Surprising faces of money: Mike Treschitta
How a fitness guy with heart is becoming an entrepreneur with soul.
If you believe the Axios survey confirming that there is a perception that millennials are “lazy, pampered and entitled,’ Mike Treschitta will shatter that belief, starting with his 30th birthday party.
A Connecticut native, Mike moved to Hilton Head in 2014 after graduating from the University of Maine. He pursued his passion for fitness by taking a role at the Island Rec Center where he could earn an income doing what he loves and become connected to the community. One of his first community connections made at the Rec Center was with Kathy Cramer, executive director at SOAR Special Recreation.
Mike was so awestruck by all that Kathy does to help people with special needs that he had to think of a way to help her. His 30th birthday was around the corner and instead of planning a night out at The Triangle with his buddies, he chose to organize a party to help Kathy Cramer’s Special Olympics athletes and SOAR Special Recreation. He tapped into like-minded generous people like Guy Ruley with Deep Eddy to contribute to the event.
“I often have people tell me they want to help us, but I never hear back. I guess life gets in the way,” said Kathy Cramer. “So when Mike came to me with the offer to help, I was appreciative, but didn’t get my hopes up too much. I knew he was a young guy and busy with his job and friends. But when he organized his birthday party as a fundraiser for our special needs people and donated $3,000 from the party to SOAR Special Recreation, I was brought to tears.”
As the fitness and athletic coordinator at the Island Rec Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives, Mike meets many people in need and many generous people who help. It is a perfect environment for him as he is able to work in the fitness field and help people as part of his job. But he doesn’t stop his giving there. Mike is a volunteer youth soccer coach, Deep Well Pantry team member, a parishioner at Saint Francis By The Sea, and now a fundraising party planner.
He always will continue to give back because, in Mike’s words, “Giving to the community is my civic duty and my Catholic faith has taught me to do that without asking for anything back.”
The entrepreneurial side of Mike is emerging with the launch of his personal training company, Lowcountry Elite Training, for which he has a very strategic business plan. His personal training business will be an intersection of community and commerce.
As with everything else he does, Mike is taking on his new business with passion and compassion. The genesis for Lowcountry Elite Training was an 83-year-old personal training client with whom Mike saw firsthand the impact that mobility and balance have on longevity. He has defined the target market as the 55-plus-year-old who wants to build and maintain strength and overall wellness.
His mission is to “help people enjoy a vibrant life through functional fitness.” With that target and mission in mind, he launched a semi-private, 12-week progressive strength training program that leaves participants with a workout they can do for life.
“Clients leave stronger, more mobile and with better balance, which are foundational as people age. If someone over 65 years old falls, they have a 25 percent greater chance of breaking a bone. This program will help reduce that risk.” If Mike helps just one person avoid injury, his mission is accomplished, which is a far cry from the goal of a ‘lazy, pampered and entitled millennial.’
Mike would not let us tell this story unless we mention the people who have inspired him: Al Olivetti of Hilton Head Running Company, Laura Fromdahl of Tri Strong Coaching and last but not least, his biggest inspiration, his mom.
Lessons learned
Here are three lessons Mike Treschitta learned early and still lives by…
- Birds of a feather. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, you can’t go wrong.
- Stay true to your faith. This is what will ground you and help guide your decisions.
- Do what is right. If you do the right thing for the right people, money will follow.
