Team HGA

Aaron and Susan Stott (Owners)

As dedicated parents to three busy children, Aaron and Susan bring a family-oriented and community based approach to HG Athletics. Through their personal wellness journey, they realized their passion for sharing the importance of fitness and an active lifestyle, which they believe are essential pieces of living a well rounded and healthy life. As active professionals and members of the Glen Ellyn community (Susan teaches preschool locally and serves on the library board and Aaron works for a tech startup company) their mission is to empower and inspire not only their own family, but also the wider Glen Ellyn community. When not at HG, they can be found sailing in Chicago, riding bikes with their kids or running around with their dog.

Jeff Romero - Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jeff, a certified strength and conditioning coach at HG Athletics since 2016, combines deep expertise with a genuine passion for empowering others to reach their fullest potential. His journey into fitness coaching began during his undergraduate studies at a physical therapy clinic, where he built a solid foundation in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement.

Inspired by working alongside elite athletes in this setting, Jeff pursued a career dedicated to strength and conditioning. He’s known not only for his technical expertise but also for his thoughtful, individualized approach. Jeff creates customized training programs that align with each person’s unique goals—whether you’re an athlete striving to elevate your performance or an individual focused on improving overall health and well-being. 

Education: BS Kinesiology: UIC ‘15; MS Applied Exercise Science: CUC ‘23

Certifications: NSCA – CPT, CSCS; USAW-1; CFSC-1; PN-1; NASM – PES, CES; DBC L1; APCC 

Specializations:

  • Strength and Conditioning / Elite Sports Performance – Middle School, High School, and Collegiate Athletes

  • Adult Fitness – Personal and Group Training

  • Health and Lifestyle Enhancement

Jake Donovan - Sports performance manager/Coach

Education: BS in Exercise Science from Illinois State in 2017

Experience: Jake has trained athletes from every level (Youth, HS, College, Professional) at 3 different performance facilities with one of them being the highly accredited EXOS in Dallas, TX. Jake has been working and training here at HG since 2017.

Certifications/Specializations: Exercise Science Degree, XPS, DBC-L1, Sports Performance Specialist

Kevin Pendleton - CrossFit Coach

Kelly Reese - Client Success Manager

Kelly Reese joined HG as a client in 2021 and has since enjoyed learning the ropes of cross training. Although she had a background in sports and ran regularly prior to joining, weight training was a new challenge to her. For perspective, upon starting classes Kelly could barely do a push-up and was unable to do a pull-up. Today she is working toward goals like accomplishing muscle-ups and handstand movements, which shows that progress is possible! In stepping into the role of “Client Success Manager” she hopes to assist new and existing clients in working toward their goals and finding support in our community.



Spencer Griffith -CrossFit Coach

Spencer started CrossFit in 2020 and fell in love with the community, variety of movements, and learning new skills. He became a coach to share my experiences on what has helped me learn skills and develop as an athlete. He loves being apart of a community that challenges its members to be successful in and out of the gym and embrace everything during that journey.

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