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On March 18, Pinnacle Fit Clubs spread good luck by serving as the presenting sponsor for the inaugural St. Paddy’s Day Kids’ Parade in Brandon, Mississippi. The parade was a sea of green and gold, as children and their families decorated bikes, tricycles and wagons in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. More than 200 children and their families participated in the event.

Participants were encouraged to go green by decorating their wheeled vehicles, as well as wearing a green outfit, wig, hat, etc. for the occasion. The parade included a coffee trailer, face painting for kids, bounce houses, a DJ and lots of St. Patrick’s Day-themed decorations.

The franchise group had an activation team there to spread the news about their soon-to-be-open club in Brandon. The staff handed out PF^®-branded items and prizes to the parade’s participants. Attending team members were Brandon General Manager Colton Branch, Byram GM Cedric Crowell, Pearl GM Kat Cawthon, Jackson GM Paola Martinez and Byram Assistant General Manager Marosco Thorne. The activation team was on-site for the entire event to share the perks of being a PF member.

“We are opening up a location in Brandon soon, and this was a great way to get out and be part of the community prior to that,” said District Manager Mike Woolsey. “We had the chance to meet a lot of parents who were interested to learn about Planet Fitness^®, and we believe strongly that being involved in the community is critical to the success of our clubs.”

Pinnacle Fit Clubs shuffled into springtime at the 2023 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. The Shamrock Shuffle brought about 27,000 participants into downtown Chicago on a cold March morning. Participants pushed through the light snow to the finish line in the 8K run and the 2-mile walk.

As a sponsor for the event, Planet Fitness^® and the franchise group received a lot of marketing and were featured in pre-race packets, packet pickup, online, social media, email blasts and post-race announcements. Pinnacle Fit Clubs has 34 clubs in the Chicago area, and this large event helped bring attention to those locations.

Pinnacle team members participated in the shuffle and several others worked at the event. During the shuffle, PF^®-branded swag was handed out, including shirts, hats, bottles and more. The shufflers were quick to swoop in and grab the items, which ran out within an hour of the start of the event.

“The Shamrock Shuffle kicks off the Chicago running season, and this year the sold-out event had more than 27,000 shufflers adorned in green running or walking through the downtown city streets,” said former Director of Communications Chris Short. “It’s an amazing event to sponsor here in Chicago, but even more fun to participate in. Everyone on our team loved the experience!”

Ohana Growth Partners celebrated the grand opening of its Parkland, Florida, club in February. The grand opening celebration welcomed the public and included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Scott J. Brooks and the Coral Springs Coconut Creek Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as a $1,000 check presentation to the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County.

There were giveaways and prizes, including a 65-inch Smart TV, Amazon Echo Show and an Apple watch. Additionally, there was a 30-Minute Express Circuit class offered. Stanley C. Panther, the Florida Panthers mascot, also showed up to join the celebration.

The 19,703-square-foot club features cardio machines and strength equipment, 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms with lockers and showers and flat-screen televisions. The club’s PF Black Card^® Spa Area features HydroMassage beds, massage chairs and tanning. The BC spa area also offers a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod. This is the first RelaxSpace Wellness Pod for a Planet Fitness^® in the area.

Located in Coral Springs, it’s the franchise’s ninth club location in Florida and Planet Fitness’ 27th in the area. OGP’s portfolio includes eight clubs in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties. These clubs are Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Delray Beach East, Hillsboro, Margate, North Miami Beach, Pompano and Tamarac. In total, Ohana Growth Partners owns and operates 75 Planet Fitness clubs in Maryland, District of Columbia, Tennessee, Florida, Washington state and California.

On April 12, Ohana Growth Partners celebrated the opening of its Rockville, Maryland, location with a grand opening event. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Rockville Chamber of Commerce and a $1,000 check presentation to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington-Germantown Branch.

Giveaways and prizes were handed out, including a 65-inch smart TV, an Amazon Echo Show, an Apple Watch, University of Maryland Terps/Washington Wizards game tickets, merchandise and specialty items. There were also special appearances by Terps athletes, Washington Wizards legend Harvey Grant and Wizards mascot G-Wiz. Additionally, there were free workouts offered and a 30-Minute Express Circuit demo.

The club is a 30,000-square-foot space, moving from its previous, smaller 15,360-square-foot space. Along with having more square footage in-club than its previous location, Planet Fitness^® Rockville features new Matrix cardio machines, new Matrix training cycles, new rowers, a new functional training area, a 30-Minute Express Circuit, locker rooms and flat-screen televisions. Additionally, the club’s PF^® Black Card Spa features a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod, which is the brand’s first in the state. The club’s Black Card Spa area also includes hybrid tanning, four HydroMassage beds and four massage chairs.

“We’re thrilled to offer the Rockville community a non-intimidating environment that’s double the size of the previous location and includes more fitness equipment, better parking and easy access to the Capital Beltway,” said C. Victor Brick, co-owner of Ohana Growth Partners. “The new space provides a bigger and better option for our members and new members alike.”

Ohana Growth Partners knows the importance of networking in the community, which is why the franchise held a Business After Hours event in Cookeville, Tennessee, on March 2. The informal social networking event was meant to help business professionals develop relationships with each other and with the local Chamber of Commerce.

The event was also an opportunity for Ohana Growth Partners to develop strong relationships with prospective members in the community. The group partnered up with the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce for the event and was the Cookeville location’s second year sponsoring the event with the Chamber of Commerce.

“Hosting an event like a Business After Hours at your place of business is a great opportunity to get people talking about your business, which elevates your brand awareness. One reason why people attend events is to meet and interact with like-minded people. Hosting an event for your business can be a great way to bring key players together. Creating a sense of community, inviting your customers and employees to an event goes a long way in showing them that they are an important part of the business,” said Rikki Criswell, general manager of Ohana’s Cookeville club.

Criswell and her team hosted the Business After Hours and received praise for their involvement with the Business After Hours event and with the franchise. Criswell has worked with the franchise for nine years, allowing her to develop good relationships with those in the community.

The event included food and décor such as beautiful tablescapes and florals. The attendance at this year’s event more than doubled from the previous year, with over 108 people. Chamber of Commerce members were given the opportunity to drop their business cards for a drawing for a one-year Black Card membership.

“At Ohana Growth Partners, we view ‘ohana’ not only as an extended family within our organization, but one which extends out into each of the communities we serve. We strive to be involved in each of our communities, and being an active Chamber member is one way we can do that,” said Andrew Poirier, director of operations in Tennessee.