We are ecstatic to highlight Revamp Training, another great small business in our district. Revamp training is owned and operated by Jeremy Colon, a local and fixture in our community (more on Jeremy later today). Jeremy and his business partner Catchy opened Revamp Training in July 2020.
They also offer group training to help those who are cautious of re-entering the fitness world on their own. These classes provide a safe way to integrate yourself into an active lifestyle while being in an encouraging and supportive environment. At Revamp, Jeremy and his team strive to become the go-to people in their client’s fitness journey; this could not have been more true for Haris Lefteri, a current client at Revamp Training. Haris had tried several different trainers before signing up for classes at Revamp, “I wasn’t delighted because I didn’t feel connected to the trainers I had. They didn’t take the time to listen to my goals and discuss each change with me. From her first session, Haris knew that Jeremy was different from the other trainers she had worked with, “Jeremy immediately made me feel comfortable. I started working with him once a week and quickly increased my sessions to 3 times a week. Jeremy always makes sure to discuss nutrition and work-life balance with me. It has gotten to the point where I don’t see Jeremy as a trainer, but a good friend who is amazing at everything he does.”
Revamp training is a boutique studio; the team at Revamp training offers services you won’t find at the larger chain gyms, including Strength Training, Hybrid Training, Sports Performance, Nutrition Counseling, and Meal Plan Work. Wellness Coaching, Kickboxing, and Cross-Training. They are an appointment-only personal training service that offers flexible scheduling and is open seven days a week. Typical sessions run 45-1 Hour; they offer a variety of packages, including a 3-6 month package, small group training, and pay per session. Click the link below to book your first season with Revamp Training https://www.revamptraining.fit/schedule.
For the team at Revamp Training, they must get to know their clients. For Jeremy, “It’s a partnership; I know about my client’s families, I have seen my clients get married and start their families, our services go beyond the typical trainer client dynamics.” Haris Lefteri shared, “Even on my worst days, Jeremy finds a way to cheer me up and make me feel present. He is always pleasant and very knowledgeable, and he genuinely cares. That means a lot to someone like me who hasn’t always been disciplined about her workouts.” The team at Revamp Training shows a genuine interest in their clients; Harris added, “No other trainers have taken time to educate me on why I am doing certain exercises the way Jeremy has. The benefits of working with Jeremy only begin with his training skills, but they are infinite because he is so multi-dimensional.”
A Long time resident of Dorchester, it’s crucial for Jeremy that Revamp Training give back to the community that has supported them through the COVID 19 crisis. With the community’s help, Revamp training was able to grow and expand its services. As a sign of gratitude, the team at Revamp Training has hosted several charitable events. Including their most recent event at Hibernian Hall, they provided a 45 minutes full-body balanced workout combining cardio, conditioning, and strength training. A portion of the profits was donated to a local charity. They are also participating in other local events, including the Ashmont Farmers Market, where they will provide community members with two complimentary 30-minute training sessions. They want to provide a social impact and build bridges with the community they serve. They are always looking to give back and are open to partnering with local nonprofits and mutual aid groups. If you would like to reach out to them about future collaborations, contact them at general.revamp@gmail.com.
The Team at Revamp Training is excited about what lies ahead. They expect to expand their services to include Yoga classes, meditation courses, and massage treatments. Jeremy believes that Boutique fitness studios should complement the neighborhoods they serve. Their services are tailored to suit the community. While Jeremy is committed to staying in Dorchester, he also plans to expand his services to other cities, including Roxbury, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Dedham, South Shore, Quincy, and Braintree. Revamp Training is hiring!! They are looking for serious applicants who want to go above and beyond and are willing and ready to serve. Any interested applicants can send their resumes and cover letters to general.revamp@gmail.com.
Jeremy Colon Profile
This week we Highlight Jeremy Colon; Jeremy is the co-founder of Revamp Training, located at 1692 Dorchester Ave Unit B, Dorchester, MA. Jeremy’s parents, Theresa, who worked as an administrative secretary, and his father, Ronaldo, who worked as a technician, Have always supported and encouraged Jeremy and his four siblings, Joshua, Gabby, Johnathan, and Jordan. For Jeremy, his family is his most extensive support system. Jeremy credits his mom as “my biggest champion” he added, ” She is super supportive.” Jeremy grew up in a military-style household. As a result, he and his sibling moved a lot; Jeremy was born in New Jersey but also lived in New York and Puerto Rico before finally moving to Boston’s Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods.
