About

Upon earning his Exercise Science degree from Iowa State University in 1998, Don began his professional career in the area of corporate wellness.  His passion as a high school basketball coach and athlete led him to quickly achieve his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification through the National Strength and Conditioning in 2000.  After creating a successful corporate personal training program, Don soon left the corporate wellness sector and started his journey as the Fitness Director and Head Personal Trainer at The Lincolnshire Club at the age of only 24.  

This amazing opportunity allowed him to spend the next 8 years growing his management style, learning from those around him, and understanding where his focus would ultimately lie.  He led a personal training program that made huge year to year strides as the management company expanded to 5 clubs. Don was able to grow in his ability to not only manage employees, but to work collectively to help create relationships that would be the foundation of so many people reaching their goals.

In 2003, after an inquiring call from a friend at a new club, Don knew it was time to go out on his own and be able to provide services to athletes/clients all across the Chicagoland area.  And this was the birth of Peak Performance Training.  Their first official contract was with the amazing Jr. Tennis Program at Score Tennis and Fitness in Countryside.  They spent 3 years running all of the off-court tennis training and conditioning programs for dozens of future collegiate tennis players.  The level of focus these athletes had, helped reinforce that this was the future for PPT.

In 2015 an opportunity presented itself that would truly shape the last 5 years, and no doubt the future of this company.  Don had spent years, since back at The Lincolnshire Club, reaching out to local high school teams/coaches in the hopes of running off-season/pre-season conditioning programs to optimize preparation for the upcoming seasons.  High school coaches knew they should do something, but very few were bringing professionals in to take the reigns.  In the fall of 2015 Don starting in his first pre-season fall conditioning for the basketball program at Benet Academy in Lisle, IL.  After 12 weeks of smart preparation and hard work, Benet went on to win a school record 31 games, and their season ultimately coming to an end with a state championship loss in Peoria.  Don had solidified his ability to contribute both to the growth of these young men as athletes, but also as someone who can be a true extension of the culture needed to be a successful team/program.  Since 2015 Don has worked with multiple high school basketball and baseball programs, as well as training dozens of young aspiring athletes in his private training studio in Elk Grove Village, IL.

In his now 20+ years as a personal trainer and strength coach, he has had the pleasure to play a role in the development of 1000’s of clients. They have ranged from 10 – 80 years of age, and from elite collegiate athletes to grandparents coming off of knee replacement surgery. Everyone has goals that they would like to achieve when it comes to their health and wellness. As a fitness coach, it has always been Don’s objective to help identify the areas that will help every client take steps toward achieving these goals. He feels truly blessed to wake up each day with the opportunity to positively impact lives, while build long-lasting, genuine relationships. Don currently resides in Elk Grove Village, IL with his wife Justine, and their two sons Derek, 16 and Griffin, 12.