Blog Posts

Ohana Growth Partners’ Co-founders Share Mental Well-being Ideas at IDEA World

Founders of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation and co-founders of Ohana Growth Partners Victor and Lynne Brick presented at this year’s IDEA World in Los Angeles, California, along with Senior Advisor for the JWB Foundation Cassandra Vieten. From  July 10-14, the trio shared valuable insights with fitness professionals, teaching them mental health skills and guidance. Topics shared included Dual Continuum of Mental Wellness, Mental Health Myths, Positive Stress, The Mental Well-Being Ecosystem, and much more.

Through the years, the Bricks have been active presenters at IDEA World. From 1988-2001 and again in 2023, the duo presented at the event. Lynne won the 1990 IDEA Group Exercise Instructor of the Year, and Victor won the 1990 IDEA Businessperson of the Year. Each time, they have inspired thousands with their insightful presentations.

The John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation recently launched the Mental Well-being Association’s Mental Well-being Certification for Fitness Professionals. This year’s IDEA World gave the Bricks an opportunity to share why it is important for fitness professionals to understand the impact and the appropriate self-care tools they can use to help their clients, members, guests, staff and even themselves flourish. They presented a pre-conference workshop titled “The Fitness Professionals Guide to Mental Wellness” and a conference lecture titled “Skills for Fitness Professionals in Mental Well-being,” speaking to approximately 75 people.

“IDEA World brings the world’s best fitness professionals together to network and sharpen our professional saw so we can inspire those who we serve to live a healthy, happy life,” said Lynne Brick.

Lynne and Victor Brick value helping others improve their mental health, which is why they work so hard at IDEA World and events like it.  

“Victor and I speak at these types of conventions to spread the word about holistic, self-care approaches in the treatment of mental illness and the promotion of mental well-being. Everyone knows that we are in the middle of a worldwide mental health crisis. What many people don’t realize is that we are also at the beginning of a mental health and well-being renaissance,” Lynne said. “As fitness professionals, it is our responsibility to spread the word.”

in Recognitions  by 08 Nov 2024

Grand Fitness Receives Recognition for Its Employees’ Exceptional Hard Work

One of the most important parts of any Planet Fitness® franchise is the team who work there because they drive the members’ experience in the club. Hard work and good training of staff is paramount for making sure a PF® club is running smoothly. Grand Fitness Partners knows this well and was recently recognized for its staff’s hard work.

Grand Fitness was honored with the YOOBIC’s 2024 Frontline Excellence Award. The award recognizes the pioneering individuals and teams within YOOBIC’s customer community. Of YOOBIC’s 10 award categories, the franchise was awarded the Employee Experience Program of the Year honor. YOOBIC posted all the winners both on their site and on LinkedIn, shared a congratulatory letter and sent an engraved award, as well as some celebration treats to the team.

The franchise started working with YOOBIC about two years ago with designing and developing its customized platform to meet the unique needs of the company. YOOBIC was implemented in December 2022 but fully ramped up using all the capabilities by summer 2023. YOOBIC’s mobile-first approach allows Grand Fitness to deliver learning, communication and tasks right to the palm of its team members’ hands. The look, feel and ease of navigation have resonated with the group’s demographic, making learning and task management fun and challenging as opposed to another work assignment. Communities allow the clubs to inform, acknowledge and celebrate team members within the club as well as stay in touch with larger company initiatives and success stories via the Newsfeed.

Learning and Development Director/Operations Leader Suzette Wolfkamp lead the initiative to introduce YOOBIC, a dedicated platform for team connection, updates and training, to Grand Fitness.

“It is an honor to be recognized by YOOBIC within the first year of full implementation of the platform. The club team members and leaders have been extremely agile and willing to adopt new ways to communicate, learn and work efficiently via the YOOBIC application. YOOBIC has become the central hub for information and understanding Grand Fitness’s standards and culture. As YOOBIC evolves, so will the degree to which we use the tools to improve operational efficiency and increase the knowledge of individuals, teams and the company,” said Wolfkamp.

in Recognitions  by 08 Nov 2024

United Fitness Partners Puts Its Heart and Soul into International Shoe Drive Trip

A new pair of shoes may seem minor, but for many, new shoes are treasured – and much-needed – basics. After a successful shoe drive last year, staff with United Fitness Partners took a volunteer trip to the Dominican Republic with Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world.

During last year’s shoe drive, an impressive 20,317 shoes were collected. UFP teammates and club managers Chris Thompson and Anna Rivera went on the trip and helped serve nearly 800 children and their families. While visiting the Dominican Republic in mid-June, the staff members made a huge impact as they immersed themselves in the local culture and provided new shoes to kids in need.

