clubs but works out of the Fishkill
location. Kim works out of the LaGrange
gym. When asked how they balance
work and family life, he shared, “We
learned a long time ago that with
having a family business, you have
to be able to keep work at work. You
can’t bring it home every day.” He
said, “There have been times that Bill
and Kim and I have been in a meeting
strongly disagreeing with each other.
It was very intense and then Bill would
say, ‘Hey, how about we go get lunch?’”
And they could sit down and have a
meal and talk about family. “It’s funny,
but you have to be able to keep things
separate.”
They are each passionate about the
business that they have worked so
hard to build, and what it means to
them. Each of them has different
perspectives and approaches to their
work but they all respect and love each
other. It all works out and is a testament
to the fact that they have an
extended family with their staff,
members, and the surrounding
community. The person who has
remained behind the scenes that has
always been there is Bill’s wife, Jane.
She keeps everyone in line and helps
with the grandchildren.
T H E
G O L D ’ S
G Y M
CHALLENGE
Of course, one of Dave’s
biggest contributions to the brand
has been the Gold’s Gym Challenge.
We asked co-founder and former
Gold’s Gym franchisee, Blair McHaney,
to share his memory of how the
program was started with a rivalry.
“In Wenatchee, we did our first
Gold’s Gym Challenge in the summer
of 1998. The very next fall, I called
Bill Austin and we made a $10,000
bet. We would each put in $5,000
and whoever had the winner would
get that money to split between
their age groups. To supplement the
prize money, we had entry fees that
members were quite willing to pay.
Dave was the guy creating the program
in NY and us in Wenatchee. I
had Dave record radio spots for our
stations in Wenatchee challenging
our valley to try and beat the Gold’s
Gym team from upstate New York.
Not only did we have a lot of fun, IT
WORKED. We got the attention of
the Washington Apple Commission
and did a co-promotion with a $6
million dollar budget which vaulted
the Gold’s Gym Challenge to another
level. At the convention that year I
received an award and I gave Bill all
the credit when all he did was write
a check and Dave did everything
else!”
Dave also had some things to say
about the early years, getting the
Gold’s Gym Challenge off the ground.
“Actually the first year that we ran
it, I was only able to get one gym
member to enter and complete the
12 weeks. It was discouraging for
sure, but I knew it had legs. It was
what we are all about. During the
following year, I rallied the trainers
that they could all do better. I told
them that their clients in the Challenge
were walking billboards for
them and that it would bring them
referrals and new members for the
gym. The second year was much
more successful for them and it
took off from there.”
Dave agrees that the rivalry between
New York and Wenatchee was fun.
And while Dave recorded those
radio spots for Blair’s community
marketing, he also connected with
a radio station in upstate New York,
96.9. They ran a contest to give the
first 96 listeners a free enrollment in
the Challenge. They had over 600
people enroll that year! “It became
something that you just weren’t
cool if you weren’t doing the
Challenge,” Dave said. Even Bill and
his workout buddies signed up.
No one is more passionate about the
Challenge than Dave, and he says it
will always be part of his core commitment
to their members and throughout
the brand.
“It’s something that gets me excited
and fired up! Being on the committee
and now serving as Chairman is
like a dream come true. I’m super
proud of the program and how far
it has come,” shared Dave. The
Challenge has become the iconic
program that our brand stands for.
And it still is changing people’s lives.
The top winners are people that are
committed to self-improvement,
through health and fitness and their
journey to achieve it. Dave shared,
“If you ever talk to a Challenge
winner, they will share about their
attitude and mental determination.
They do not boast about what they
did, but why they did it. And a lot of
times, they did it for the people they
love…their family, as much as they
did it for themselves.”
“When you mention Dave Kenyon,
you will instantly think of the
signature annual event loved by all,
the Gold’s Gym Challenge. As
Commander in Chief of the
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