Wrestlers flock to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Olympian Georgi Ivanov and his father opened a world-class training facility
Chance brought Georgi Ivanov to Council Bluffs, Iowa, as a teenager. In 2017, the Bulgarian-born Olympic wrestler chose to return and build a life and businesses here. “It’s a full-circle kind of thing,” the Lewis Central High School graduate said, explaining that Southwest Iowa felt like home thanks to support from his host family and the community—including the mayor.
Ten years after competing in the Rio Olympics, Georgi is now inspiring a new generation of wrestlers at a world-class facility he runs with his father, Ivan. We caught up with The Best Wrestler founder to learn about the philosophy and relationships that have shaped his incredible journey.
How did you make your way to Iowa, originally?
My father was working as a wrestling coach on a global level. In 2003, he was invited to host a wrestling camp in Council Bluffs. He stayed for three months, befriending a farmer from Underwood, Iowa, who visited my family in Bulgaria. Years later, that connection changed my life.
By the time I was 15 years old, I was wrestling with the best club [in Bulgaria]. I was living like a professional athlete until I had a back injury. The summer I was recovering, that farmer from Underwood came to Bulgaria and invited me to visit Iowa. A few months later, I was in Council Bluffs.
You stayed and wrestled here in high school. What inspired you to return to Iowa after studying and starting your career elsewhere?
The cost of living was inexpensive, and it felt like home for me. When we came back to Council Bluffs, my wife and I lived with the same host family that I lived with when I was 16 until we got on our feet. They run the Council Bluffs Classic, one of the biggest wrestling tournaments in the Midwest. It happens in December at the Mid America Center.
When I was done with the Olympics, I was a little bit depressed because I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was done with wrestling, the only thing that I was good at. I was married, but I had no money. That’s when I went on a journey of personal development. I started getting mentors, and I started studying how to have a growth mindset. I’m now known in the area as an entrepreneur.
Did you start The Best Wrestler right away?
First, I had a supplement business. I scaled it a bit, then sold it. Then, I started a business around shipping containers for temperature-controlled substances. But we got squashed during the pandemic. After that, I started a software company for project management and compliance training.
When my dad lost his job in Idaho, he and my mom moved here and lived with me for a year. We said, ‘We know wrestling; why don’t we try to start a wrestling club?’ We’ve trained and coached and competed around the world.
We found a small building in the middle of a cornfield just outside Council Bluffs and started The Best Wrestler. Within two years, our roster exploded. Nebraska’s first World Champion, three years ago, came out of our club. We got big, and then we applied for a grant through Iowa West Foundation. We’re currently based at Iowa West Field House. We equipped it as a world-class wrestling center, in my opinion. We get people from around the world training with us and doing camps here.
How did you build buzz for your business?
I think it was partly our marketing, our personalities and the experience and connections we have around the world, but even more so our culture and our results.
My dad has produced nine Olympians in his lifetime, and we’ve had over 25 people make world teams for different countries. My bachelor’s degree was in business marketing, and I have a master’s in strategic communication leadership.
I think our reputation is growing because of the culture we’re trying to build. We get kids into the sport of wrestling, and then we encourage them to be the best version of themselves in everything they do. What that means is different for everyone. We’re building leaders. I’m hoping it will have a butterfly effect eventually, where we’re living in a better world.
Are there any parallels between training as a world-class wrestler and lessons you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?
What I’ve learned through wrestling translates into entrepreneurship. You put your nose to the grind, and you keep working—even if you don’t see results immediately.
I tell kids, I started wrestling when I was three. There were plenty of times when I wanted to quit and didn’t. I didn’t win my first tournament until I was in ninth grade. Then, I went undefeated for two years. I won five national titles, a full ride to college, and became an Olympian. I had a lot of results, but the first 12 years of my life involved a lot of failure.
You learn through wrestling that a failure is only a failure if you quit. Other than that, it’s just a lesson. You pivot and keep going. That’s entrepreneurship, too. You have a big vision that you’re going after, and you try to celebrate the small wins along the way.
Speaking of wins along the way: In addition to major wrestling titles and starting small businesses, you’ve also chosen to grow your family in Iowa.
We bought our house in Crescent, a small town just outside of the city. I really like that it’s safe for our kids. They can run around and play. It’s quiet and simple enough for me, but there are a lot of opportunities to thrive if you want to be an entrepreneur or have a business here.
I am trying to be involved and invested in this community because I love it. I’m on the board of Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation. We help economic development projects get established in this area.
One thing that I see is that it’s common for people who grow up here to think the grass is greener elsewhere. They go to college and maybe even start a career somewhere else. They quickly realize they miss that Council Bluffs or Pottawattamie County connection and end up coming back and raising a family here.
Would you say you’ve embedded the spirit of cultural exchange that you experienced as a youth into The Best Wrestler?
We had kids from 13 different states and Canada come for a 20-day camp this year. These kids stay with families in Iowa. They get to see rural Iowa a little bit, outside of Council Bluffs.
Not only do we bring people into Iowa, but we also host international trips. In March, we took a team to Europe’s largest tournament in Estonia. In November, we took 23 kids from our gym to Bulgaria to compete at their Olympic Training Center. Many of these kids have never seen anything outside of Iowa or Nebraska, so it’s life-changing for them.
You mentioned mentorship being critical to your entrepreneurship journey. One of the benefits of building a life in Iowa is access to local leaders. Who’s influenced you?
A lot of people played a big, big role in my success.
Definitely, my host family. (Longtime Council Bluffs Mayor) Matt Walsh is stepping down, but he was one of the first people I met when I came to the U.S. He’s known me since I was 16 years old. Brenda Mainwaring, President and CEO of Iowa West Foundation, has also been instrumental.
Overall, the community has been so welcoming of me that it’s hard not to call this home, and it’s hard not to try to give back.
