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PF Central PA celebrants over 80 years old, Fred Detschel, Charlie McKnight and Lois Gibson, at the Special Day for Special Members event.

PF Central PA’s 10 Pennsylvania locations created a new initiative to engage its elderly membership called the Special Day for Special Members event. This new event was created specifically for members over 80 years old and was held Dec. 14, at 11 a.m., lasting nearly two hours at each location.

“When I realized how many members we had who are over 80 years old, I thought it would be nice to do something special for them. That age bracket is low maintenance and they are always so appreciative,” said Julie Morrison, PF Central PA franchisee.

The Planet Fitness^® staff decorated each location’s front desk and lobby area with garland and balloons to welcome the celebrants that day with a jubilant ambiance. Cookies, doughnuts, cupcakes, coffee, lemonade and snacks were also provided for the guests to indulge in as they sat together and enjoyed themselves as a PF^® community. Morrison notes that, although the event started at 11 a.m., almost all of the members arrived early, adding that, “That’s their generation! They were all so sweet and appreciative that we arranged a special day for them. We gave away shirts, water bottles, buddy bags, and we let them try out the massage chairs and HydroMassage Beds as most of them do not have the Black Card membership.”

PF Central PA held a special event for its senior membership who graciously praised Planet Fitness for their time and thoughtfulness.

The oldest member to attend the event was 91 years old, quite an impressive age to still boast a gym membership! PF Central PA emailed the targeted membership segment and were surprised at the amount of response they received, following up each email with a personal phone call reminding the members of the event. They had sign-up sheets in the clubs prior and told the senior members about these when they came in. All of the clubs’ managers said the members made their day because they all kept thanking them repeatedly for doing something so nice and making them feel special. The event was so successful and made all the members and staff feel so positive that a second one was scheduled for June 6.

PA Central PA staff enjoyed themselves as much as the senior members during this special event.

A member at Shippensburg PF, Catherine Hoffman, said in a heartfelt comment, that as she has grown older she feels as though people often brush aside people her age as if they are unimportant. Hoffman went on to say that she has never felt that way at Planet Fitness and that the staff makes her feel so welcome and cared about. A true testament to the positive impact the Judgement Free Zone^® has on the PF membership, regardless of age.

Jennifer Wilson and her son, JJ, led the team Planet JJ for Planet Fitness’ participation in the Step Up for Down Syndrome fundraising walk.

Planet Fitness^® clubs in the Kansas City-area, owned by PFKC, sponsored and participated in the 2015 Step Up for Down Syndrome fundraising walk, held Oct. 17, from 12 to 4 p.m.

The annual event benefits the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City (DSG), which serves over 1,200 families, partners with 22 hospitals and 45 school districts in Kansas and Missouri. These partnerships provide vitally needed programs and services that offer educational and social support to those affected by Down syndrome.

Over 10,000 attendees made it out to the Berkley Riverfront Park that Saturday in solidarity of the 400,000 individuals affected by Down syndrome across the United States. Jennifer Wilson, daughter of Greg Henson, co-owner of PF Kansas City, led a team of 20 individuals, alongside and in support of her son, JJ, who is also affected by this increasingly common disorder. Their team, titled “Planet JJ,” along with the event’s other participants, helped make history by being the first Down syndrome fundraising walk in the world to raise over $500,000!

“We are very excited to have contributed to the success of this event,” stated Greg Henson. “This is a cause that is close to our hearts, and we will be back next year!”

The Boys & Girls Clubs (BGC) of Southern Nevada and Las Vegas Nafso Group partnered together to create the “Four Days of Fitness and Fun” event, a community initiative designed to emphasize the importance of physical fitness to Southern Nevada’s youth.

Planet Fitness^® club managers and fitness instructors came to one of the BGC’s Southern Nevada locations each day from March 21-24. During their daily visits, the PF^® team encouraged the club’s children as they participated in an hour-long program created to teach various exercises and stretching techniques. This was a special opportunity that gave Planet Fitness the chance to assert themselves as a community leader for fitness in the Southern Nevada area as well as provide four days of engaging fun that was enjoyed by the children and instructors alike.

“Las Vegas Nafso Group is proud to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada to highlight the importance of physical fitness while providing a fun-filled day to the youth of the area. Showing we care as a brand extends beyond the walls of our clubs and includes actively involving those who may not always be included in our membership base. It is important for us to reach out to the community and provide extracurricular services that are not expected, but are always appreciated,” said Las Vegas Nafso Group franchisee Jimmy Nafso.

Las Vegas Nafso Group and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada partnered together to bring “Four Days of Fitness and Fun” to local youth from March 21-24.

Forbes calls franchises “a color-by-number opportunity” for “those who want to be entrepreneurs but don’t have a big idea.” And for the last three years, Forbes has compiled an annual list of the best – and worst – franchise investments.

This year, Planet Fitness ranked fourth on their list of best franchises to buy.

Franchises were divided into groups according to price of admission; economy franchise opportunities have entry costs of up to $150,000, coach franchise opportunities have entry costs between $150,001 and $500,000, and first class is $500,000 and up. Planet Fitness is considered first class for entry costs.

Franchises were ranked from best to worst according to information gathered by industry research firm FRANdata. FRANdata took into account growth rate over five years, five-year continuity rates and a variety of other factors. For a more in-depth explanation of how the rankings were determined, click here.

The article mentions that franchises have been on the rise since the recession; a forecast by IHS Economics predicts that in 2016 the total number of franchises will reach 795,932 while employing 9.1 million people and contributing $552 billion to GDP.

Click here to read the original article from Forbes by Amy Feldman.