Samoan chief wears many hats

Winey admits her lifestyle is hectic, but the 39-year-old businesswoman would have it no other way. 

It all started in 2000 when she moved to Minnesota from Samoa to marry her husband, Mark Winey. They met in American Samoa when Winey was working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He is a graduate of White Bear Lake Area High School and returned to the area to take over his dad’s business, Magnepan. After a few visits to the state, Faamati accepted Winey’s marriage proposal. Then she began a franchise search. 

“I come from the tropics where there are always activities,” she said. “In the wintertime in Minnesota, what are you going to do? We decided to look into fitness gyms.” 

The couple purchased their first Snap Fitness in Lino Lakes in 2004, becoming the fourth owner in the state. That was followed by more purchases in yearly succession of fitness facilities in Blaine, Stillwater, Hugo and Forest Lake.

The Hugo gym is her lowest-performing location, Winey said, something she attributes to competition. “It seems the more competition I have, the harder I work at that gym.” Rent at the strip mall adjoining Festival Foods is steep and there is no space to expand, but Winey said she is committed to the location. There is nowhere else to move in Hugo. 

Still, buying the franchises was a good choice, she noted. At the time, each location cost about $150,000, with Forest Lake a bit higher. “It was a risk, but I’ve always liked adventure,” Winey said. 

A Snap Fitness is 24/7 like some other clubs but membership is month to month. Each location has a manager and personal trainers. There is a requirement from corporate to remodel every 10 years, so the Hugo location will get a facelift this winter. “For us to compete with other gyms, we must invest in new equipment. It’s costly but it will be nice,” she noted. 

The Samoan chief returns to her island country in the South Pacific at least once a year to visit her extensive family and perform her duties. It’s rare for a woman to inherit the title, but when her father died in 2012, Winey’s family decided as eldest, she should be the one to carry on his legacy. She became high chief on the day of his funeral.

“The chief makes decisions for the family and the village,” Winey explained. “The Samoan system is run by chiefs. If you are not a chief, you don’t have a voice in the village.”

Winey is obligated as chief to contribute financially to the church and school and to families for weddings and funerals. She is from a village called Tiavea. It is also traditional for relatives living overseas to support the family.

In honor of her late father, Winey got a traditional tattoo; something considered sacred in her culture. Other than the chief, only a high chief’s daughter is allowed to have the special tattoo, she said. Its design is intricate and painstaking, going from her knee to below the hip, and designates her ancestry and title. 

There are very few Samoans in Minnesota, noted Winey, which prompted her to apply for the governor’s Asian Pacific council. She was appointed last September. “I want to promote our culture and get Polynesian people together to make them aware of opportunities here,” she said.

Rugby is popular in her native country and a growing sport in America, added Winey, who co-owns the Youngbloodz 7s. Two of her 20-something players are trying out for the Olympic team, hoping to compete in Rio for Team USA.

Was it a culture shock to come to Minnesota? “Growing up on an island, it’s your goal to leave,” she replied. “To go overseas for better education, a better life. Then someday you go back. When I retire, I’ll likely go back.” Is her husband OK with that? “I think so. Although he’d rather retire in Colorado.”

Her business acumen is already churning in regards to retirement revenue. “My family has some beach land so I would be happy to run a small getaway for tourists. One of the perks as chief is to inherit land. It took me leaving the island to realize the potential of that oceanfront property. Now I see the value of a view.”