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Hugo Luna

We're your nutrition experts

Updated: Jan 30, 2023

When you come into one of our Rick & Ann’s GNC stores, we want to connect you to exactly the product you need.


I take supplements seriously — both as something I study and as something I use myself.

A man standing in a store with shelves behind him.
Hugo Luna, Rick & Ann's General Manager

My background is in biology — I got my degree from UTSA back in 1999 — and I’ve always cared about my own fitness. When I was just out of college, I worked out four days a week, an hour and a half each day. I used supplements that were right for that lifestyle — pre-workout supplements, protein shakes, that kind of thing.


Now that I’m older, I’ve changed my workout routine a bit, and I’ve also changed the supplements I use.




But they key thing is, I’ve always matched the supplements I used to the kind of life I was leading — and the kind of life I wanted to lead.


That’s what we want to help you to do.


We choose the best products


We’re associated with GNC because that gives us access to some of the best supplements available on the market today. GNC has a long history in this marketplace, dating back almost one hundred years. The company invests in research, in product development, and in quality control. As a GNC franchisee, we get the benefit of all that.


But we’re not limited to just GNC-branded products. We aim to find the best products in each category, whether or not they’re made by GNC, and put those products on our shelves.


I take product research seriously. I read the scientific literature, I talk to the manufacturers, I even visit manufacturing facilities. Sometimes I uncover products that aren’t yet well-known. For example, about a year ago I started investigating Nutrabound. I was impressed with them from the start, because they had some top-notch scientists on staff.


I was even more impressed by their manufacturing. A lot of supplement companies are primarily designers and marketers. They hire third-parties to manufacture their products. That’s not a bad thing. It works pretty well. But Nutrabound wasn’t satisfied with that approach. They wanted the tight quality control that came from manufacturing their products in-house. So that’s what they’ve done — they’ve built a manufacturing facility right here in Texas.


We discovered them and we started selling their FLOW product line. Now those products are being picked up by other GNC stores across the country.

This is our approach. We want to make sure that we find and deliver all the best products through our stores.


We find the right product for you


It isn’t enough that we have a great selection of products. It’s also important that the product you take home is right for you — for your lifestyle, for your stage in life.


As I mentioned earlier, I use supplements myself. The supplements I chose when I was in my early twenties aren’t the same supplements that I use today. My body has changed and my lifestyle has changed.


I know the products and I know the science, so I’ve adjusted my supplement selection carefully over time.


We can help you do the same thing.


We train our staff to understand our products and to understand how they fit with different people and different lifestyles. We understand that different products work well for young athletes, for seniors, for men, for women. We understand what products are best for your joints, for workout recovery, for digestion, and for your body’s immune system.


We can help you to make the right choices. Don’t just come into the store and buy a product because a friend told you about it or because you saw an ad on social media. Ask us for advice. Ask us to explain the differences between multiple products in the same category.


That’s what we’re here for. We’re your experts.

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