Core Development & Management (CDM) has made big changes to its leadership, recognizing those who work hard with promotions within the company. Steve Venezia was promoted to chief executive officer, while Christopher Derderian was promoted to president and chief financial officer. With the promotions, the two will now be partners leading the organization to success.

Before joining Planet Fitness^®, Steve Venezia worked in a private practice law firm and didn’t feel fully satisfied with his role. However, one day, he saw the corporate counsel, real estate role at Planet Fitness on LinkedIn, and he decided to apply. He was at a crossroads in his career because he was about to be made partner at his law firm, but he said he is incredibly happy he made the decision to join Planet Fitness.

“After starting at PF^®, I quickly fell in love with the brand and working environment. The energy, camaraderie and pace at PFCSC was amazing, and I loved the individuals I got to work with, especially the franchisees. As the real estate attorney, I was fortunate to be able to review every site that was submitted to PF, so I got to interact with many of the franchisees on different levels,” said Venezia.  

After working with Planet Fitness for four years, he pivoted to the Planet Fitness franchisee side, taking a job at Core Development & Management as vice president of leasing and in-house counsel. He worked with the franchise group for several years, working up the ranks until he reached his current position.

“When coming over to the franchisee side in 2020, I was admittedly a little nervous. I wondered how the working environment could get any better than it was at PFCSC. My time at Core exceeded all my wildest expectations. When I came on board, our founders, Brian Kablik, Bill Whelan and Jonathan Epstein, were still active in the business, and they were open with their time and knowledge. They awarded opportunities based on performance, and they are the reason I am where I am today,” Venezia said. “We also have amazing private equity partners in SBJ that we are incredibly aligned with. I think we all still look forward to our quarterly board meetings as a time to connect on the state of the business, but just as importantly, as a time to catch up with friends.”

Derderian started his career in public accounting before transitioning into the private sector, diving into the analytics beyond financial statements. This experience is what opened the door for him to join CDM and the greater PF system in late 2019. CDM had recently partnered with its private equity partners in SBJ and were looking to establish the company’s first FP&A department.

Like Venezia, Derderian echoes the sentiment that working with the Planet Fitness brand has been incredibly motivating because of the true difference they are able to make in their jobs.

“The founders – Brian Kablik, Bill Whelan, and Jonathan Epstein – really took me under their collective wings and taught me not only about the company but their core values (pun intended) and what makes the greater Planet Fitness brand so special. I grew to love the idea that we provide a space for both physical and mental fitness and wellbeing that is accessible and affordable to everyone. The number of lives impacted by our brand on an annual basis across our system is incredible, and being a small part of that just motivates you and feels amazing,” he said.

Becky Smukall, who has worked with the PF brand for 14 years, was also awarded a promotion to senior vice president of marketing. She started working with Planet Fitness in 2012 at a local advertising agency and then was hired as a marketing director for CDM in 2020. Her relationships within the brand have inspired her work and career.

“I’ve had a lot of respect for Brian Kablik, starting in my agency days. He really believed in the brand and pushed us all to think deeper and work harder to become the leading fitness brand in New England. His passion is contagious, and I didn’t bat an eye to come work directly for him. Although we’ve had evolutions in our leadership, CDM is a family. No matter what you need, everyone has a ‘pitch in and support’ mentality that I think is hard to find these days,” said Smukall.  

Laura Barry Grillon was promoted to executive vice president of operations. Before joining Planet Fitness, she worked at West Marine for 32 years, working her way up through many different operational leadership roles over time. She is excited to use her operational experience to improve the business.

“What excites me most about my role change is the opportunity to have an even broader impact on the business and on our people. As the company continues to grow, there’s a huge opportunity to strengthen alignment, develop leaders at every level, improve operational consistency and continue modernizing how we support our clubs and teams,” said Grillon.

Five years ago, the team at CDM developed and launched a bold plan for significant growth over a short period of time. Recognizing that both organic and acquisitive strategies would be required to achieve this vision, the team sought a leader with experience in hypergrowth environments as well as a seasoned integrator.

They found both in Lynne Davis, who has more than 20 years of experience scaling technology companies and integrating over 25 organizations. Her work has been focused on team member development, team alignment and organizational effectiveness. Through her leadership in building strong teams, developing talent and driving culture, she has contributed to meaningful investor returns through successful IPOs and strategic sales.

With the recent changes at CDM, Davis was promoted to chief human resources officer, and she shares similar excitement about continuing the company’s growth journey.

“I’m incredibly excited to step into this role and continue growing our organization alongside such a talented team, united by our mission to empower people to improve. I feel truly fortunate to support teammates who live our values building community, creating opportunities, showing respect and striving for excellence, as they serve our members every day. I’m also thrilled to partner with our board, founders and executive team, as we continue shaping a meaningful space and vibrant community where both our team and members can thrive while creating significant returns for our investors.” said Davis.