AUTOMOTIVE TO ATHLETE
From a small fab shop to the world’s fastest growing fitness equipment manufacturer, Dynamic Fitness & Strength carries over 20 years of manufacturing history, knowledge and passion. Our experience is poured into every piece of steel we produce. Our standard of comprehensive customization and our dedicated team of associates have brought us from humble beginngs to a position that’s shaping the strength training industry.
TIMELINE
History of Dynamic Fitness & Strength
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THE BEGINNING
In 1993 Curt and Tammy Tambornino began their journey selling trailer hitch balls from the trunk of a car. With sights set high and a fierce dedication to hard work, their small business quickly flourished. The couple soon began manufacturing their own trailer hitches and other select towing products, and took on the name CURT Manufacturing.
197x
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Curt Tambornino, founder of Dynamic Fitness & Strength, got his first job at the age of 7 as a dishwasher at his family’s café. From dishwasher to cook, Curt quickly learned the importance of knowing each customer and not assuming anything about their preferences.
1986
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Curt met Tammy in high school, the woman who would later become his wife and lifelong business partner. While Curt excelled in multiple sports as quarterback, goaltender and more, he also enjoyed a love for shop class and got his first taste of steel fabrication.
1988
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Although a four-year school wasn’t in the cards, Curt decided to enroll in tech school. On the first day, a professor told the class, “If you think you’re going to start a business in today’s economy, you’re wrong. I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work.” Curt stood up, set his books on the desk and walked out, never to return.
THE TEAM
The demand for high-quality, American-made towing products prompted the Tamborninos to bring abroad more help. Soon, they had assembled a team of skilled fabricators, welders and engineers. With strong beliefs that people are a company’s greatest asset and that the customer is king, CURT Manufacturing’s success climbed rapidly as new product lines, technologies and facilities were added.
198X
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Wanting to be in control of his own destiny, Curt determined to start his own trailer manufacturing business. He took a third-shift job at Cray Research, making $4.15 an hour. Over the next three years, he developed an understanding of production and put his fab and welding skills to work, building and selling trailers.
THE PROOF
Over the years, CURT has been twice-awarded a Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year. The company has won numerous customer, supplier and innovation awards and owns over 27 patents. Today, CURT is the leading manufacturer of American-made trailer hitches and continues to set the standard for quality in the towing industry.
199X
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Seeing great opportunity in the automotive aftermarket industry, Curt and Tammy – with help from Tammy’s father -- purchased an order of 9,000 trailer hitch balls. With Tammy at home taking calls (and taking care of a newborn!) and Curt on the road, C&T Distributing was born. Selling trailer balls and other towing accessories from the trunk of their car, a foundation was laid for what would later become one of the largest trailer hitch manufacturers in the world.
DYNAMIC CHANGE
In 2014 Curt and Tammy along with a motivated group of team members focused on a new vision in a very different industry, Fitness and Strength. With a passion for both individual and team sports we focused our design team on developing a line of strength and fitness equipment that would not only carry our newly formed brand and company (Dynamic Fitness and Strength) name but instead highlight the individuality of each specific customer and their brand.
199X
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Curt and Tammy drove out to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the largest aftermarket automotive show in the world. Their product was an instant success, and new orders flooded their fax machine. Wanting to emphasize the true nature of their company, they changed their name to CURT Manufacturing.
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CURT hitches can now be seen on virtually every highway and every parking lot across North America.
OUR DISTINCTIVES
In just a few short years Dynamic Fitness and Strength has developed a complete line of strength and fitness products, aligned itself with the proper people process and technology and have transformed what once was a corporate branded world into spaces that welcome, encourage and inspire athlete’s and sports teams throughout North America and soon the world.
199X
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To meet growing demand for CURT products, Curt and Tammy quickly surrounded themselves with an experienced team, individuals who were skilled in fabrication, welding, engineering and finishing. Many of these dedicated individuals are still part of the Dynamic team today.
1998
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Wanting to further distinguish themselves from the competition, Curt and the team decided to offer parts in multiple colors. They expanded their powder coat line to include hitches and other products that would match the color and finish of the vehicle.
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Today, Dynamic offers an entire spectrum of color options for each fabricated piece of equipment.
2001
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Warehouses were opened in Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta, and new sales staff were hired to grow the business in the surrounding regions. CURT Manufacturing was becoming a nationally recognized name.
VISION
Unlike many of our competitors, we enjoy the excitement and energy of a small, family-owned business. Yet our emphasis on innovation and customization allows us to fulfill large-scale orders with speed and precision. Our vision is to Build a Better Athlete and provide More Strength Per Square Foot™. We aspire to transform what was once a corporate-branded world into a space that welcomes, encourages and inspires the uniqueness of each athlete.
2002
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Curt and his team acquired De’Lan, a Boston-based company known for specialty hitches. In just a few short years and with a growing engineering staff, their hitch offering grew from only 30 different models to more than 1,100.
2006
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A friend from the fitness industry came to Curt and Tammy asking if they would be interested in a new business idea: refurbishing and refinishing used fitness equipment. Because of the company’s rapid growth at the time, the offer was declined.
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It was the right path but the wrong time.
2010
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Curt and Tammy brought aboard partners to take CURT Manufacturing and its people to the next level of success. Not wanting to stifle any potential in the business, the couple took a step back and began working on a new project: Dynamic Fabrication – a one-stop fabrication shop.
201X
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Looking for new opportunities, Curt and Tammy recognized a need in the fitness equipment industry. With their long history in steel fabrication, they had more than enough know-how to manufacture high-quality parts. However, much of the industry had a corporate feel – black and grey colors and limited options. It was the perfect opportunity to apply their passion, creativity and years of production knowledge.
201X
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Curt and Tammy began building a small team – some who were veterans of the fitness industry, others who were longtime friends with decades of manufacturing experience. They started building racks, benches and other equipment that quickly grew into a well-rounded product line.
201X
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Curt, Tammy and their team laid out a new vision for the fitness equipment industry. Fueled by a wealth of manufacturing experience, their mission was to build a better athlete by focusing on the spirit of the individual, the school and the team, not the corporate brand.
Dynamic Fitness & Strength was born.
201X
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With a customer-first vision, Dynamic grew at a rapid rate. Demand for quality and customization -- paired with the agility of a young but experienced company – quickly established Dynamic as a formidable name in the fitness industry. In just a few short years, the company transitioned from making just a couple different racks, benches, a GHD, a crossfit rig and a few others, to offering literally hundreds of products.
201X
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Dynamic stepped out and bought a 261,000 square foot facility, moving production from four separate buildings around the Eau Claire, WI area, into one unified location. This increased efficiency and control while greatly reducing lead times.
Dynamic Fitness & Strength Today
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Dynamic operates in 62,000 square feet of manufacturing space alone, with state-of-the-art lasers, robotic welding, machining, mechanical descaling and powder coating.
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Four continuous production cells, each for a different product category, allow production to flow without interruptions, lost parts or time-consuming changeovers.
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As a young but experienced company of skilled individuals, our focus on efficiency and forecasting generates shorter lead times. 16 weeks as an industry-standard is unacceptable!
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All of the raw materials used in our production facility are domestically sourced, including 836 sheet steel, A500 Grade-B tubing, [what else? I’m not familiar with many of these, but I would like to make sure it’s a robust list.]
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As a company, we believe people are our greatest asset. Our core values are simple: leadership, teamwork, continuous improvement and fiscal responsibility.
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As a team of skilled fabricators, welders, engineers and painters, we’ve been proudly manufacturing in the USA for almost 30 years.