Jeremey has always been the gregarious type. Since he was young, Jeremy has always been outspoken and could improvise and be an equal participant in conversations with adults. School life was a challenge for Jeremy. He was bullied in school; kids would make fun of him because of his weight. Jeremy struggled to deal with the bullying; from grades at the time, he couldn’t stand up for himself. Thankfully, he and his paternal twin Joshua? were in the same grade. Joshua would stand up for him until Jeremy could do so himself. Jeremy knew that these struggles with bullying were not going to be permanent. It was vital for him not to get stuck; Jeremy made a paradigm shift to be better. The bullying instilled in Jeremy the drive that has benefited him greatly. Jeremy was eight years old when it hit him to start running and working out. He started jogging early in the morning, and he stuck to it. Jeremy looked back at those days, fondly adding, “I would wake up at 5 am and go for a run.” Jeremy said, “I was on a strict low carb diet and ran so much while eating very little.” He aimed to drop the weight before starting the seventh grade at the Boston Latin Academy, and in 2006 with the support of his family and friends, Jeremy lost weight. He was so excited about the fresh start; On his first day of school, Jeremy recalled a conversation with his father. He told me to “have fun, make it work, and to walk around with your chest out,” He did just that; during his time at the Boston Latin Academy, Jeremy joined the football and track teams. He played the flute and the saxophone in the school band.
He kept himself busy; when he was in the 8th grade, he started working for ABCD, a local nonprofit that works with children. He worked with autistic kids, and it was gratifying to work for Jeremy. Jeremy was tasked with helping raise his brothers while his father and mother worked. Jeremey gets his work ethic from his parents and credits his duties watching over his siblings for his reverence for helping others. After graduating from high school, Jeremey would go on to attend Leslie University. Jeremy chooses Leslie because of their well-renowned business management program. While attending Leslie University, Jeremey received news that would go on to impact his life. Ten days before his 21st birthday, Jeremey learned that his dad needed a kidney transplant. When he first heard of the news, he was hopeful that it would get resolved, but it escalated to the point where he had stage 4 kidney disease. His father needed a kidney and could not get one through the common pathways.
At the time, Jeremy’s father was the breadwinner in the family. While his mom worked full-time, she had difficulty keeping up with expenses. She asked Jeremy and Jordan to help with costs and help around the house. Inspired to help their father, Jeremey and his twin brother Jordan both took the test to see if they were a match to donate their kidney. They both returned as a match to donate a kidney to their father. At the time, Jordan had a 1-year-old daughter, and Jeremey felt it would have been unfair to ask Jordan to make that decision, so Jeremy stepped up to donate a kidney to his father. In Jan 2013, Jeremy started the process of donating an organ. Jeremy attended several physical and mental health appointments. He met with life insurance agents and physiocrats who stressed the surgery’s pros and cons to Jeremy. Doctors told Jeremy that he would have a 5- month window to prepare himself for the surgery, this motivated Jeremey. He began working out daily and attending mental health appointments to prepare his body and mind for this significant life-changing event. He did all this while also attending college and furthering his business management knowledge. He received much support from the facility at Leslie college and his friends and family.
Before he went under the knife, Knowing all the risk factors involved with a significant surgery, Jeremy thought he would create A mini bucket list in case things didn’t go to plan. Jeremy participated in a tough mudder and participated in a taekwondo class. He also traveled to different places; he did not want to have any regrets. After checking off items on his bucket list, the moment came. The surgery was a life-changing moment for Jeremy. When he came to, the nurse brought him to see his dad. Jeremy recalled his dad saying, ” and he said thank you, son” for Jeremy, this brief moment made all of the struggle and hard work worth it. Jeremy added, “The man who gave me birth, I was able to give him life” Post Surgery, Jeremy and his father became much closer. Jeremy said, ” my dad is living his best life; it’s funny we’ve almost switched personalities. I’m more serious, and he has become much more laxer”. Jeremy Took from this moment that he was here to help people; if he could go through all this for his dad, he could do more to help others.
During his time at Leslie, Jeremey and a few friends created a program still in practice today called the Management Student Association. Over two years, Jeremy and his colleagues developed a website to help students facilitate the sale of their art pieces. It has allowed business students to assist their fellow students, with all funds raised by the sale of these are pieces going towards a scholarship. The MSA functioned as a bridge to merge the art school and business schools; this link hadn’t existed before the creation of the MSA. The MSA ran quarterly seminars where they would invite CEOs from local Banks and Restaurant owners who would come to campus and partake in discussions/ panel events where they could share their stories with the students at Leslie. This work was an excellent way for Jeremy to practice pitching himself to people. Jeremy, always the multi-tasker, was able to develop and create the MSA, preparing himself for significant surgery and beginning his training career by training his classmates and fellow students at Leslie in exchange for a meal swipe. Jeremy was able to motivate college students to care about their physical fitness. He knew he wanted to be in business for himself, but at the time, he didn’t have the experience to venture out on his own. He wanted to continue to build himself up with the ultimate goal of working at a gym or running his studio. From this point, Jeremy began to work different jobs which would teach him the skills needed to be a successful business owner.
