Blog Posts

For the seventh year in a row, PF Michigan sponsored the annual Walk for Wishes event, which is a fun-filled walk that raises money for Make-A-Wish Michigan. With the money raised from the event, children with critical medical illnesses are granted wishes through Make-A-Wish Michigan. The event included a walk through the Detroit Zoo, kids’ activities and refreshments.

Leading up to the event in May, Planet Fitness^® employees and members started a campaign in early April raising funds to support the Make-A-Wish Michigan. In fact, one Chesterfield PF^® member gave $500 on the spot after learning more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation. By the time of the event, funds and sponsorship fees raised totaled $95,767.

iHeart Media helped spread the word and raise funds for both the PF sponsorship and the walk itself through social media and public service announcements. iHeart Media also had Make-A-Wish ambassadors, including Mojo, Darrius, Doug Podell, Chelsea and Bushman, to help promote the walk.

After being held virtually for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walk for Wishes occurred at the Detroit Zoo May 7. That morning, a crew of Street Team members arrived at the zoo at 6:30 a.m. to set up the PF Michigan booth. The Street Team booth was stocked with swag, and all PF team members wore the 2022 purple Walk for Wishes T-shirt.

All week leading up to the event, the weather forecast had warned of ominous rain showers and cold temperatures during the event. Luckily, the weather forecaster was wrong, and the event’s attendees got to enjoy nice weather! Rain or shine, people showed up to support the event. There were nearly 2,000 walkers who participated in the walk.

The event made a huge impact on the Make-A-Wish Michigan cause. Including its sponsorship fee, Planet Fitness clubs throughout Michigan raised nearly $100,000 for the 2022 Walk for Wishes. The group had a $360,000 fundraising goal for the walk, and it surpassed the goal by raising over $370,000. More than 800 Michigan children are currently on the waiting list for a life-changing wish, which cost on average about $11,161 for each wish. The money raised helped grant wishes for these children in need.

“We are proud to partner with and support Make-A-Wish to make a difference in the lives of children and their families who are enduring the unimaginable,” said Bryan Rief, co-owner and CEO of PF Michigan Group. “Thanks to the hard work of our employees and generosity of our members and partners, we were able to achieve our goal of contributing nearly $100,000 to Make-A-Wish this year.”

Planet Fitness^® has expanded in the nation’s capital! Just in time for summer, PF Growth Partners opened Planet Fitness Gallery Place in June. The new club occupies what used to be the Washington Sports Club space. Planet Fitness Gallery Place is going to be the first of three new clubs PF Growth Partners is bringing to the D.C. area. PF Growth Partners has 20 clubs in the DMA, including Ivy City and Penn Branch in the nation’s capital.

There is truly something for every member at Planet Fitness Gallery Place. The new 19,817-square-foot club features cardio machines and strength equipment, 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with lockers and showers, numerous flat screen televisions, HydroMassage beds, massage chairs, tanning beds and more.

Expanding the Judgement Free Zone^® in D.C. means more members of the community get to access great fitness equipment at an affordable rate – in an environment that is welcoming and not intimidating. The new fitness club is a great opportunity for community members in the D.C. area to excel in their fitness goals.

“Situated in the heart of Chinatown and in the same building as Capital One Arena, this location typically has very heavy foot traffic and a Metro stop that will allow those both living in the area and commuting to take advantage of our Judgement Free Zone,” said Victor Brick, co-owner of PF Growth Partners. “We’re confident that our encouraging and non-intimidating environment will be a welcome addition to the community.”

PLNTF Holdings celebrated the grand openings of several new Planet Fitness^® clubs. It held grand openings for its 88th and 89th clubs, which opened in January in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois, respectively. Then May 3, the franchise opened its 90th location in Terre Haute, Indiana. In total, the three grand opening events had about 900 people attend.

The franchise group held a grand opening event for its new 20,800-square-foot club in the Ford City Mall on the southside of Chicago. Attendees at the event included 18th Ward Chicago Alderman Derrick Curtis, Bogan High School, the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox. PLNTF Holdings also presented a check for $2,500 to Bogan Principal Alahrie Aziz-Simms. During the event, PF^® members and potential members were able to win giveaway prizes, take pictures with the Chicago Bulls six championship trophies and enter a raffle that included White Sox tickets, signed balls and photographs from Sox players. Southpaw, the Sox mascot, was also there to hang out with the attendees.

A few days before the grand opening event in Chicago, PLNTF Holdings also had the grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for its new 22,988-square-foot Planet Fitness in Schaumburg. The event’s participants included Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly, the Schaumburg Business Association, the Boys & Girls Club Schaumburg, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Wolves, the Schaumburg Boomers and the Northwestern Wildcats. In addition, PLNTF Holdings donated $2,500 to the Boys & Girls Club of Schaumburg for its upcoming Golf Fore Kids outing, which the group will also be a part of soon. Attendees were able to win prizes, take part in a raffle that included Bulls and Boomers tickets and take pictures with the Chicago Bulls six championship trophies as well as mascots Coop from Boomers, Willie the Wildcat from Northwestern and Skates from Wolves.

