Our Staff

Chris Suiter
Owner, Head Coach
All the years of training with free weights, kettlebells, and martial arts has led me to this…
I found “Cindy.” She isn’t a person. She’s a CrossFit benchmark workout.
Surely, a 20 minute workout is no big deal, right? Especially one that includes JUST pullups, JUST pushups, and JUST bodyweight squats.
Well, live and learn…
I learned I can struggle and after lying on the floor for a while, I decided I needed to embrace this struggle and improve. This was after I decided I wasn’t going to pass out, by the way.
Growth is important in all things and that’s what I’m here for: to make each and every person better when they leave than when they got here. I have been teaching and coaching for over 23 years and I’m ready to help.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s of Science in Education. Concentration: Exercise Science
- Functional Movement Specialist (FMS Level 2)
- USAW Level 2 Sports Performance Coach & Club Coach
- CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
- CrossFit Gymnastics
- NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
- TaeKwonDo Instructor
- Formerly HKC Certified (Hardstyle Kettlebell)

Lindsay Donovan
Coach, Personal Trainer, Certified Yoga Instructor
The road to finding CrossFit was a long and interesting journey!
I came from a long distance running, yoga, and physical therapy background. After completing several ultra-marathons in 12 months, my body needed something different. I had tried CrossFit class here and there, but was honestly intimidated. Being tired of long endurance and low intensity, I decided to change it up with short endurance and high intensity.
CrossFit did the trick and I began my journey the summer of 2016. Being in ministry school in norther California, I was able to slowly grow in the area of CrossFit and the workouts and community hooked me. I also taught Yoga for CrossFitters classes while in California at Jefferson State CrossFit.
After completing my ministry schooling, I decided that I wanted to coach others in CrossFit as it had positively impacted my life. I wanted to do that for others.
CrossFit has made me strong both mentally and physically. The summer of 2018, I completed the Level 1 CrossFit course in Omaha, NE and began and internship at Iron Hero CrossFit. I then started coaching and personal training after its’ completion.
I have a strong desire to see others succeed and develop them into the best versions of themselves. CrossFit is accessible to everyone and I love bringing my physical therapy/Yoga background into classes. Positivity is one of my strengths and you will be sure to find it in my classes!
Come check out what a positive and encouraging CrossFit family can look like!
Qualifications:
- Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, NE
- Certified Yoga Instructor, 200 Hour
- CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
- CrossFit Weightlifting

Michael Kopperud
Coach, Personal Trainer
I was interning for my high school athletic trainer when I was a junior and this is where I was introduced to CrossFit.
My athletic trainers owned CrossFit Sacramento and that was my first box where I learned everything from the basics to the pains and frustrations of a beginner. I was there for a couple of years before enlisting in the Navy. For a year, and some change, I was stationed in San Diego where I was at CrossFit Invictus. Being permanently stationed in Japan gave me some opportunity to practice but not belong to a box. I had a few changes to come back to CrossFit Invictus as I furthered training in San Diego once a year.
After finishing my tour in February of 2017, I moved out to Omaha to finish my schooling and join the best box and family in Omaha: Iron Hero CrossFit
I aspire to help other individuals, from athletes to retirees, reach their fitness goals.It is also my hope to foster a training environment people can come to participate in the family and community of CrossFit. I believe my world experience in serving in the military and traveling abroad has given me the necessary perspective to help all people from different walks of life.
I will push myself to be the best coach I can be and I will push you to be the best version of you that you deserve.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s in Exercise Science (Coming in 2020)
- CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
FUTURE CERTIFICATIONS:
- Masters/Certified in Athletic Training
- NSCA Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Other various CrossFit certifications

Andrea LaBahn
Coach, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach
My friend would not stop asking me to come to this new gym she found…
In 2009 I was stationed at Elgin AFB in Florida. I used to do early morning runs before work (typically anywhere between 3 to 7 miles). It was my go-to workout plan though occasionally I would throw in some push-ups and sit-ups.
I felt like this was fine and what I would soon find out was I was missing a whole world of things I never knew I would love so much
After about a month of my friend asking me to come with her to a new gym she found [called CrossFit], and me telling her I would go and then not show up, I finally walked into the doors. My first trial workout, at CrossFit Fort Walton Beach, was a 4 movement Tabata-style workout: pull-ups, squats, pushups, and situps. “Ok,” I thought, “16 minutes isn’t a bit deal. I can run for well over an hour and feel fine.”
Well, I was smacked with a big dose of CrossFit reality.
I wasn’t as good as I thought, the workout was hard, I had to scale, and I was in a puddle of sweat on the floor wondering what just happened to me. The weird thing was, I loved it! The next thing I knew, I was setting up my membership and scheduling On-Ramp classes for the next day. Needless to say, my long morning runs took a big back seat to barbells, weights, chalk, and a family I didn’t know I needed so much.
Why is it so important to me?
There are probably a hundred good reasons why CrossFit is important to me so I will just stick with the top 3:
- Confidence
- By far, the very first thing I noticed about myself going through CrossFit, was this. “If I could do everything IN the gym, why can’t I do those other things OUTSIDE the gym?” Turns out I can. I continue to use this as motivation when something is a little scary for me.
- Nutrition
- I did my first nutrition challenge in 2011. It was a paleo challenge and it was hard. What kept me going was the changes my body was making. It was a huge eye-opening experience for me.
- Helping Others
- Everything CrossFit has done for me I want to give to others, no matter what the goal is (seeing someone get their first pull-up, a PR on a lift, or helping them with nutrition. Nothing replaces the feeling of seeing happiness on someone’s face because they did something they couldn’t do before!
Qualifications:
- NASM Personal Trainer
- NASM Group Trainer
- NASM Sports Nutrition Specialist
- CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
- CrossFit Weightlifting
Future Certifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science (2021)
- CrossFit Gymnastics
- Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification