San Diego Trainer of 2020: Tom Green
Former professional athlete Tom Green, owner and founder of GreenSpeed Training, defies pandemic odds and thrives in 2020 as both San Diego’s top personal trainer and gym owner by putting his community first
Searching the internet for positive news these days is not an easy task; the media is ridden with grim and often sad news in 2020. However, there are still precious gems out there that presents itself with a spark of positivity that’s sure to inspire others, including our choice for San Diego’s top personal trainer: Tom Green of the GreenSpeed Training Facility.
Green is a former college and professional athlete who has a unique and standout background. The University of South Dakota alumni was one of their top track and field athletes, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2017 as an 8-Time NCAA All-American track and field sprinter. After his college career, he went on to train at the Olympic Center in Chula Vista before moving on as a personal trainer and later founded his own gym, which houses other personal trainers.
Beyond that, we tip our hats off to Green for his early, proactive approach once lockdown hit the county of San Diego. A checklist of proper protocol early on including deep cleaning by professional services and connecting with his clients both personally and publicly caught our eye. While other gyms and trainers were unfortunately pushed to close or defied orders, Green chose to pursue a positive plan.
Aside following proper county and city codes, Green became involved with his community, setting a new standard for local gyms. Obviously, it’s in the name — “personal” training, where work is done one-on-one, but choosing to step outside that realm and address his clientele and more importantly, the community, added another touch of human connection. From a celebration to when gyms were allowed to reopen back in June, interactive online contests, a socially-distanced movie night, 30-day fitness challenge and a much needed community drive for school supplies that helped students who were distance learning, Green’s choice to take a step above to serve people hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In a time where understandably most gym owners had to think of their own business financially, Green was able to put forth effort in caring for his local Eastlake community — a rarity in which the fitness industry is solely focused on individuals, especially in the era of the “me, me, me.” Stepping away from self-indulgent opportunities, Green made moves to support his clients and city of Chula Vista. As stated in a past interview, Green said, “During these difficult times, I felt it was necessary to not only help this community, but also bring smiles to a lot of faces.”
Public relations director Ivy Rina, who often works with Green, exudes her pride with the work Green has done. “It’s refreshing to see people actually follow through with genuine care that isn’t fake. He really does have a huge heart for not just his clients, but everyone he works with and the community itself,” Rina said. “The world always needs more positivity, but it’s different when it’s actually real and people are proactive about it, like Tom. His gym is an anchor in the area, but above that, he’s not your typical trainer. He doesn’t see you as a ‘client,’ he actually sees you wholly, as a person.”
On top of his community work, Green was also able to see his business personally grow, as he teamed up with longtime friend Dr. Walker Scott to expand their businesses together.
Aside being our choice as the San Diego Trainer of 2020 and San Diego Gym of 2020, Green has won additional awards this year, including Best Gym and Best Personal Trainer for San Diego Reader, Best Health Club/Fitness Center of the South Bay for The Star-News and included in Expertise’s highly-coveted Top 21 Best Gyms of San Diego. At the time of publication, Green is accepting new clients, as are other trainers at the facility.
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own. This choice as “San Diego’s Best of 2020” is purely editorial and was NOT paid for.
