Julia Sanders

For the second year in a row, the co-ops in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, including EPIC Fitness, Impact Fitness, Red Mountain Companies, Pinnacle, Black Duck Partners and Dobrinyo/Shebanie Group, helped bring a little of the New York Times Square New Years’ celebrations to local partners and endorsers with custom Planet Fitness^® celebration boxes. 

The franchise groups sent the celebration boxes to major stations and local news outlets. The boxes had Planet Fitness branding, were labeled with individual names and loaded with PF^® swag, including the signature New Years hats. The boxes advertised “Getting Stronger in 2025” to generate excitement about the new things happening within Planet Fitness and to reinforce what was being advertised nationally.

“This idea was built from one executed by PFCSC a few years back,” said Mary Scott, VP of marketing for EPIC Fitness Group. “We loved the look of their program, so we decided to put a local twist on it.”

Many of the local partners who received the boxes loved the goodies, and they shared their excitement on social media. In Detroit, the co-op marketing professionals delivered boxes to the entire talent lineup of the popular radio show “MOJO in the Morning” on iHeart Media, along with a $10,000 donation to the show’s charity. As a result, the radio show had a 10-minute interview on the program discussing Planet Fitness’ new plate-loaded strength equipment, community outreach programs, New Year’s resolutions and more. The celebration boxes were a great way to increase community engagement and encourage excitement around Planet Fitness and the new year.

“Ten minutes of positive PR airtime is not easy to achieve and is a testament to our long-standing relationships combined with some creativity,” Scott said. “It will be difficult to top the results of this year, but we are already thinking of ways we might do that for 2026.”

Over a decade ago, Jay’s Juniors started when local Detroit media personality, Jay Towers, noticed he received many letters and emails from families asking for help during the holidays. Many of these families had kids with life-altering or life-threatening medical conditions. Towers wanted a way to change these kids’ lives for the better, so he started Jay’s Juniors, which raises money to give kids and their family a free vacation to Disney World.

As Disney World is known for being the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” this free vacation often helps kids have a brighter holiday season. For many families who are helped by the program, a Jay’s Juniors vacation is their first real vacation. Families are able to travel to Disney World all expenses paid, including airfare, hotel stays, Disney passes and meals. A vacation that would normally cost a good amount of money is offered to families in need at zero cost, allowing these families to have a remarkable, life-changing trip with no financial burdens. In 2024, 17 kids and their families were able to experience the magic of Disney World, thanks to Jay’s Juniors.

Jay’s Juniors works with iHeart Media, which helps promote his generous program by offering advertisers sponsorships with proceeds going to fund his charity. Planet Fitness^® franchisees EPIC Fitness Group and Impact Fitness are long-time partners with the iHeart Media group of Detroit, so the franchise groups were asked to participate in Jay’s Juniors as a lead sponsor. Since 2018, the groups have been involved with Jay’s Juniors. The two franchise groups have been able to donate $65,000 per year for the organization. The groups’ involvement with Jay’s Juniors has not gone without notice and has made a big difference with the organization.

“Planet Fitness is such a positive, inspiring brand, and their partnership means so much to our listeners, the families we serve, and our entire team. Their involvement truly amplifies the impact of Jay’s Juniors,” Towers said.

On top of supporting Jay’s Juniors with donations, EPIC Fitness Group and Impact Fitness participated on the selection committee. They helped select kids for the yearly trip, which was challenging because so many kids were deserving. After all families had been notified, Jay hosted a meet and greet a month prior to the trip, which gave the franchisee groups a chance to put faces with the names. Overall, the franchisee groups’ involvement with the organization created a positive experience for everyone involved.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to meet kids and families of Jay’s Juniors at pre-trip events in the past,” said Mary Scott, vice president of marketing for EPIC Fitness Group.  “These families have been through so much, and it’s incredible to see the difference this trip can make for them.”

Opening a new club is always an exciting endeavor. On Feb. 11, Eclipse Fitness celebrated the opening of its new Planet Fitness^® club in Douglasville, Georgia, which is about 30 minutes west of Atlanta.

The grand-opening event was a success with over 100 people in attendance. Eclipse Fitness welcomed around 8-10 vendors from the community to celebrate with them and set up tables for handing out giveaways. Local U.S. Marines set up a table at the event and held a pull-up contest, allowing attendees to put their strength to the test. Eclipse Fitness also had a spinning wheel with PF^®-branded items to give away to attendees. There was also a raffle for all Black Card members, with winners having a chance to win a 55-inch TV, Skullcandy headphones and a blanket.

The new club opened Dec. 31 inside Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville. The club features a wide range of amenities, including hybrid tanning, Total Body enhancement, a functional training room, Vicki machines, cryo therapy, tanning, massage chairs, HydroMassage loungers and free PE@PF training for all members.

Eclipse Fitness has 24 clubs in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. They currently have 13 clubs open in Georgia with the 14th club coming this summer in Carrollton.

“Eclipse Fitness Group is proud to expand our presence in Georgia with our new Planet Fitness club in Douglasville. We believe in making fitness accessible to everyone, and we’re confident that our Judgement Free Zone^® will resonate with the residents of Douglasville. We’re also particularly pleased to be a part of Arbor Place Mall’s resurgence, providing a valuable amenity to shoppers and the community alike,” said Toby Hines, franchisee with Eclipse Fitness.