Jeremy (left) Ryan (right)
So, who are the masterminds behind the world’s most visited bodybuilding and fitness site? Brothers Ryan and Jeremy DeLuca, along with a team of talented people from the Boise area.
aspect more, while Jeremy is a sports junkie who likes to network. “At work Ryan would handle a lot of the business part of it and I would handle most of the relationships,” says Jeremy.
Born and raised in Idaho, Ryan and Jeremy started the business shortly after graduating high school. It began as just a small operation out of their garage until they bought the Bodybuilding.com domain. In April 1999, after months of development, Bodybuilding.com went public. Since then, the company has grown to over 400 employees, was nominated by the Idaho Business Review as one of the “Best Places to Work in Idaho” in 2009 and 2010 and has been featured in Iron Man Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In 2008, the DeLucas sold the company to Liberty Media Corporation, which owns interests in QVC, Starz and the Atlanta Braves, for over $100 million.
Jeremy’s personality is as casual as his clothes: t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and his signature white hat. “Every time I find a hat I like, I buy it in white,” he says, explaining why his closet contains over 30 white hats.
Ryan, the current CEO of the company, was awarded the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Utah region for the e-commerce category. Ryan believes the company’s success has been a matter of pure focus. “I love the company and the fitness industry,” he says. “I represent the customer.” He also attributes the company’s success to his team. “It’s a myth that any major success is due to one or two people,” he explains. “It takes a team of hardworking, passionate people that are completely customer-focused and truly believe in the overall mission and vision. That’s what we have here and I couldn’t be luckier.” Although Ryan’s slacks and button-down shirt declare that he is all business, his jokes tell otherwise. There is plenty of bantering between Ryan and Jeremy during the photo shoot for this issue (apparently Ryan “wears tight pants” and Jeremy “eats like a rabbit”) and their personalities and interests clearly complement each other. Ryan enjoys the business
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The Voice of the valley
Jeremy retired as Bodybuilding.com’s president in November 2010. According to Jeremy, he was ready for something new. He is enjoying his time off right now and acting as a consultant for MusclePharm, a company based out of Denver, Colorado. MusclePharm develops a line of nutritional supplements that boast customers like Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans, Joey Porter of the Miami Dolphins and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Suga” Rashad Evans. Both have always been active either in bodybuilding or sports, although Jeremy jokes that Ryan is “the most un-athletic person I know.” Ryan started working out in junior high school and Jeremy, who currently has a broken wrist from basketball, was on the football team. Regarding Jeremy’s broken wrist (which now contains some hardware) Ryan claims, “I would have been fine.” They both play on a softball team and still enjoy working out. Jeremy considers sports his guilty pleasure. He plays in almost every city league sport and watches sports on TV all the time. “I go to every sporting event I can,” he says. “The Super Bowl, the World Series, etc. “I go to a sporting event at least once a month.” His most recent trip was to the Kentucky Derby. Ryan admits that his guilty pleasure is American Idol, but he