I still remember the day that I met Ryan Deluca, with his brother Jeremy and his dad, at an expo, them just starting out, and saying hello. The DeLuca's built an incredible empire, and am sad to see the last of them officially leave Bodybuilding.com. Going to be strange without Ryan at the helm....
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From Ryan DeLuca....
I was barely out of high school when I started a business in my garage. I had never met another CEO. Never talked with an entrepreneur. Never knew anybody in the fitness industry. I didn't care. My passion was fitness and business and all I wanted to do, night and day, was work on creating the kind of company that I would want as a customer. I didn't party during the college years. I didn't really do anything for fun. I worked... and I loved (nearly) every single minute of it.
For my entire adult life I have worked on one thing... building Bodybuilding.com into the best company it can be for our customers and for our team members. Over the last 17 years we have sold BILLIONS of dollars worth of protein powders, amino acids, pre-workouts, bars, vitamins and more. We have changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people all over the world, helping people to become their best selves... a version of themselves that can make them a better parent, community member, employee, and spouse.
Today was my last day. I have officially resigned as CEO and will become an advisor to the company indefinitely. It's time to give somebody else a chance to run the most visited fitness site and biggest online sports nutrition company in the world.
There have been an insane number of ups and downs, as any entrepreneur can understand, but the highest "up" has been working with my team to create something special that will live on. I have no doubt that Bodybuilding.com will continue to grow and innovate far into the future. I have a lot of ideas for new businesses and other passions that I plan to pursue after a long vacation, my first real vacation since I started the company. Yes, I've taken time away from the office, but when you run a 24/7 business, you are never really "off".
Bodybuilding.com is like a child to me. It's a big part of who I am as a person. And like a proud dad, I will be cheering on from the sidelines, always there, always protective, and always ready to help even though I know inside you are fine on your own.