talent, and services. Jackie has been working with high profile clients in the health and fitness industry for the past 8 years. As Brand Manager for fitness icon Kathy Smith, Jackie oversaw a multi-million dollar fitness business, managing the company’s best-selling workout DVDs/audios, books, infomercials, fitness equipment, and more. Jackie also consults for some of the leading wellness and fitness companies in the industry including Nature Made vitamins and supplements, iAmplify.com, Lady of America Fitness Franchise Corporation and Yoga Guru Baron Baptiste.
A Certified Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), as well as an Associate Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, Jackie is an industry expert in her own right. She has appeared in 8 Kathy Smith exercise DVDs, the Fine Living (Scripps Network) television special, Ten Secrets to Healthy Living with Kathy Smith, and is a PUSH Cardio Trainer (www.push.tv). She brings her passion for fitness and health to every class she teaches at both The Sports Club/LA and Equinox. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing communications from California State University, Fullerton. Jackie currently resides in Hermosa Beach, California.
Dr. Dennis Colacino
From 2005 to present, Dr. Dennis Colacino has been a managing director of CytoWave Technology LLC, a company focused on research and development of medical, health, and fitness products.
Dr. Colacino was a partner and president of Sanavive Limited from 2000-2004, which comprised of three subsidiaries: Healthy Essentials, a direct mail food company targeted to the wellness and fitness markets; Waveform Technologies, an electromagnetic field therapy applicator for treatment of a variety of medical conditions; and Nature’s Healthy Essentials, a company that developed and marketed five supplement and body care products. He was responsible for product development, management, and marketing of these companies.
He has served as director of PepsiCo’s worldwide Health and Services and managing director of HEART and Cardio Fitness Corporation, and as Executive Vice-President of Health Fitness Corporation. He was co-founder, board member and past-president of Association for Fitness in Business (now part of American College of Sports Medicine) and serves on the board of many health and fitness companies. Dr. Colacino was a professor of Preventive Medicine from 1985-2005 at New York Medical College and from 1983-1985. He served as Director of the Master Program in Health and Fitness.
Dr. Colacino has appeared on numerous national, international and network television shows on issues of health and fitness and has published numerous scientific research papers and reports. He received numerous design and service awards in the area of health fitness from IDEA, NESRA, and Athletic Business and a few others such as the Cystic Fibrosis Honor Award. IHRSA honored him as one of the top 200 educators in the U.S. and Health Management Publications honored him as one of the top 20 Fitness Leaders. In 2006, he received the inaugural Distinguished Service Award presented by the Medical Wellness Association for outstanding leadership and service to Corporate Health and Medical Wellness industries.
Dennis Colacino graduated with a BS in Physical Education and Art, Western Washington College, a MS. in Administration and Facility Design, University of New Mexico (School of Architecture), and a PhD in a Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Wisconsin (School of Medicine).
He went to college on an athletic scholarship in basketball and, today continues an active lifestyle. He resides in Westchester County, New York. He is happily married and is the father of two grown boys.