Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Kowal.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Sweden, to a Swedish mother and a father who was a Polish immigrant. I lived there until I was 15 and then I moved to England. I have since moved around a lot and lived in Germany, France, Germany, and Mexico. At 18, I moved back to Sweden to join the military. I was with the Rangers (Special Forces) for a year. I came to the US to do my Masters in Sports Management at CSULB. I then started working for Krav Maga Worldwide, where I soon became the General Manager. I got my 2nd-degree black belt in Krav Maga from there.
Simultaneously, I continued my fight career. I turned pro in Kickboxing in Mexico City in 2001. In 2009, I turned pro in MMA and in 2010, I was the first Swedish fighter to fight for Strikeforce. In 2013, I opened my first gym: Systems Training Center. We have since opened three more locations in only five years. On May 25th, 2015, my son Liam was born. It honestly felt like a dream come true: Me and my wife worked very hard to open and run our gyms, and Liam was with us.
We loved what we were doing and the environment that we had created at the gyms. On the 3rd of September, 2016, every parents’ nightmare came through; our 15-month son was killed by a drunk driver. It’s a pain that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. We donated our son’s organs so that other people could live and we held our son’s funeral on September 12th. At 6 am the following morning, we met with our lawyer to open our son’s non-profit: Liam’s Life Foundation.
We decided that our son’s passing wasn’t going to be just another senseless statistic, but because of our son, there would be a difference. We decided that we were going to get the BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) lowered to 0.05 from 0.08. It has been proven to save thousands of lives in over 100 countries that have done it. Four days after my son’s passing, I started writing. At first, it was for myself. It was an outlet. But I also met a lot of parents, especially fathers, who had lost their children.
Many of them were still angry, or bitter, or both. I wanted to help parents who have lost their children. It ultimately became a book: Life Is A Moment (which spells out Liam). We are in the midst of wrapping up a documentary, “Letters To Liam.” Winters Rock Ent, who has been embedded with us for over a year, which shows the work we are doing with our non-profit and is going to be a very powerful movie (trailer: https://vimeo.com/243058046).
Has it been a smooth road?
Obviously not. Losing a child is the most difficult of pains. A pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Even if I hadn’t lost my son, I don’t think there’s such a thing as opening a business and it all being smooth sailing. It’s rough. It’s gritty. Especially anything to do with fitness/martial arts, as LA is the Mecca of fitness. There’s a lot of competition and many long hours and sleepless nights.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Systems Training Center LLC – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in Boxing, kickboxing, MMA, BJJ, Krav Maga, and CrossFit. We have one of the best and most active MMA teams in Southern California with fighters in organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, and LFA.
What sets us apart and what also makes me most proud is the environment that we have created. Even though we have some of the toughest people on this planet representing our gym, we have the friendliest staff, instructors, and members.
We’ve created an environment that’s passionate and supportive to everyone, regardless of what their goals are. We start kids as young as three years old, and I’m proud to say that we are helping build a strong, healthy and caring next generation!
We truly are family and everyone at our locations are aware of our non-profit and help in various ways to change the social attitude towards drunk driving and our efforts to lower the legal BAC to 0.05.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that there are so many things to do and see! LA is an active city and the Mecca for health and fitness. I love the beaches and the weather, especially coming from Sweden!
I hate what everyone hates: the traffic. LA needs better public transportation, and both the city and the country needs to get better at recycling!
Contact Info:
- Address: 13040 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250
- Website: www.SystemsTrainingCenter.com
- Phone: 424-269-1337
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @systemstrainingcenter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/systemstrainingcenter/
- Twitter: SystemsTC
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/systems-training-center-hawthorne
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
