“How can I make the incredible feeling of conquering a workout accessible to more people?”
Before starting Synergee®, the leading online retailer of home fitness equipment, this question used to keep Joey Huneau up at night. This is what motivated him to create a company that would value affordability and quality equally to make personal fitness goals within reach for all. This is how Synergee® came to be!
Read the story of the Huneau family, Joey’s journey into the fitness equipment retail world, and the achievements and growth our Team has experienced since starting in 2013.
Joey grew up in a household that was motivated, fitness-focused, and hardworking. His mother, Gina, has dedicated her life to being a leader in the health and fitness industry, while keeping her family close and cared for. Personal trainer, group fitness leader, entrepreneur, and single mom of 3 on top of it all, Gina taught Joey and his sisters the values of fitness and family that would be foundational to his future.
In 2011, Joey and Gina decided to open Synergee Fitness. Now Joey was co-owner of an awesome gym located on the north shore of Lake Superior run by his family - himself, his mother, and his sisters.
Here, he noticed firsthand the incredible impacts they were having on their local community through the power of fitness.
He saw people of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels become stronger, faster, happier, and prouder with every rep they earned and every bead of sweat they wiped from their brows.
Joey was thrilled with the energy they were able to stoke within the gym, he couldn’t stop thinking about the people Synergee Fitness wasn’t reaching:
Those who couldn’t reach their gym; who worked out at home due to want or necessity.
All of the existing online retailers offered high prices, mixed messages, complicated equipment, and were sold by people who obviously didn’t use their own equipment. It shouldn’t be that hard to get high quality, trustworthy, and effective equipment at an affordable price -- right?!
In 2013, Joey set out to answer his big question, “How can I make the incredible feeling of conquering a workout accessible to more people?” by creating a retail side to his and his mother’s Synergee Fitness business. Under the name “I Heart Synergee”, Joey became an online distributor of fitness gear, selling Perform Better, Bosu, Lebert Fitness, and Valside goods that him and his mother saw their athletes use everyday.
I Heart Synergee was gaining traction and Joey realized he needed some extra help. Lucas was a hardworking and dedicated Front of House Staff at Synergee Fitness with a degree in Accounting. Joey offered him the first I Heart Synergee staff position and they worked closely together (literally – they shared a desk!) to build the brand. He is still a part of the Synergee team!
Synergee Fitness and I Heart Synergee were growing in popularity and seeing great successes, and both needed to more room to grow! 2016 was a groundbreaking year for these mother-son companies – the gym expanded to create more space for gym members and office space for I Heart Synergee. Lucas and Joey bought themselves a bigger desk, added another staff member to their team, and redirected their focus from distributing to creating fitness gear.
April 2016 saw the arrival of the first Synergee Branded equipment! I Heart Synergee found a manufacturer and created the Synergee Core Slider, which has become the #1 online-selling Core and Abdominal Trainer.
After the launch of the Synergee Core Slider, I Heart Synergee really took off. More products were created, manufactured, and sold around the world. Gym space was repurposed as office space to make room for more staff members (and more desks – finally!), and to keep the mother-son businesses together.
I Heart Synergee enters the barbell game! The Regional Bar is brought to life and makes its mark on the online retail world. Along with the Barbell, Plyo Boxes are also released. Finally, high quality and honestly priced bars and boxes become available to athletes everywhere!
2019 started with a bang for I Heart Synergee! It began with I Heart Synergee finally obtaining the rights to the Synergee® name, allowing them to drop the “I Heart” and finally become the brand they want to be! In three short years, Synergee® grew their inventory from 1 to 30 self-brand products and had more on the way.
In three short years, Synergee® grew their inventory from 1 to 45 self-brand products. From humble beginnings, they have created a name for themselves and become a leading online retailer of fitness equipment, while maintaining core family values. The staff team is now made up of 9 dedicated members.
October 2019 was saw Synergee awarding Megan Rubin the first Synergee Scholarship! Megan was rewarded $5000 USD for her commitment to fitness and making physical wellness more accessible to those around her. This award will be put towards her Kinesiology Degree! This was an exciting installment in Synergee’s quest to give back to the fitness community. To learn more about the Synergee Scholarship and how to apply next year, click here!
