Our Story
It’s been 31 years since the first edition of IMPACT Magazine hit the streets in September 1991 in Calgary, Alberta when there was no other magazine of its kind in Canada.
As a fitness professional, publisher, Elaine Kupser realized the need for an avenue for those in the health, fitness, and sports industry to help spread the word of enjoying life to its fullest through fitness, health & sports.
As the creator of IMPACT Magazine, Elaine began her business plan back in 1990, with a mere $5,000 to get started, and a dream, wanting to share relevant and credible information with the community from the best experts in their fields. The ‘best-of-the best’ in the industry helped launch the first IMPACT Magazine.
It was a team effort from the beginning. The first advisory board members included Dr. Birdsell, Dr. Cosman, Dr. Tish Doyle, Neil Spiers, Diane Jones-Konohowski, Charlene Prickett, Shona Lowe, Grant Pollock, King Dunn, Craig Gattinger, Helen Vanderburg, Dr. Young, Rob Reid, and Reid Morrison, all of which are still relevant in the industry today, and still contributing. This group of contributors has grown to hundreds in the past three decades.
Content is key. IMPACT’s award-winning editorial content has remained strong since the beginning, including departments on fitness, health, nutrition, food, training, sports medicine, travel and features on the top athletes across the country each issue.
In March of 2006, the Vancouver edition of IMPACT was launched, and in March of 2013 the Toronto edition of IMPACT was added for a cross-Canada distribution of 90,000 each edition. A great leap from it’s original 10,000 inaugural edition back in 1991.
IMPACT has played a significant role in the sports and fitness community, sponsoring over 200 events each year from marathons to triathlons, fitness & yoga events, and numerous fundraisers.
Readers have been been forever faithful to the IMPACT brand, and in the fall of 2016 IMPACT celebrated its 25th Anniversary edition with a reader contest to give back to those who have been so passionate about the magazine.
IMPACT’s mandate has held strong since its inception:
“A leader in the industry, IMPACT Magazine is committed to publishing content provided by the best experts in their fields for those who aspire to higher levels of health, fitness, and performance.”
IMPACT helps educate, inspire, brings businesses and consumers together, and builds community. IMPACT continues to show that there is strength in the publishing and print industry, and that readers and advertisers will always have a strong bond to their favourite magazine.
It has taken a team of loyal, passionate team members, contributors and advertisers who continue to support and choose IMPACT as their choice to spread the word of living a healthier, fitter lifestyle.
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IMPACT Magazine received two national publishing awards at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) in 2021. Finalists included CBC, Postmedia, Global News, The Walrus and HuffPost Canada.