At Amara, we believe in enjoying a healthy, balanced lifestyle and pursuing what you love. We love to compete, we love CrossFit, and we love to eat as healthy as possible because we believe nutrition is a big part of the foundation of health. You will probably see us at CrossFit events throughout California and Nevada as we expand throughout the region. Meet the team and learn about why we created Amara. You can read more information about how we blend raw superfruit and electrolytes by visiting our crafting page or sending us a note on our contact page with any questions or comments you have. If you see us at events stop and say hello!
Greg Connolly
Founder, CEO + Sports Nutrition Guru
Greg started Amara because he was searching for the ultimate drink: low Calorie, all-natural, and raw with the combined functionality of his three favorite drinks: a Sports Drink, an Energy Drink, and a Superfruit drink. After searching the drink market for months without finding what he wanted, even at CrossFit events, he ending up mixing drinks in a water bottle for himself and his friends. Amara was born. He perfected the blend and continued to watch his friends and family consume the high Calorie, artificial beverages available on the market until he took the lead and started production of Amara. Greg wanted to make his Raw sports drink available to everyone.
After graduating from CSU Chico with a BS in Business Management, Greg has founded or co-founded 3 companies. With over 10 years of startup experience, he decided to follow his passion of helping people enjoy their active lifestyles, and founded Amara Beverage Co.
Follow @greg_amara
Joe Siler
Co-Founder, Sales Director Nor Cal + Paleo Expert
Joe Siler grew up in Novato, CA and is our resident CrossFit competitor. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in accounting, his interest in how the body functions brought him to Portland, Oregon, where he earned a degree in biology from Concordia University. Health, fitness, nutrition and overall happiness are all things that Joe is truly passionate about, and the opportunity to share his passions with the world through a fitness focused raw fruit sports drink made the decision to join the Amara team, as Joe puts it, “the easiest decision that he has ever made.” Joe’s immense physical size and strength quickly earned him the title of “Forklift” around the warehouse and he currently leads the team in almost all fitness categories with a Clean and Jerk of 255lbs. Joe brings a unique blend of science and business knowledge to the team along with a strong understanding of fitness and sports drink nutrition.
Follow @AMARA_Joe
Jasson Pierre
Media Director and Fitness Cinematographer
Jasson Pierre has a long history in fitness and manages Amara’s social media and filming at various CrossFit events. He is a college friend of Greg’s and a San Francisco local with a BA from the Academy of Arts San Francisco in Animation & Visual Effects. With many years of experience in the marketing and fitness industries Jasson makes constant contributions to Amara’s marketing efforts. Jasson lives for photography, cinematography, and loves everything media.
Kiah Connolly, M.D.
Managing Director & Health Adviser
Kiah Connolly is an Emergency Physician at UC Irvine Medical Center. She received her Medical Degree from the University of California at Irvine. As Greg’s wife, Kiah has been involved in Amara since it’s inception and provides nutrition and ingredient guidance for our R&D team along with our beverages sugar and calorie profiles. Kiah has also had a lifelong passion for fitness and clean eating and has worked very closely with Greg to develop the vision for Amara and it’s macrosociological impacts on the American diet.
Photography by DQ3 Arts, Inc. and Chuck Schoenberger