working with my fellow owners and corporate, down to each of our
staff members, blew me away. Everyone rallied behind this event
and it took on a life of its own and a wave of excitement.
It ended with everyone working together and PF donating
more than $50,000, helping to set a new event record of more than
$450,000. The real kicker was meeting with the two wish kids. It
quickly put the million other things I had to do into perspective.
What is the best business advice you have received? Build
your people and let them build your business. Coming from a
“mom and pop”operation, Ellen and I grew accustomed to doing
everything ourselves. We quickly realized that to reach our goals,
we needed to find, develop and keep good people—which was an
entirely new skill set. We have worked very hard to find a great core
group of leaders and this key leadership team has been essential to
our success.
Describe your current biggest challenge as a franchisee:
We, like many owners, have high customer service standards, and
with the high usage and fast-paced environments in the clubs, this
is a challenge to accomplish on a consistent basis. I want to make
sure we never lose sight of exceeding our member’s expectations
on a daily basis.
Tell us a little about your family and personal interests:
My two sons and one daughter have been involved at one time
or another with our business. My wife has been at my side since
the beginning, doing the bookkeeping, etc. and I could not have
achieved any of this without her.
Our oldest son, Dan, worked in our independent gym from
the age of 14 all the way through the conversion and beyond,
alongside me and Bill Mulleady and eventually found his own
career. My son, Christopher, is currently managing one of our clubs
and has become a great asset. Our daughter, Becka, is just about to
graduate from high school and has grown up surrounded by the
family fitness business. When I need to decompress, I love to go
fishing on a quiet Michigan lake.
If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be … I would not be
involved with the fitness industry I love because I am certain I
would not have sustained financially. I really owe everything to
this brand; it has only improved since I started. Chris Rondeau
at the CEO position, along with the increased corporate support,
has added that final touch to a superior fitness franchise. I am
sure we have many challenges to face to sustain our leadership
position, but I have never been more excited to be a part of Planet
Fitness. G
Support the Vendors
THAT SUPPORT YOUR ASSOCIATION
LEVEL
CONTACT NAME
EMAIL
PHONE
Devoted Creations
Platinum
Lewis Henry
lewis@devotedcreations.com
800-488-5524
Australian Gold/Designer Skin
Gold
Nick Couse
ncouse@australiangold.com
317-690-0628
ChemSource Direct
Gold
Justin Lang
justin@chemsourcedirect.com
336-813-7415
JK North America, Inc.
Gold
Laurie Johnson
laurie.johnson@jkamerica.com
870-336-1591
Power Home Technologies, LLC
Gold
Ben Brookhart
bbrookhart@pht.com
844-PHT-SAFE
Fitness Insurance
Silver
Kara Schumacher
kara@fitnessinsurance.com
720-279-8320
Fitness Underwriters
Silver
Phil Borner
pborner@fitnessunderwriters.com
800-220-GYMS
Susquehanna Commercial Finance, Inc. Silver
Brian Colburn
brian.colburn@susquehanna.net
443-966-1792
Ultraviolet Resources International
Silver
John Hayes
jhayes@uriworld.com
800-247-3251
vision21 Solutions
Silver
Rick White
rickwhite@vision21solutions.com
919-600-0171
2Way Radio Power
Bronze
Jessica Crooks
jcrooks77@sbcglobal.com
440-832-0642
Firestone Financial
Bronze
Carolyn Collins
websales@firestonefinancial.com
617-641-9285
Marlite, Inc.
Associate Member Jamie McEdward
jmcedward@marlite.com
330-260-7627
RHJ Associates, P.C.
Associate Member Michael Pilko
mpilko@rhjassoc.com
610-337-4555
Spirit Realty Capital
Associate Member Hillary Hai
hhai@spiritrealty.com
480-315-6582
GearedUp | 2015 Issue 1
COMPANY NAME
17