An $8.7-billion asset manager's mutual fund distribution chief recently switched over to being a fitness entrepreneur.

Darryl Alfonzo Keeton Bowie Fit Body Camp Co-Owner

Darryl Keeton, head of distribution for RE Advisers' Homestead Funds [profile], left the Arlington, Virginia-based firm last month, MFWire has learned. Keeton is now the co-owner of the Bowie, Maryland-based Bowie Fit Body Boot Camp, which he and his wife launched in June. Watch for Keeton to take his fitness efforts online next.

Laura Tillman, chief marketing officer for Homestead, declined to comment. RE Advisers is a subsidiary of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and is led by CEO Mark Santero.

Keeton, who has practiced martial arts for years and became a certified personal trainer in 2017, says he felt the urge to do more in the fitness space after the deaths in recent years of his mother and mother-in-law. Tomorrow, he says, "isn't guaranteed."

"This was actually a long-time coming," Keeton says of his transition. "Fitness has been a pretty dominant part of my existence since I was a teenager ... I don't think I would've felt good if I didn't give this a shot and scratch this entrepreneurial itch."

The transition also comes as Keeton's wife, a marine, is preparing to retire from the service next year.

"We came up with this idea of opening a fitness gym," Keeton tells MFWire. "I found a franchise that would give me the flexibility that I wanted."

The gym specializes in "high intensity interval training, Keeton says, and the idea is to give people "the best 30 minutes of their day." Looking ahead, he wants to launch an online fitness effort for "road warriors" who (like he did in mutual fund distribution) spend lots of time traveling but still want to keep fit.

Keeton, an alumnus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, joined Homestead back in 2015 after working at Calvert. Before that, he spent 15 years at Neuberger Berman, starting out as an administrative assistant and rising up through the sales ranks to senior vice president and head of fiduciary solutions.

"It's been an extraordinary ride," Keeton says. 

Stay ahead of the news ... Sign up for our email alerts now
CLICK HERE