Our Team
Weezy Shumaker - Co-Founder / Chief Executive Officer
Weezy got the idea for VETWOD while she was employed at Throwdowns.com - a competition management and scoring tool.
She had the access to do good by throwing an event that gave back, and she wasn’t. As the first civilian in a long lineage of Navy veterans, she has a heart for this community. She also knows how powerful fitness can be at fighting inner demons.
She previously worked with Seb to run a competition while he was stationed overseas (using Throwdowns.com) so she reached out to see if he’d like to partner on a charity event in fall of 2018. He agreed. One year later they registered for their 501c3 status and have continued to grow the business from there. The rest, as they say, is history.
Weezy also owns her own nutrition coaching practice and can often be found coaching at the Columbus area Row House facilities.
Joe Tobias - Project Manager
Joe is a strong supporter of VETWOD and has joined the team as of October 2021 to provide his project management and consulting skills.
Joe believes all throughout his Naval career, during his transition, and after retirement there were people always willing to help him. Now, he continues to give back as he mentors and coaches Veterans as they transition from military service and seek a career in project management. Additionally, he speaks to the youth about military service and commissioning programs.
He enlisted in the United States Navy five days after high school as a Dental Technician/Hospital Corpsman and was later selected for Officer Candidate School as a Supply Corps officer. After 23 years of service, he retired and relocated to Battle Ground, Washington where he currently resides with his wife and twin boys. He is currently a supply chain manager and volunteers with the Project Management Institute (Portland) as the Director of Military Liaison.
“I consider exercise as an outlet for all of life’s stresses. I believe that we can do anything together. It’s important for organizations like VETWOD to support our active-duty military, Veterans, and first responders. The least I can do is give back in support of ALL of you. Thank you for the honor and privilege to do so.” - Joe
Sebastian Paz - Co-Founder / Chief Operating Officer
Sebastian is the COO of VETWOD.
He was born and raised in Colombia, South America by a single mother. They moved to the US a few months before 9/11, which forever changed Seb’s life. He played soccer in college and became a naturalized US citizen.
After college, he served almost 8 years in the Air Force as a firefighter/EMT and as a flight medic doing AirEvac.
After he left the military, he pursued a Masters in Nursing, and works as a nurse in an Emergency Department.
He is a husband and father of two kids, who are his main priority.
VETWOD was born out of the need for our MIL/VET/First Responders to have a healthy outlet and a supportive community. Our MIL/VET/First Responders deal with daily trauma while serving and protecting our way of life and our future. Their loved ones are also affected.
Seb does what he does to support other families and individuals like him.
Brad Hudgins - Store Manager
Brad is the store manager of VETWOD.
He is a 20-year retired US Army Veteran (CW3) and currently works as a teacher and precision air rifle coach in Texas. He is also a husband and father of two boys.
While serving in the military, he was the lead trainer/coach of Hit 2 Kill CrossFit in South Korea for over 6 years. He was passionate about health and fitness in the military and even more so as a veteran.
He was connected to VETWOD through the Street Parking community, where he met Seb and became a part of the VETWOD team.
Brad understands the importance of serving his country, community, and veterans.