Leo Marangi

A hands-on foundation

Leo Marangi’s career in fitness began with a passion for bodybuilding in his native South Africa. After moving to the United States, he took a job delivering commercial fitness equipment across the country, which gave him a firsthand look at the machines, the people who train on them, and the businesses that depend on them.

Determined to build something of his own, Leo started refurbishing equipment, developing the technical skill that would become the foundation of his career. What began as sales out of his garage grew into Primo Fitness, and together with his wife, Kristen Marangi, he built it into an international business spanning installations, buybacks, refurbishing, and distribution. Under their leadership, Primo now operates from a facility holding more than 100,000 square feet of equipment and serves customers around the world.

Learning what makes equipment last

Leo and Kristen also brought the Italian strength brand Panatta into their business, developing its sales strategy and leading its service and installation operations across 32 states. Over eight years with Panatta, Leo deepened his expertise in equipment design, biomechanics, technical repair, logistics, installation, and commercial gym development. Working with thousands of machines taught him that quality goes far beyond appearance, brand name, or price. Above all, a machine must be safe: built to protect every user, every rep, every time. From there, what truly matters is proper biomechanics, natural movement patterns, precision engineering, and the durability to perform for years, not just seasons.

The vision for American Strength

That conviction led Leo and Kristen to step away from Panatta and pursue Leo’s longtime passion: a brand of his own. American Strength was founded to build equipment defined by uncompromising safety, intelligent design, biomechanical precision, and machines engineered to last, made for serious athletes, gym owners, and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Today, Leo brings the same hands-on expertise, entrepreneurial drive, and passion for biomechanics to American Strength, guided by a simple belief:

Great strength equipment shouldn’t just look impressive. It should be engineered to perform safely, and built to last.