COLTS NECK, N.J. (November 15, 2016) – Not many franchises can say they have professional athletes, doctors, military veterans, firefighters, high-level executives, multi-brand franchisees, independent business owners and a pop star in their franchise system, but Retro Fitness can. The fast-growing, national low-cost high-value fitness franchise has been gaining popularity amongst a wide group of franchise prospects and is increasingly attracting multi-unit franchisees to its system. In the past 18 months alone, 15 separate groups of multi-unit franchise owners have joined the franchise.
“Our diverse group of franchisees is a big part of what makes Retro Fitness so successful,” said Retro Fitness CEO and founder Eric Casaburi. “Everyone brings something different to the table, and while we’re the ones providing them with all the knowledge they need to know about the Retro Fitness business model, there’s so much that we learn from them in return. It’s an exciting time to be part of the Retro Fitness family.”
Here are some reasons recent franchisees joined the Retro Fitness franchise system:
- Complimentary to Existing Franchises – Anish Patel: Patel and his father own several Super 8, Days Inn and Quality Inn hotel franchises and are also developing three Great Clips franchises in Maricopa County, Arizona. He recently signed a five-unit agreement with Retro Fitness as a compliment to existing business assets.
- Diversifying Franchise Portfolio – Lawrence and Larry Jasenski: Lawrence and his father, Larry, own 23 Subway locations throughout the Albany-Schenectady, New York area and signed a five-unit deal with Retro Fitness to help them diversify their food and beverage portfolio. Their first location just opened for workouts this month.
- Career after the NFL – Jameel McClain: McClain is a former NFL linebacker whose professional career spans eight seasons, including a Super Bowl win with the Baltimore Ravens in SB XLVII. He played seven seasons with the Ravens and one with the New York Giants. He signed a three-unit deal with Retro Fitness and is on track to open his first location in Catonsville, Maryland in December. David Garrard is another former NFL player who joined Retro Fitness in 2013 and currently has two gyms operating in Jacksonville, Florida and one under development.
- Making an Independent Gym Better – Jordan Knight: Known as the front man of New Kids On The Block, Knight joined the franchise in 2015 to convert his existing Cranston, R.I. gym, Fit World, into a Retro Fitness. His 10-year-old club needed a whole new energy and Knight wanted to increase value for members, all while gaining support from a franchisor. He plans to continue growing the Retro Fitness brand with new locations in Massachusetts.
- Planning for Retirement – Ralph Basile, Daniel Pace and Peter Pace: With a few decades each in sales, the Pace brothers saw gym ownership as the perfect platform to supplement their families’ retirement savings. They took over the Kingston, New Jersey Retro Fitness location in June with Daniel’s brother-in-law, Basile, who runs the day-to-day operations of the gym. His background consists of being a volunteer firefighter in the Monmouth Junction as well as a 911 dispatcher for the South Brunswick Police Department, a position he held for almost ten years.
- A Sound Financial Investment – Joseph Ciolino, Anthony Ciolino, Angela Schmuck, Ryan Schmuck and Jason Schaefer: Joseph Ciolino is currently the CFO and a shareholder at Belfor, one of the nation’s leading property restoration companies with $1.5+ billion in revenue across 250 offices in 28 countries. Ciolino also owns investments in more than 100 other companies and is the primary investor to the three Retro Fitness locations his team purchased this past March. Schaefer is leading operations, having run a small independent personal training studio in Michigan for several years. Their first location opened earlier this month in Rochester, Michigan.
Retro Fitness has more than 150 locations operating in 16 states and is on track to have 250 gyms open in the next two years. The burgeoning franchise has already signed more than 20 franchise agreements for new or emerging market development and opened 14 gyms this year. Driving the investor-friendly franchise’s growth are strong-unit economics, streamlined business operations and a focused, forward-thinking approach that continuously brings more value to franchisees and members.
About Retro Fitness
Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Eric Casaburi, Retro Fitness has evolved from a regional Northeast gym concept into a national fitness system with more than 150 gyms open in 16 states. Under Casaburi’s leadership, Retro Fitness is expanding its footprint with more than 100 gyms in its development pipeline and plans to have 250 gyms open in the next two years in new, major markets, such as Florida, Illinois, California, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Each Retro Fitness location is equipped with a full-service fitness center, including 60-100 pieces of equipment supplied by leading manufacturers. The burgeoning franchise has placed in the top 300 of Entrepreneur’s magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 list for six consecutive years. For more information, please visit www.retrofitness.com, and to learn more about franchise opportunities visit www.retrofranchising.com.
Media Contact: Jayne Levy, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300 ext. 225 or jlevy@fishmanpr.com
