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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
D'Marko Blewett grew up on the rough side of the tracks. And that, he says, "is the PG version of the story." D'Marko got in to bodybuilding, as a way to keep out of trouble — something his friends couldn't stay out of. He won Mr. Utah in 1982 and again in 1998, and the LA Championship in 1988. In between he has worked as a bouncer, a bodyguard for celebrities like Mohammad Ali, and as an actor on both television and the big screen. He's also the current Muscle Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
But along with his successes, D'Marko has been through some hard times, too. Before making it big, he lived out of his car, taking showers and washing his clothes at the gym where he worked out. Later in life, when it seemed that nothing else could go wrong, D'Marko lost his mother to cancer and his father to a heart attack. But D'Marko has gained invaluable knowledge from these experiences. "I'm 42 years old," he says, "going on 80."
Nowadays D'Marko and his wife, Leslie, own and manage the Custom Fit Nutrition stores located in the Lifestyle 2000 Fitness Centers in Holladay and Sugarhouse, and on the Internet as well. You don't need to be a member of the club to shop there. D'Marko uses his nearly 30 years of personal experience, and a zest for research, to help his customers get the nutrition they need, and to design them specific nutritional programs.
At Custom Fit Nutrition customers can be sure that someone is looking out for them. D'Marko won't sell a product unless it has been on the market for at least a year, and that he has tried himself. Before selling anything, D'Marko likes to find out a few things about his customers, like what kinds of food they usually eat, how often they work out and what their fitness goals are. If his clients are already getting the nutrition they need, he tells them up front and refuses to sell them a single item. The key to a strong business, says D'Marko, is to count your customers, not your cash. The rest takes care of itself.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
