MAYS LANDING — When three Oakcrest High School friends created a line of supplements, they did not know they would face off against the actress who plays Wonder Woman over their company name.
Pete D’Amico, of Mays Landing, Will Smallwood, of Port Republic, and Bill Rementer, of Philadelphia, created a company called PWR Supplements with three products: PWR Rush, a pre-workout supplement, PWR Down, a sleep-aid supplement, and Pro-Tropic, a brain and gut health supplement.
Months before they applied for a trademark for their company name, actress Gal Gadot and her husband, Yaron Varsano, filed paperwork for a company they want to launch for supplements that would be called GAL PWR.
While the trademark dispute will either be settled between their attorneys or with a judge in a court, the venture for the three area friends has turned out to be much more than they’d ever anticipated.
“It’s a very intimidating process, to say the least, but we have been moving forward, so that we can keep doing what we do best and making supplements that are popular,” said Smallwood, 31.
Kenneth A. Feinswog, who is based in California, is the attorney representing Gadot and her husband in the trademark matter. Multiple attempts to reach Feinswog for comment were unsuccessful.
Smallwood and Rementer grew up in Port Republic together and have been friends since fourth grade. At Oakcrest, Smallwood and D’Amico became familiar with each other by hanging around a group of friends with similar interests in music. Smallwood plays drums, and D’Amico plays bass and lead guitar.
One of the three PWR Supplements partners, D’Amico, 29, earned his bodybuilding pro card in the category of men’s physique. A pro card is considered a golden ticket that proves you have put in the work and successfully competed in amateur competitions. D’Amico lived with college roommates who created their own supplement blends.
Rementer, 29, saw the gap in the market for the supplements D’Amico was filling.
Rementer, who is certified in sports performance enhancement and was a personal trainer for five years, was interacting with the people who would be potential customers for their supplements.
Smallwood was the one who wanted to make it official and sell their supplements.
They created their first energy drink, Lemon Limeade, because they saw the need for a beverage that could be consumed before working out that tasted good. The energy drink has the caffeine of coffee, but it also contains L-Theanine for a smoother, less jittery reaction, Smallwood said.
“We have people who are doing office work at Google, Lockheed, Boeing, who drink it as an alternative to coffee,” D’Amico said.
The 10-year trademark they are seeking with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is called a common law trademark because they have an existing product they are selling as opposed to just an idea or a concept, Smallwood said.
