About Us

Kurt Ehlert, M.D., Owner, Area Developer

Dr. Kurt Ehlert, an orthopaedic surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina , grew up in Wisconsin and is a die-hard Packers' fan. He became very interested in Dennis and his vision for men's fitness in the summer of 2007. He has worked with athletes his entire professional career, from high school football players to Division 1 university athletes all the way to NBA and Olympic athletes. But what he has seen in his orthopaedic practice was the former athlete who has lost his way with his health and fitness. His lack of physical conditioning leads to potentially debilitating injuries. These injuries became even more difficult to treat due to obesity and other weight-related diseases.

The vision of Athletic Nation grabbed Dr. Ehlert's attention. He was, and is, sure that this was the way to get these frustrated men back into condition, back to enjoying life the way they had always envisioned. He made the decision not only to open the first Athletic Nation men's personal training gym in the Carolinas, but to become an Area Developer for Athletic Nation in the Triangle area. This allows him to bring up to 50 gyms into the Triangle, greatly affecting the quality of life throughout our home.

Visit Dr. Ehlert's small business blog, "The Mind of a Small Business Owner," to learn more about his views on small business, entrepreneurship, managing, and leading.


Clay Garland, General Manager, Golf Professional

Mr. Clay Garland was born and raised in the mountains of Canton, North Carolina and has played all sports, but especially golf, his entire life. He attended North Carolina State University and graduated a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Golf Management with a minor in Business Management. He has had the opportunity to work as an intern at places like Walt Disney World, the Carolinas Golf Association, Raleigh Golf Association, and Laurel Ridge Golf Club. He has also completed the requirements to become a PGA golf professional.

No matter how much golf Clay played, however, he always found time to get to the gym. He woke up every morning thinking of his workout for the day and what foods he needed to eat to support those workouts. He never dreamed that he would be able to channel his passion for fitness into a career until he found Athletic Nation of the Triangle. "Prior to becoming a GM at Athletic Nation, my eyes had been firmly fixed on a future in professional golf," Clay says. With his training and experience in business operations as well as his passion for fitness, we are lucky to have found Clay and directed his passion into our franchise.

As Clay states, " Although my profession was golf, my passion rested with the iron and that is why I am here. An Athletic Nation Gym is exactly what I always envisioned an ideal gym to be; a man's gym, a place where there are no distractions, no tanning beds, no soap operas, no excuses, just weights, sweat, and achievement. I look forward to the
opportunity to transform the bodies of men and in turn, their lives."

Visit Clay's personal web page to learn more about his views on men's health and fitness


Athletic Nation Franchise Corporation

In the year 2000, our founder Dennis Mulgannon hit rock bottom. At 38 years old, he found himself out of work from a start-up gone south, going through a divorce, facing financial ruin, and out of shape and overweight by 30 pounds. He had been a star athlete throughout school 20 years before with high expectations for his life and career and in no way thought that his life would have come to this.

It was turning his fitness around that eventually helped to turn his whole life around, but the fitness part wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. He had assumed it would just take showing up at the gym, lifting some weights, a little cardio, and he'd be right back where he had started 20 years before. But time has a way of playing tricks, and he did not pop right back into shape. He also noticed that other regulars at the gym didn't seem to improve either. After months, they continued to carry the same bulk as always. He wondered, "Why?"

Dennis looked to athletes and their training programs, making changes to his routine. He ratcheted up the intensity levels and included athleticism into his regime, as well as adopting a common sense approach to nutrition. Most importantly, he changed his mentality and allowed himself no excuses. The new regime produced results. Dennis lost 30 pounds and began to build lean muscle.

This whole process re-ignited a passion which Dennis had long forgotten: the love of sports. Years later he's continuing to challenge himself with new sport activities. He even went back to college so that he could compete athletically again. In 2002, Dennis went back to college and took up the javelin and worked hard to rank 9th in the state of California at the age of 42.

Through his own life's experience, Dennis wrote a top selling book about his exercise program (download this book, "Reality Fitness in 90 Days . . For Men") which eventually evolved into the first real men's training solution, Athletic Nation Men's Personal Training Gyms.

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