“For those communities, it might look like we only brought shoes on the surface, but we actually did so much more. We gave those kids hope that things will get better. We gave one less thing that their mom would have to spend on and instead could take that money and buy a necessity with it. We also were able to provide in those moments some love to show kids that are usually being pushed away by outsiders, we were there with open arms to play with them and give them hugs and show them that this world isn’t all bad,” said Thompson.

Club manager Anna Rivera shared the importance their volunteering work had on the community. “For some, this is the first, and only, new pair of shoes they will ever receive. Let that sink in. Shoes are a necessity for proper hygiene and safety. Between the shoes and additional donated items, we were able to impact nearly 800 children and their families,” she explained. “This trip was important for many reasons. It was impactful in what it provided physically and emotionally. More importantly, it is not the only one of its kind and knowing that Soles4Souls is doing this kind of work ‘to disrupt the cycle of poverty,’ and that United FP continues to be a diligent partner makes me very proud to be affiliated with both.”

United Fitness Partners didn’t stop stepping forward to help others there! They also hosted a shoe drive from July 29-Sept. 6. This year’s drive was its fourth time partnering with Soles4Souls on a back-to-school drive. Every year, the partnership has increased collections. During the first two years, UFP exceeded a goal of 10,000 pairs of shoes, and as a result, participated in Soles4Souls’ program Ten2Give, where it was able to donate brand-new shoes and socks to local Boys and Girls Clubs in its communities.

Those interested in hosting a shoe drive or learning more about a Soles4Souls Global Experience should contact Megan Dodson at [email protected].

in Member News  by 08 Nov 2024

United Fitness Partners Celebrates a Win with Victory Run 5K

United Fitness Partners had its first ever company-sponsored 5K titled the Victory Run x Planet Fitness® 5K on July 20. United Fitness Partners partnered with The Victory Project and Sporting KC to host the 5K race in the Kansas City area. There were over 300 race registrants who came to the Southcreek Office Park in Overland Park for the race. All race participants received a medal, a T-shirt and a custom bib.

The race’s proceeds went to support the Victory Project’s mission of helping kids who are battling cancer. This included a life-changing opportunity for these kids to get a VIP weekend with Sporting Kansas City as Match Day Honorees.

“The Victory Project and Sporting KC have honored over 200 kids thanks to the generosity of partners like Planet Fitness,” said Victory Project Executive Director Lexie Clark. “The Victory Run x Planet Fitness is an amazing opportunity to spread the word about our cause and to engage more people in our mission, working together as community partners to create greater impact and serve even more kids.”

The race was a great opportunity for UFP to make a huge difference in the community, while also promoting brand awareness of Planet Fitness. In the weeks leading up to the race, Planet Fitness created a free training plan tailored for non-runners who were training for the race, matching the brand’s ideology of making fitness accessible to all.

United Fitness Partners has almost 20 clubs in the Kansas City area, making this 5K’s location a perfect place for the group to host a race.

“The Kansas City community has been essential to our Planet Fitness franchise for many years, and we’re excited to host a run for our members and the community,” said United Fitness Partners Regional Director Makenzi Sutterfield. “This event continues our work with Victory Project and Sporting KC, who make incredible efforts to benefit the lives of local children. This run is yet another example of the value community partnerships and fitness can provide to the Kansas City area.”

in Member News  by 08 Nov 2024

Taymax Gets Tails Wagging at Unleash Pet Fest

For the second year in a row, Taymax was a participant at the Unleash Pet Fest, an outdoor festival in Ontario for pets and their pet owners held June 1. The annual event allows pets and their owners to come together for a full day of fun.

The Unleash Pet Fest event included a wide variety of experiences for pets and humans alike. There was chicken yoga, a kissing booth with a friendly dog as the kisser, an Educational Animal Show, a Pet Parade, guest speakers and more. This year’s event included over 2,000 visitors and pets, and $1,000 was raised for the organization at the festival.

Four of Taymax’s staff members attended the Unleash Pet Fest, an outdoor festival for pets and their human owners.

Taymax was one of the 39 vendors at the event, where four team members from Planet Fitness® Cornwall set up a PF® booth to engage with the festival attendees. The team handed out PF-branded water bottles and dog bandanas, as well as a promo card with an exclusive offer unique to the event. The group hoped to increase awareness of Planet Fitness within the community, and the event allowed them to do so! Given the event’s great success, Taymax plans to help with the festival again next year.

“Our objectives going into this event were to become more well-known in the community by connecting with prospects, as well as engaging with our current members – and we succeeded! The staff had a great time building relationships with so many community members and their pets, and we generated lots of interest for the brand at the same time,” said General Manager at PF Cornwall Charlotte Awde.

in Member News  by 08 Nov 2024