This month we sat down with Combine Air’s Senior Leadership Team and asked them about the business they’ve developed and their vision for the future.
We are here with Managing Director, Peter Hickey, Fitness Director, Scott Reynolds and Head of Advertising & Operations, Megean Gosselin. I guess my first question to all of you is Why CA ?
Peter Hickey, Managing Director: With CA I have the opportunity to do something extraordinary, the ability to change the way people think about exercising and how they train, the fitness industry is a saturated market and everyone in it is looking for different ways to swing a kettlebell whereas we are changing the whole environment which people exercising and I’m looking to create a revolution in the fitness industry.
Scott Reynolds, Fitness Director: I guess a big reason is that I strive to help people live healthier and more active lives, I want the people who interact with CA to live long and prosper. I think that the way CA is bringing something different to the fitness industry will allow us to expand our view on what the current training model is and allow for smarter training to take place.
Megean Gosselin, Head of Advertising & Operations: Put in simple terms, it’s not often you come across a product that could revolutionize its industry, and who would pass up the opportunity to witness it happen? Honestly, it’s the reason I wake up in the morning, knowing that we can help people in their everyday lives by just changing the environment in which they train.
Peter, you are the Managing Director and mastermind behind CA, talk to us about the scientific concept of Combine Air and what sets it apart from the rest of the fitness industry.
Peter Hickey: Combine Air provides the everyday person with the opportunity to train at 3,500m above sea level. This technology was previously utilised only by elite athletes to gain a competitive advantage, CA changed that, anyone can train at Combine Air. The science works through a oxygen compressor that filters nitrogen rich oxygen, setting all CA Arenas at approximately 3,500m in altitude or 14% oxygen allowing our ALL-STARS to benefit from burning more calories, extending that calorie burn for longer after a session, building greater lean muscle and strength and overall a more efficient way of attaining their health and fitness goals.
Scott, as Fitness Director and as the individual who has taught the most sessions in simulated altitude in Australia, what is the most common thing you hear after someone’s first session in altitude?
Scott Reynolds: Ha! Everyone says something different, but everyone’s facial expression is similar, it looks like they’ve just been given twice their daily dose of energy! It’s remarkable to see people who would normally feel defeated after a session at sea level walk out of the CA Arena lit up, smiling and energetic. That rush comes from the oxygen rich cells that enter your body when stepping out of altitude can’t be compared to anywhere at sea level. It’s what lights them up ;)
You’ve all mentioned previously how the CA x Coaches play a vital role in the business, could you elaborate?
Megean Gosselin: The coaches are the face of the business, they are the ones that interact daily with our ALL-STARS which makes them a crucial part of the experience we thrive to build at CA. It’s important for us to pick the coaches that will invest not only their time but their energy into the brand and the product.
Scott Reynolds: We want coaches that want to train here, that’s a big thing for me. I’ve noticed that in other clubs the coaches don’t actually train in the facilities they work in and for us it’s crucial that our coaches understand the benefits of altitude not only for themselves but for the ALL-STARS, ultimately how can you effectively sell something you don’t use yourself?
Peter Hickey: We are really lucky thus far to have everyone in the team be passionate about fitness and working with our ALL-STARS to help them achieve great things. I think the thing that sets our teams apart is that they are all motivated to do more than the status quo, they are looking to push the barriers and challenge themselves in different ways.
Megean, you join Peter and Scott a little later in this venture. What makes them the team you chose to work with?
Megean Gosselin: I’ve been working with Pete and Scott for over 18 months now and we’ve been put to the test, in many ways through the business but also through our own personal lives. I trust them wholeheartedly, and I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying as once trust is established, anything is possible. Being in a team where you can have honest conversations that build personal growth as well as growth for the business is the ultimate goal because there is no limit when it comes to what we can achieve as a leadership team. They’ve become family.
Combine Air currently has two Clubs in Sydney, is this a local project or is this something we can expect to see worldwide?
Peter Hickey: We are definitely aiming for the stars, we’ve started with our showroom in Rozelle and naturally moved into Concord shortly after. However our ultimate goal is to expand both nationally and internationally. We certainly want to be a world leader in the fitness space but more specifically in high altitude training. Combine Air being as unique as it is, not just the environment of training but the brand itself, the culture at HQ and within each of our Clubs, is something to empower people to push their barriers and challenge themselves to be better, better both in terms of what they are doing with their exercise and to be better prepared for life in general and its challenges.
Where is the future taking you all ?
Scott Reynolds: I want Combine Air to be somewhere people can be proud to train at. I want the programming and the training to be unparalleled. The goal is to build a product that can’t be ignored not only for its value as a brand but its quality in products and services. I want CA to be the best there is out there when it comes to fitness, culture and customer service in the fitness industry.
Megean Gosselin: I think Combine Air is going to blow up, the future is unknown but what I can say is that our growth spectrum is out of this world. We want to help as many people as we can through the power of training and I think we are going to achieve that 10x over.
Peter Hickey: I am really excited, I think Combine Air is poised to help the fitness industry evolve. I think that altitude training is going to change the way people train and our ultimate goal is to make Combine Air synonymous with simulated altitude training. I believe that in the near future altitude will be the training environment of choice and Combine Air will be at the forefront of it.
Interested in being a part of the CA Vision? Become a leader in the industry, here.