Aug. 28—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Jamie Augustine, 18, is a powerlifting world record holder, certified personal trainer, and now a new gym owner in the Johnstown area.

This summer, after graduating from North Star High School with academic honors, she opened Natural Fit LLC — an all-female, class-based gym at 119 Jari Drive in Richland Township.

Augustine, of Boswell, also manufactures what she calls affordable weights for home gyms.

"Through COVID, prices of weights skyrocketed because everyone was trying to make their home gym," she said.

The pandemic caused the closure of gyms in 2020. Augustine was then a sophomore student and powerlifter at North Star High School.

"We couldn't work out at the school gym because of COVID, so I was trying to build a home gym and everything was just insanely expensive," she said.

"We found you could buy molds and pour concrete and make concrete weights. So, that's part of my business now — selling these weights."

She's developing the weight manufacturing part of her operation as she builds her client base for her lifting classes.

At the Natural Fit gym studio, splashed with natural light and filled with free weights and equipment, she provides classes four days a week of varying intensities for women ages 20 to 55.

Augustine's faith is also infused in the business, she said. On Sundays, she provides a stretch and mobility worship class.

"Some of my clients have goals for weight loss and they want to have a great space to get healthy in general," she said.

"They feel comfortable in coming here. That's what I want to provide. I want a place where they feel comfortable."

As a certified personal trainer, Augustine writes the gym's programs and teaches the classes while also providing individual plans for clients.

"It's not the 24/7 gym, where you have to figure it out — I'm your instructor. I make the workout, teach it, help you get through it," she said.

She earned National Academy of Sports Medicine certification through a program offered by the Greater Johns-town Career and Technology Center.

"The summer before my senior year, the Johnstown vo-tech announced they were having a sports medicine program that they never had before," she said. "I went for it because, before that, I was doing powerlifting competitions since 10th grade."

Augustine won the 100% RAW Powerlifting Federation Women's Lightweight Division World Championship in York in 2021.

"It's been my passion. My love through high school," she said. "I've done crazy things in lifting, but I just didn't know how I'd make it my career until I got into the vo-tech sports med program."

Her father, John Augustine, is administrative director of the GJCTC. She said both of her parents have supported her post-high school plans.

However, as an honors student, forgoing college stunned her peers, she said.

"Everyone was talking about college plans like, 'Where are you going, Jamie? Where are you going?' And I'm just like, 'Uh, I don't know yet' — because, honestly, I was so embarrassed at first that I wasn't going to college," she said. "I just felt so much that I had to go to college my whole life."

She said she believes the value of a vo-tech education is underestimated by a college-obsessed culture.

"These vo-tech graduates are coming out of high school making $50,000 a year, and I came out of the vo-tech and opened up my own business," she said.

Opening a business is a lot of heavy lifting for an 18-year-old. But her parents have supported her, helped her find the location where she opened and spotted her financially.

"I had my whole life savings from babysitting to start this, but my parents were able to help me, too. I'm super blessed to be able to have that help, because I'm not sure I'd be able to do it without them."

She's also leaned on entrepreneur coaching services from Startup Alleghenies, a free program of the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission and ARC POWER funding.

She connected with Startup Alleghenies coach Blake Fleegle, who provided a business plan.

Fleegle said he was impressed by her drive.

"Jamie's combination of fitness and business smarts makes her poised to become an incredible success story for our region," he said.