Geared Up Issue 1 2015 | Page 12

member news Alder Partners Celebrates New Opening in Georgia and Sweeps Planet of Triumphs Sweepstakes A lder Partners, LLC’s Planet Fitness in Roswell, Georgia, hosted a ribboncutting ceremony March 31 to honor the club’s opening in the northern Atlanta city. The event was to officially announce the opening of the first Planet Fitness in Roswell and Alder Partners’ ninth club opening. Members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and other local dignitaries were in attendance, including the mayor of Roswell, Jere Wood. Chamber members, Mayor Wood and | 2015 Issue 1 GearedUp The Planet Fitness in Roswell, Georgia, opened March 31. 10 the regional manager of the facility, Mike Rymsha, gathered outside in front of the new club. Mayor Wood welcome Planet Fitness to the community and said he was very excited about the prospect of them being there, especially because there had recently been a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the same shopping complex for a Starbucks.“If you have a Planet Fitness and a Starbucks in the same complex, then you know it’s a happening place!”Wood joked. The mayor cut the ribbon in front of the new club alongside Pam Santoro, a Chamber ambassador; Lisa Smith, the Chamber’s membership representative; and City of Roswell councilmember, Jerry Orlans. Once inside, iPads were provided for guests to sign in. Black, yellow and purple balloons were placed around the gym in honor of the event. Rymsha provided a tour to all guests, explaining each piece of equipment, the process of the training classes and the Judgement Free Zone® policy. During the tour, Mayor Wood commented on how nice the club looked and how the renovations had improved the overall appearance of the establishment. The project to transform the existing space took approximately three months to complete, although the clubs typically take between 60 and 90 days after the shell renovations. The new location’s shell is partly underground, which caused a longer turn-around time due to issues with the roof. Owner Stanley DeMartinis Jr. personally selects site locations and felt that there was a need in the market for a Planet Fitness location in the north pocket of Atlanta.“We have a substantial underserved demographic at our price point in North Fulton County and are very excited and committed about the opportunity to continue to grow the Planet Fitness brand in this area of our territory,” he commented. “This is the first location in the northern Atlanta suburbs that we have developed. It’s a new demographic and we are excited about showing our final product. We have joined the local Chamber of Commerce and they have been very supportive with our outreach and their participation in our grand opening celebration was impressive. They have been a tremendous help,” said DeMartinis Jr.“The Planet Fitness brand wasn’t well-known in the northern Atlanta region; something we are aggressively attempting to change quickly with rapid development of the area.” Alder Partners opened its first Georgia location April 2011 in Decatur. Since then, the company has opened eight more locations in and around the Atlanta suburbs, including two additional units in construction currently and an additional unit in Revere, Massachusetts. The company has an ADA agreement with the franchisor to build out the metro Atlanta market and has plenty of runway left to develop clubs.“ In other Alder Partners news, the Decatur, Georgia, club located at Wesley Chapel Road came in first place for the most new users during the Planet of Triumphs Sweepstakes that ran Jan. 22-March 20. The club gained an impressive 1,195 new users. Staff members at the club received purple Beats by Dre headphones for their hard work and outstanding results. However, the company’s Stone Mountain, Georgia, location deserves recognition for its efforts as well. The club came in a very close second place with 1,039 new users. The sweepstakes is a corporate initiative to increase membership in the online community. Planet Fitness members are encouraged to sign on to the Planet of Triu