Snake River CrossFit boasts a capable staff of well-trained athletes and fitness experts, but the heart and soul of the gym are its owners, Frank and Michaela Beauvais (AIM Members.) They have been married for thirteen years and have two children. As a Captain and a fitness trainer in the Nampa Fire Department, Frank knew that marriage was often difficult for rescue workers due to long, irregular hours, so he suggested CrossFit as an activity that he and his wife could share. They started in their garage, and that home gym grew into their current business.
Michaela, who shoulders the task of running the gym while Frank spends days at a time stationed at the firehouse, studied Exercise Physiology at Boise State and has years of experience studying and working in the fields of injury rehabilitation, massage therapy, and nutrition to name just a few.
CrossFit has allowed her to “pull from all of her studies and work experiences to help people find connection, function, and wholeness as they create stronger versions of themselves.This might mean someone returning to physical activity after just having a baby, regaining their strength after surgery, or finding courage to attend class after years of inactivity. I just feel like the more I can learn, the more people I can help. We have many athletes who have been able to get off of blood pressure and cholesterol-controlling medications because of the changes they have made in their nutrition and physical activity. Many have stopped taking anti-depressants, anti-anxiety prescriptions, and pain medications. We’ve had some people lose substantial amounts of weight. We have one gentleman who is under 300 pounds for the first time in years and others gain weight along with new-found confidence, wellness, and strength.”
As a firefighter, Frank uses fitness every day. “The population isn’t getting any smaller, and I’m not getting any larger. That means I need to become stronger. I don’t want to face someone’s wife or husband and tell them that I wasn’t strong enough to save their spouse. Firefighters are in the business of helping people.” This is a philosophy that the couple shares in their gym and in their relationship with AIM. “There has never been an element of ‘How can I profit off this?’ and granted there is an underlying monetary piece to everything, but it’s so far down on the list of importance that it doesn’t get in the way of the greater good of making people feel better.
“That’s why it has been so easy. I have no reservations about the company. It’s an open book to me. They talk about a CrossFit honesty where we don’t miss a rep, where we don’t miscount. We will always do what we think is right. That’s a pretty broad statement, but it rings true. So when people do approach a CrossFit gym, I think knowing that you have a good product that is backed by an American company that is doing good things and employing good people, I think that is where you’ll be able to make in-roads. Letting the products speak for themselves. You can pronounce everything that’s on the label. We work way too hard to put stuff into our bodies that we don’t need. So if we can get a product that is priced right that is made by Americans and if we can get a product that we feel is good, it will be a great relationship. If Red Rush didn’t do what it says, we wouldn’t have it in the gym. It actually makes me happy. “
The AIM Companies 