FEATURE STORY
was to become the “lodge meeting” of the
Gold’s Gym franchisees. It gave them
an opportunity to huddle and connect,
separate from industry events and the
Gold’s Gym Convention. John Burriss
had actually coined the phrase, lodge
meeting, in a conversation with GGI.
“It was a formidable time for the GGFA.
It took all the resources of the Executive
Board to create the OC, but it proved
that the GGFA was a real organization
and a force to be reckoned with. Many
franchisees were skeptical of the orga-
nization at the time, but the OC showed
that the Association was going to be
there for them. Having Andy Selden
there added a lot of assurance too.”
John Burriss
GGFA President – 2005-07
With the work on the franchise agreement
continuing, the board agreed that there
was clearly a need to have the Owners’
Conference become an annual event.
The second OC was planned for Sep-
tember 2006. Fall was a better season
for traveling and Atlanta remained the
host city, so it was once again planned
to be held at the InterContinental. This
was the OC that almost didn’t happen,
due to a major water main break
directly in front of the hotel. It was the
big story of the day on the local news!
Gordon Johnson remembers meeting
Ginger there and trying to console her
at midnight the night before. The local
water department had just closed the
hotel and the event was on hold.
Fortunately, the repairs were finished
just in time for the OC to go on!
There were no extra-curricular activities,
but a cocktail party was held with a
champagne toast. Deb came to help
Ginger to tray pass champagne and
meet the franchisees. She had provided
Ginger with remote support and later
joined the Association full-time.
The National Franchise Council was
established that year, which was a ground-
breaking governance structure. The
Association was highly respected and
represented franchisees with integrity
and full transparency. The NFC gave
them a place to bring critically important
issues on behalf of the members.
In Ginger’s words,
“What can I say about the first
couple of OC’s!?!? It was so
amazing to watch so many
Franchisees coming together for
such an incredibly important time
period when unity and influence
had to be demonstrated to each
other, to corporate and the industry.
The trust among owners is
powerful and still prevails today.
I still have our first brochure -
go figure!!! Congratulations to
everyone for keeping the owners’
Lodge Meeting as popular
and exceptionally
relevant today as that
first one in
February 2006!”
The VoicE Q4
&
In 2007, the OC moved to
New York City and was held
at the Marriott Times Square.
It was that year that the
agenda was expanded to
two days, and more structure
was added. In 2008, the board
decided to host the OC in
Santa Monica, California, a
location closer to the Mecca.
In fact, an excursion to Gold’s
Gym Venice was on the sched-
ule for some of the franchi-
sees. This was the most
famous but the least attended
of all the OC’s. The recession
hit that year, and it had a
negative impact on the event.
All who did attend remember
the riveting story shared by
retired Navy Seal, Marcus
Luttrell. It was such a privi-
lege for everyone to meet him.
And at this OC, we introduced
Speed Sessions between
owners and suppliers.
The Owners’ Conference has been held
in New York City ever since. We have
hosted it at the Marriott East Side and at
the Grand Hyatt in mid-town for several
years. The New York Marriott Downtown
has been the venue for the past three
years. It’s been a great location and the
financial district and close proximity to
the World Trade Center has provided an
opportunity for everyone to spend time
in these historic places. There are four
franchisees that have attended every
Owners’ Conference: Adam Ponzio,
Mike Epstein, Gordon Johnson, and
Mark Steinfield. There are many more
that have attended most of them. And
we celebrate the new franchisees every
year at the OC that have joined the
Gold’s Gym family.
Some notable keynote speakers have
included author, consultant, and professor
of Bentley College, Raj Sisodia (2008);
best-selling book author and Harvard
Business School professor, Robert Kaplan
(2009); Pulitzer prize-winning NY Times
reporter, author and Harvard Business
School professor Cynthia Montgomery
(2013); Charles Duhigg (2014); author
and marketing CEO Rex Briggs (2015);
retired US Navy Captain, Paul Rinn
(2016); and Principal with Vega Factor,
Simon Bray (2018). This year, friend of
the GGFA, Peter Moore shared his
documented historical perspective and
vision for the Gold’s Gym brand.
The Owners’ Conference is much more
than all of this. The 15 events have
witnessed great locations, memorable
...
speakers, and precious moments, like
the tribute to Eddie Dail in 2009 (deceased
partner of Lori and Jeremy Lowell) and
the gathering for a group picture with
everyone wearing “Ginger Strong” t-shirts
in 2018 for Ginger’s battle with cancer.
When it all comes together, it is really
about the camaraderie among franchi-
sees. There are deep friendships in this
community, some that date back to the
founding of the Association, and new
ones that are established each year. It’s
a combined brotherhood and sisterhood.
Franchisees not only share the same
DNA with a passion for the brand, but
they also relate to each other’s dreams,
goals, and struggles.
Although the staff and leadership are of-
ten praised for executing a seemingly
flawless event each year, it doesn’t
come together magically. What was
originally managed completely by Ginger,
now takes a full staff and months to put
together, promote and host.
“This year’s OC was the best ever,
and it’s because of the members,
both owners and suppliers, that
are part of our family,” shared
GGFA President, Kim Kenyon. “The
Owners’ Conference remains a
cornerstone of what we do, and
it continues to fulfill its purpose
every year.”
And lastly, Ginger says she is more than
happy to share “unpublishable” events
over cocktails and pull pictures from the
GGFA “vault”!
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