Jim Kroeger PD Biography

Jim Kroeger was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2013, and ever since has worked as an advocate so that People with Parkinson’s (PWP) may lead the highest quality of life possible for this neurodegenerative condition for which there is no known cure. 

Jim, a two-time state champion powerlifter, owns and operates 3 neighborhood health clubs on Chicago’s northside, Lincoln Park Fitness Center (since 1991), Ravenswood Fitness (since 2010) and Edgewater Fitness (since 2014) and has offered the Rock Steady Boxing program for PWP since May of 2015. Jim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, formerly worked 16 years as a pension actuary for two of Chicago’s largest consulting firms (earning the ASA and EA professional accreditations) and received his MBA in Entrepreneurship & Analytical Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Jim lost his wife, Dana Koch, to cancer in 2019 and his remaining life ambition is to construct a comprehensive wellness center in Chicago for PWP, patterned after InMotion, located in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH. Jim believes that both his and his fellow PWP’s long-term care needs will be best served by creating a supportive and welcoming facility that fosters hope and camaraderie, is based on the cornerstones of exercise and social interaction, and empowers PWP to remain highly functioning independent members of their communities for as long as humanly possible. Jim underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2023 and has been living free of all PD medications subsequent to this highly successful procedure.