Powerhouse Gym was founded in 1975 by brothers William and Norman Dabish in Highland Park, Michigan. The gym started out as a facility for people in the neighborhood to exercise and soon became a place for professional athletes to train. Some of the athletes who trained were professional boxer Tommy "Hitman" Hearns, Samir Baounout, Tom Platz and many others. In 1984 Powerhouse Gym began a licensing division which enabled them to grow from a small inner city gym to the much larger organization it is today. Over the years Powerhouse Gym has accumulated over 300 licensees and is located in 39 states and 15 countries.