On May 3, the franchise group celebrated the grand opening of its club in Terre Haute, which is its 90th club overall and second club in the city. For the ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony, the group partnered with the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, Indiana State University, the Indiana Pacers mascot, an Indiana Pacers player and an Indianapolis Colts player. As part of the festivities, the group brought out Joey Logano’s famous No. 22 Shell-Penzoil Ford Mustang, which attracted hundreds of race fanatics. Sycamore Sam, the Indiana State University mascot, was at the event to pose for pictures and hand out ISU merchandise. Additionally, the group’s activation team helped members and potential members tour the club and learn more about Planet Fitness. Attendees were able to get giveaways and enter for a chance to win prizes that included Joey Logano, Indiana State University and Planet Fitness-related items. There was also food and drink offerings from two popular local food trucks.

PLNTF Holdings remodeled its Beech Grove club in Indianapolis, adding new wall lockers and brand-new televisions, remodeling the locker rooms, updating the drinking fountains and repainting and retiling the gym. Additionally, the group updated the Black Card Spa with a new ceiling and lighting. It also added new stair climbers as part of the project.

The group sped to celebrate the reopening of their Beech Grove club during the last week of July, inviting NASCAR star Joey Logano to the celebration. He signed autographs and took pictures with Planet Fitness^® members and guests for more than two hours. Over 300 people showed up to the Beech Grove location to mark the renovations.

“We were thrilled to see so many auto racing fans show up at the event to help us celebrate the remodel and reequip of our Beech Grove Planet Fitness,” said Murphee Pellman, operations project manager with PLNTF Holdings. “To see more than 300 people come out to our club and get a chance to meet Joey Logano was a perfect way for us to show off the new equipment at our club. It was a wonderful day with a fantastic crowd.”

In combination with PLNTF Holdings’ Martinsville grand opening, members were offered the chance to win tickets to the VIP NASCAR & IndyCar Series Races at the Indianapolis Speedway. The race series included three races: NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and IndyCar Series Race Weekend. The group had two VIP sweepstakes winners for the NASCAR tickets, and it also partnered with Hank FM radio via live remote at the event to give away four additional pairs of race tickets. PLNTF Holdings really knows how to show appreciation for their Planet Fitness fans!

“With a major NASCAR event in Indianapolis that weekend and so many auto racing fans located in the Beech Grove area, we knew Joey would be the perfect fit to help us draw attention to the positive changes we have made to the Beech Grove club,” said Chris Short, director of communications and external affairs. “The event provided us with the perfect showcase for the club, while also rewarding fans with a chance to meet their favorite race car driver.”

PLNTF Holdings sponsored the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce’s Back to Work Boot Camp. The purpose of the boot camp was to help veterans gain skills on how to change career fields. Started in 2017 by the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DPCC), the boot camp offers 10 weeks of comprehensive career development programming. Veterans currently in the boot camp will graduate from the program around Veterans Day.

The program uses job-seeking tools that cater to the individual needs of each of the participating veterans. For the sixth year in a row, the boot camp offered skills to veterans who felt stuck in their current job. These skills include improving interview skills and honing one’s resume. Each veteran is also connected with mentors, local businesses and leaders.

“We know these veterans acquired many skills during their service, but far too many have difficulty connecting to the right opportunity that matches their skill set,” said Andrea Biwer, executive director of Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “We help them make that connection – benefiting both veterans and employers in our community. Over the past several years, many incredible veterans were affected by the pandemic, and we were honored to help them take steps toward finding a new job or career.”

Around 100 Chicago-area veterans have been able to get civilian careers because of their hard work at the boot camp.

“It’s an amazing organization to work with and having taken part in the graduation ceremonies, you can see how much this means to the graduates,” said Chris Short, director of communications for PLNTF Holdings. “Our company is honored to participate in the program, and we plan to stay actively involved with the Veteran’s boot camp.”

Over the past three years, PLNTF Holdings has provided $7,500 to the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce’s Back to Work Boot Camp. The franchise group started working with the organization after it held the grand opening for its second Des Plaines Planet Fitness^® in 2019.

Over the past five years, veterans who completed the intensive career development program were selected to get career-enhancing gifts. Some of these gifts include a laptop with Microsoft Office, gift certificates for professional clothing, a Seiko watch, career counseling, a one-year Planet Fitness membership and a car maintenance package.

In addition to a monetary donation to the organization, PLNTF Holdings’ Regional Training Manager Kelsey Sloter will lead three online workouts for the veterans this fall. With this program, veterans will be able to not only improve their job-hunting skills, but also improve their mental and physical strength.