Longtime VersaClimber Executives Become Majority Owners of Iconic Fitness Brand
Longtime VersaClimber Executives Become Majority Owners of Iconic Fitness Brand
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Founding family maintains a stake as company plans continued investment in innovation, education and global growth
SANTA ANA, Calif. — November 4 — VersaClimber, the fitness equipment brand trusted for 45 years by elite athletes, coaches and fitness studios worldwide, today announced a transition: longtime company executives Shane Schieffer and Jim Siegrist are now VersaClimber’s majority owners.
Schieffer, who has spent nearly 10 years guiding VersaClimber’s strategy, operations and product development, will serve as CEO. His role has centered on aligning what the company builds with what its customers and users need. That connection is personal: in 2025, after doing nearly all of his upper-body training on VersaClimber and relatively little swimming, he swam 140 miles through Lake Powell in just over 10 days while towing his own gear.
Siegrist, who has led VersaClimber’s sales, marketing and industry relationships for nearly four years as a fractional executive, developing key partnerships with companies such as Lagree Fitness and TRX, will serve as President and Chief Revenue Officer. He brings Wall Street discipline and a rare instinct for people, building partnerships around shared principles, complementary strengths and genuine trust.
The Charnitski family, which founded and led VersaClimber for 45 years, remains shareholders. Dick Charnitski invented VersaClimber in 1981, creating the vertical-climbing fitness category. Dan Charnitski later led the company as president for decades, while Mike Charnitski led its engineering efforts and will continue advising on engineering, manufacturing and research and development.
VersaClimber’s existing team remains in place, and customer support will continue uninterrupted. The company said it will preserve the engineering standards, craftsmanship and performance philosophy that have defined its equipment while investing in innovation, education and future growth.
What that team built became a fixture in performance culture—from Ivan Drago’s training lab in Rocky IV to decades of use by LeBron James, Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl preparation, Joe Rogan’s repeated advocacy, and millions of views of J.K. Simmons training on the machine. Few fitness brands have invented a modality, earned that kind of adoption among people whose livelihoods depend on performance, and remained relevant for more than four decades.
“VersaClimber has spent 45 years earning something that cannot be manufactured quickly: trust,” Schieffer said. “Jim and I have worked alongside this team long enough to understand why that trust exists. Our responsibility is to protect what created it, invest in it, and help more people discover what VersaClimber can do.”
Under its new majority ownership, VersaClimber’s strategy will follow a simple sequence: learn, educate and grow. The company plans to work more closely with the people who use VersaClimber every day, expand trainer education, certification and programming, and turn those insights into better products, digital experiences and customer support.
“This is not about leaving VersaClimber’s past behind. It is about carrying that legacy forward with purpose,” Siegrist said. “VersaClimber has earned its credibility because the equipment produces results, is built to last, and serves an unusually broad range of people. We have an opportunity to help more customers understand that VersaClimber is more than a cardio machine—it is a versatile platform for performance, conditioning, low-impact training, recovery and longevity.”
For customers, distributors and industry partners, the transition provides continuity in the people, products and relationships they know, with greater resources behind them.
The next chapter will not be built by ownership alone. It will be shaped by the employees, customers, coaches, athletes, studio owners, partners and climbers who made VersaClimber what it is—and by the people who discover it next.
About VersaClimber
VersaClimber is the original total-body climbing fitness brand. For 45 years, its equipment has supported conditioning, strength, endurance, recovery and performance for athletes, coaches, fitness facilities, tactical organizations and home users worldwide. VersaClimber is headquartered in Santa Ana, California. Learn more at versaclimber.com.
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VersaClimber Media Relations