What Franchisees Say
“From early planning, great communica-
tion and support, the GGFA team makes
it easy for those new to the Owners’
Conference to integrate and feel
welcome from arrival to departure.”
Anton K Conlon
Gold’s Gym El Paso, TX
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years
since our first Owners’ Conference, and
I am honored to say I have been to every
one of them! Every year is better than
the next and this year was no exception!
Spending time and learning with our
owners, suppliers and Gold’s Gym family
is always the highlight event of the year!”
Mike Epstein
Gold’s Gym Paramus, NJ
“When I awoke, we were still climbing
just after takeoff and my catnap had
removed cobwebs from my 5am alarm
four hours earlier. I began to reflect on
the first time I flew to begin my Gold’s
Gym journey 23 years ago. It was to the
west to cast my lot with fierce protectors
of this brand that I had chosen - Pete,
Paul, Derek, Ed and later many tribal
advocates, Angel, Kirk, Sebastian, Jerry
and others who were true to the heritage.
It was with them I learned and grew and
became part of the tradition, sharing the
brotherhood and camaraderie.
The brand couldn’t exist on tradition
alone and Gold’s Gym eventually became
a business, guided by appointed leaders
who couldn’t understand the mystery
that was Gold’s Gym. The tribal advocates
rose up 18 years ago to defend the brand
and created an army of protectors, the
Gold’s Gym Franchisee Association. The
GGFA and the spirit of Gold’s Gym has
protected and kept the tradition that
makes this brand special.
This time, going north to the GGFA Owners’
Conference in NYC, I’ll learn, share,
refresh, energize and enjoy the company
of fellow franchisees. I’ll hear from vendors
and special invited guests. The Owners’
Conference is like a lodge meeting. It’s a
brotherhood that refreshes my spirit.
At the OC there were new franchisees,
eager to learn more and continue the
tradition. The transfusion of the Gold’s
Gym heritage to new from old franchisees
is part of the magic of the OC. The tra-
dition continues. It was another special
three days. My spirit was refreshed.”
Gordon Johnson
Gold’s Gym West Georgia
“The 15th annual Owners’ Conference
was the best. I took away some great
ideas that I implemented as soon as I
got back to my clubs. It’s always a great
time to laugh and learn with the best
health club owners in the business.”
John Custard
Gold’s Gym Sterling, Herndon & Ashburn, VA
26
“For an event to be this fun, educational,
impacting, and in such a beautiful place…
It’s the best value of the year for club
owners.”
Skip Johnson
Gold’s Gym West Georgia
“Like every other year, the collaboration
with other owners in this venue presents
a unique opportunity to share concerns
and areas of opportunities across many
spaces of our business. Wouldn’t miss
it; ever.”
T. Bryan Murphy
Gold’s Gym Houston, TX
sees and suppliers. Owners shared their
experiences and ultimately came up
with a strategy to solve the problem with
ideas to apply to their business for a
desired outcome. Suppliers on each
team provided their knowledge from
their experience in the industry.
The entire audience voted on the top
three best solutions and some great
prizes from our Say It Solve It sponsors
were awarded! We would like to share
what the winning teams presented as
challenges and the solutions that placed
them in the top three!
“For me, as a new owner and even
newer Advisory Board member, the OC
is an amazing opportunity to meet
other owners, get to see how they run
their businesses and of course to see
how the Greatest Brand in the industry
at the Corp level is making strides to
stay ahead and lead today the Health
and Fitness industry. I personally get
so much out of these group settings
and love every minute of the them all.”
Jeff Mortman, Owner
Gold’s Gym Totowa, NJ Top Three Winning Teams
Tammy Murphy – 1st Place / Team 7
Skip Johnson – 2nd Place / Team 6
Chelsey Banos – 3rd Place / Team 5
Say it...Solve it
Introduced at this year’s OC, an exercise
for owners to bring an issue or problem
they are dealing with and share it with
their peers. Eight Say It Solve It Teams
of 9 or 10 people consisted of franchi- Solve It Solution
Leverage the size of our franchise net-
work to pool resources in hiring a highly
qualified regional PT manager. This
person could be responsible for building
a regional system that franchisees could
1st Place Team: Team #7 Members:
Eliud Garcia, Adam Ponzio, Tammy
Murphy, Melissa Smith, Ryan Popek,
Steven Meisner, Hannah Tatro, Sean
Turner, Seth Robinson
Say It Challenge
How do you build a profitable Personal
Training Department?