Orangetheory Fitness is a scientifically designed, one-of-a-kind, group personal training workout broken into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. Backed by the science of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), Orangetheory’s heart-rate-monitored workouts are designed to get participants within the target-training zone of 84 percent to 91 percent of their maximum heart rate, which stimulates metabolism and increases energy. Led by highly skilled coaches, each Orangetheory Fitness workout incorporates endurance, strength and power elements through a variety of equipment including treadmills, rowing machines and free weights. Since the brand’s inception back in 2010, Orangetheory Fitness has transformed into one of the world’s top fitness franchises, and is on track to open 900 studios worldwide by the end of 2017.
The National Center for the Middle Market had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Orangetheory Fitness, Ellen Latham, and here's what she had to say:
Tell us a little bit about the background of Orangetheory
and how the company got started.
.jpg "Ellen Latham, founder of Orangetheory Fitness")
I designed the Orangetheory Fitness workout
through a combination of life experiences. The skills I learned while earning
my masters degree in exercise physiology and working at a high-end spa and
fitness facility and Pilates influenced and inspired me to design “The Ultimate
Workout,” which eventually became the foundation for the Orangetheory Fitness
workout. Fast forward to 2010, I partnered with, Dave Long and Jermone Kern to
develop Orangetheory and since its inception, the brand has grown exponentially
to more than 731 studios worldwide, something I could have never imagined
possible when I originally created The Ultimate Workout.
Where are
most of your stores located?
The first Orangetheory Fitness studio was
established in 2010 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While Florida was originally
our core market, since then we have grown immensely in the last seven years,
having 655 locations domestically spread out amongst 45 states with a total of
731 studios located across 16 countries.
How do
you come up with your geographical strategy?
Our geographical strategy revolves
around our Area Developers. We have 70 distinct regions domestically and each
is controlled by an Area Representative. Within these regions our Real Estate
team in concert with the AR has determined the number of Orangetheory Studios
that can be developed. There are a number of demographic factors that are
considered when arriving at this number, however, core population counts,
household income and the availability of viable sites are the main contributing
factors.
Talk to
us a little bit about the culture at Orangetheory and what it’s like to work
there.
We work hard and play hard at the Orangetheory global headquarters! We
always put our members and franchisees first, but we also value work-life
balance for corporate employees. Our global headquarters is packed with
amenities for team members to enjoy, including a full workout studio on the
first floor that also serves as our innovation lab, where we test new workout
templates and technologies. Employees are encouraged to take a break and go
workout! Other features of the global headquarters include our EPOC room, which
offers a lounge area, ping-pong and pool tables, shuffleboard, TVs and video
games, and much more. We also have a full-time wellness manager on staff who
oversees our wellness center and plans employee programs that promote healthy
and balanced lifestyles.
How do
you use social media to market your product?
We love engaging with our current
and prospective members on social media! It is a great tool for us to hear about
success stories and to motivate others. We also use social media to remind our
audience that Orangetheory truly is a workout for everyone. We’re lucky to have
a fan-base that is very vocal and engaging on social media, so we are active on
a variety of social platforms.
What kind
of community outreach do you do and how does that affect the brand?
Orangetheory
Fitness is dedicated to giving back to the local community and supporting
research initiatives focused on health. We have contributed to the following
local and national organizations:
- Augie’s
Quest – Cure for ALS (Raised more than $2 million in two weeks for Augie’s
Quest during first brand-wide fundraising campaign in Feb/March 2017
- Toys for
Tots Foundation
- The
Pantry of Broward Food Bank
- American
Lung Association – Fight for Air Climb
- Covenant
House Charity
- Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation
- National
Breast Cancer Foundation
-
Movember
activities to raise money for testicular and prostate cancer
- Stephen
Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
- Jackson
Chance Foundation
- Sponsorship
of underprivileged families during the holidays
Our immense network of franchisees creates a large platform.
Through our system, we have the ability to benefit a particular cause using the
strength of our network giving us a huge advantage to help shed light on real
issues that many of our members may not have otherwise been aware of before
joining Orangetheory Fitness. For example, the first brand-wide fundraising
campaign for Augie’s Quest launched in early 2017. Each individual studio was
tasked with promoting research for ALS and encouraging local members to get
involved and sweat for a cause. In just two weeks, Orangetheory’s network of
studios raised more than $2 million, more than doubling the campaign goal, and
educating hundreds of thousands of members about the lack of funding
surrounding ALS.
What’s
next for Orangetheory?
What are you most excited for? We have some really
exciting initiatives for the brand on the horizon, in addition to officially
moving into our new state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in Boca Raton,
Florida we will be completel
y updating our tech platform. The new platform will
provide more meaningful data analysis to our members globally, assisting to
support our coaches and staff in providing world-class service and feedback. We
are also optimistic that we will have 900 studios up and running by the end of
2017. In addition to other awards the brand was honored with so far this year,
such as ranking again in the Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies list and
Club Industry’s top 100 health clubs of 2017, we were beyond thrilled to have
topped this year’s list of the Fifty Fastest Growing Women-owned/Led Companies
by American Express and Women Presidents’ Organization. These accomplishments
truly highlights the business growth we’ve seen and helps set us up for future
growth.