It is essential to Jeremy that he build different skill sets. He worked through many jobs at Panera Bread, GNC, Merril Lynch, T Mobile, Valet, and as a Chef & a personal trainer at a Golds Gym. While working with T Mobile, Jermey learned to communicate with people and make sales. Jeremy’s time at Gold’s Gym was invaluable. He said, “I had a great relationship with the owner of the golds gym .”Jeremy added, “I learned how to negotiate, price myself completely, meet people halfway, build a clientele, and make things work.” Jeremy has also been guided by several mentors credited for playing a significant role in his success. When his family first moved to Dorchester, Jeremy and his brother Jordan spent much of their time at the local barbershop called ” Final Touch .” the owner of the barbershop David Batista was one of Jeremey’s first mentors; Mr. Batistia not only employed the brothers but also talked to them frequently about becoming your boss. Mr. Batista taught them how to keep their focus on both life and business. He taught them that to run a business, you must have a foundation, i.e., permits. Since they were new to the community, Mr. Batisita guided them in getting around the neighborhood. Jeremy and Jordan quickly became a pair of sons to Mr. Batistia.
Another Mentor in Jeremy’s life was Rob McGrath, a faculty advisor/ business professor at Leslie College. Mr. McGarth began working with Jeremy during his first year. Mr. McGarth inspired Jeremy. He added, ” Seeing him as a freshman, he had a commanding presence.” During Jeremy’s second semester, he was able to sit down with Mr. McGarth and learn his life story, success and faults. Mr. McGarth got Jeremy into personal development and reading books and materials, not in the curriculum. Lastly, there was Mr. Ed Warren, Mr. Warren, a Dorchester resident, who taught Jeremy how to best position himself and how to make himself a likable person. Jeremey also credits Mr. Warren with teaching him how to sell himself the right way and introducing him to personal branding and marketing. Mr. Warren advised Jeremy to invest in himself; he suggested that Jeremy look into working with business coaches and life coaches. Jeremy has benefitted from this advice, as these additional services have helped him become a well-rounded businessman and family man. Jeremy has always been driven by his internal desire to do more and his natural curiosity to learn. Jeremy took a lot from his previous jobs. Throughout Jeremy’s journey, he has learned not to dwell on mistakes; instead, he knows from his error, which allows him and his business to continue to grow and move forward. Jeremy and catchy rented their first space from Studio 92 in Quincy. While working at Studio 92, Jeremey and catchy continued to grow their knowledge base on how to run a business. They would then move to another studio space from a studio called one punch in Quincy. These two experiences taught them how to set up an organizational structure and build the foundation that led to them opening their gym.
Originally called 2nd chance fitness, Jeremy viewed the gym as a location where he could help people at their lowest points in life. Jeremy wanted to transform people’s lives. After some time, they changed again to Mass Strenght and Performance; however, Jeremy felt that the name was too corporate. He wanted the name to be more customized to reflect the high level of training they provide while remembering the importance of building client relationships. Felt like the name had to reflect their actions. Specific about who they serve. Revamp Training staff are more than trainers; they are guides and life coaches. Although Jeremy appreciates other models, he feels that the personal attention and amount of services he can provide his clients separates him from the larger group fitness gyms. Since revamp training is a boutique gym, it can offer services that the larger chains simply can not. Revamp training offers couples training and family training. They provide better solutions to your fitness questions. Jeremy has also worked with several local charities. He has always been motivated to help others through his job or philanthropic efforts. Jeremy has Ran 3 marathons and raised money for local charities, including Casa Myrna, a domestic violence organization in the south end, and running for families impacted by the Boston marathon.
He has also hosted events, including the recent Move for Charity event in which he raised money for a local charity (NAME). He worked with disabled dancers at the event and led them through a fun and interactive routine. Jeremy has also worked with the Diabetes Center in Quincy. He hosted a wellness week where proceeds were donated to other philanthropic causes. Jeremy’s life story is truly inspiring. He has kept a positive attitude and a smile despite the trials that life has brought his way. We were truly honored to meet with Jeremey and to hear his story. Ashmont is complete with outstanding small businesses with tremendous accounts and deep connections to the community. We recommend you visit Jeremy at Revamp training located at 1692 Dorchester Ave Unit B, Dorchester, MA 02122.
