From his past work, building businesses from the ground up to his passion for supporting local businesses, John Cameron is changing the game in more ways than one.

When John Cameron first began his career in business, his focus was in the produce industry. With a degree in finance under his belt, he used his creativity to grow various household name produce brands such as Del Monte Gold Pineapples. Much of his early career was made up of building the NatureSweet brand, which he helped take from a smaller corporation to a 600-million dollar company and the #1 brand in Fresh Tomatoes with its products present in large retailers across the country. Eventually, John’s work in the produce industry led him to Richmond Hill, where he moved along with his family to help market Vidalia Onions nationwide.

It was this background in building brands, along with his past as an Ironman Triathlete—a title earned by running, swimming, and biking a total of 140 miles in one day—that eventually led to his next great adventure as a small business owner. In 2015, John and partner Ryan Peters opened Hill On Wheels, a bike shop located in Richmond Hill that still operates in the community today. Inspired by a need he saw in the community for a place to buy quality biking gear, John used his past experiences in building brands and his personal passion for wellness to make Hill On Wheels a success.

In 2022, John took ownership of Game Changers Running Company, a retailer of running shoes and other athletic gear in Richmond Hill. With a new vision and hope for what the company could be, he set out with the mission to become a central hub of health and wellness in the communities in which the company operates. John likens the hub and spokes of a bike wheel to his company. The hub being the mission and the spokes representing anything from the products Game Changers offers to group runs and races in the community, to the customer service that helps anyone who comes into his stores find the perfect shoe for their needs. “I want people to think of us as a solution provider, not just a running store,” he says. Since John took over the company, he has expanded into additional markets, including St. Simons Island, Georgia and Amelia Island, Florida.

Throughout our conversation, it was clear that John’s work with Game Changers was just that—more than just a running store. “At the end of the day, we have built a company around great people. You can get all the fancy brands on your wall, but if you don’t have the right people and you don’t invest in the people, nobody will return.” The people focus of Game Changers extends beyond the internal team, with John hosting weekly group runs, new shoe demos, and collaborations with other local businesses in Richmond Hill, St. Simons, and Amelia Island. The events, which aim to welcome “all faces and paces,” are a way for Game Changers to be actively engaged in the community and reach people who may not know about the company or might feel intimidated walking into a “running” store. “We want to make sure we’re reaching people where they are.” The runs represent yet another spoke to the Game Changers hub, bringing local businesses and community members together in the name of celebrating wellness.

As he continues to expand the Game Changers brand, John says he is determined to spread the power of supporting local businesses and investing in the community. “As Richmond Hill continues to grow, the responsibility to help existing businesses thrive starts with us as consumers. I believe that when you peel back the layers of the businesses here, you find tremendous value—a large part of your tax dollars stay local when you shop local. If you want new parks; if you want new lanes for bikes; if you want new businesses to come here, you have to show up for who’s already here!”

According to John, you get better service locally. “We say a lot of times to our customers, “go shop the rest and come back to us and you’ll see a difference.”” It is this difference in care that drives John to ensure that Game Changers remains an active member of the small business community in the areas they serve. Whether it is partnering with a local restaurant so runners can enjoy a drink and a bite to eat at the end of a group run, or planning a race that gets everyone in the community involved, he says a key pillar of Game Changers’ success story is helping other local businesses be successful.

Alongside his wife, Dana, who according to John supports all of his crazy ideas, and his daughter Caroline, who currently interns for Game Changers, John continues to push the Game Changers brand towards new heights by further developing his ideas and opportunities for growth like his new clothing line and where the next retail store will be located. John still uses the lessons of business development and risk-taking that he learned early in his business career to propel Game Changers forward today, saying “I wake up every day thinking about how the company can improve. I’ve got a list every day that never stops. That’s what a great entrepreneur does. They just wake up and figure it out, and find great people to help them get it done.”