MEET YOUR TEAM
In business, you want to work with the best people you can.
Not only do we understand that, we’ve made it a guiding principle of our franchise operation to be the best business partner we can. That’s why our top-quality brand is supported and driven by the most experienced team in the industry. Oh ya, we’ve got you covered.
Jim Rowley Chief Executive Officer New Evolution Fitness |
Ben Midgley President Crunch Franchise LLC |
Jim Somoza Chief Development Officer Crunch LLC |
Donna Cyrus SVP of Programming Crunch LLC |
Mike Feeney Senior Vice President New Evolution Fitness |
Christina DeGuardi Vice President of Marketing Crunch LLC |
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| JIM ROWLEY Jim is a proven leader in the fitness industry with over 20 years of experience. During his career, he worked for 17 years with 24 Hour Fitness where he started in club management and quickly moved into executive management holding positions as District Manager, Regional Vice President and Vice President of Fitness, taking a business unit from $95M in sales in 2001 to over $300M by 2007. Jim finished his tenure with 24 Hour Fitness in 2008 as Division President, responsible for over 225 clubs and 9,000 employees. Jim is the cofounder and CEO of New Evolution Fitness Company which owns and operates multiple fitness brands around the world. Jim is also the CEO of Crunch. |
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| CHRISTINA DEGUARDI Christina brings a unique approach to all brand communication, one that’s informed by her 17 years of experience dealing with premier brands at agencies across the globe. In that time, she’s worked in all mediums and managed the production of multi-tiered campaigns for large-scale accounts, like Burger King and Volvo, fostering her understanding of strategy and positioning, business development and B2B sales strategies for brands with a franchise component. She’s spent the last 3 years at Crunch where she manages a full marketing team and creative department with expertise in media, public relations, promotions, copywriting, websites and production. |
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| DONNA CYRUS Donna has long been recognized as an industry innovator for bringing cutting edge workouts into the gym, first as the owner of Club Body Tech gyms in Florida and later as the SVP of Programming for Crunch. During her career she’s forged numerous partnerships with various entertainment properties – Broadway shows, feature films – as well as equipment manufacturers to develop unique, engaging programming. In 2007, she received the coveted ECA Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2008 was nominated for the World IDEA 2008 Program Director of the Year. |
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| JIM SOMOZA Jim has decades of experience working as both a commercial real estate attorney and broker, and has structured and negotiated commercial lease and purchase transactions on behalf of tenants, landlords and investors/developers. As President of ATC Management he oversaw the development of the 1.8 million square foot Chelsea Market complex in Manhattan and was responsible for marketing, leasing, planning, construction, community relations, tenant relations, legal issues and operations. As Chief Development Officer for Crunch Fitness, Jim has been responsible for all real estate-related activities including site selection, lease negotiations, acquisitions, landlord/tenant issues, space planning, and construction. |
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| DEREK GALLUP Derek began his career in fitness at Gold’s Gym in Hawaii, where he turned the retail departments of 4 locations into the franchise’s most successful. Moving to 24 Hour Fitness, he ran the apparel, workout accessory and fitness beverage components of the brand’s retail business, garnering $20 million in 200-plus locations. He then introduced supplements to that business, earning $50 million in 300-plus locations. In 2007, as Vice President of Fitness, Derek grew sales of Personal Training and supplements to over $300M annually. He now serves as the Senior Vice President of Personal Training and Retail at Crunch. |
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| BEN MIDGLEY With over 20 years experience, Ben has a history of success at every level starting with winning the prestigious title of IHRSA Sales Person of the Year in 1995. Ben was recruited by 24 Hour Fitness in 1999, when he accepted the position as Divisional Director of Corporate Sales. Within two years, Ben was promoted to Senior Director of Corporate Sales for the entire company. In this role he managed the relationships of more than 5,000 corporate accounts, as well as over 40 corporate sales managers and 375 health clubs nationwide. In 2008, Ben took the position of Executive Vice President of Planet Fitness and World Gym International where he was responsible for a total increase in sales of over 100% in a year and half. Additionally, Ben is a recognized expert in the area of corporate wellness, business management and sales. He is the co-author of a ground breaking book Golden Circle Secrets focusing on sales management which was the #1 Sales Management and #1 Customer Service book on Amazon.com. Ben now serves as the president of Crunch Franchise. |
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| MIKE FEENEY Prior to coming to Crunch, Mike’s responsibilities as a Vice President at 24 Hour Fitness included leading a facilities and development team of hundreds, managing capital improvement plans of $75 million annually, negotiating national account contracts for purchasing with multiple vendors, and designing, developing and remodeling hundreds of clubs annually. In his current role as Senior Vice President of Crunch’s franchise operation, he oversees facilities planning, design, construction and asset purchasing – activities that include concept and prototype development, facilities maintenance, design standards, capital budgeting, capital purchasing, vendor contract pricing and asset management. |
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| JOHN MERRION John joined Crunch Franchise as Director of Club Development in October 2009. John has nearly 20 years of experience in sales development and operations. Throughout his professional tenure, he has worked with such companies as Nextel Communications, T-Mobile USA, and most recently with Cartridge World USA, as a Director of National Accounts and Franchise Operations. John was responsible for operations and sales development for 700+ Cartridge World national retail locations. He worked strategically with 25 area developers and operations teams in the U.S. to open new store locations. |
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©2010 Crunch Franchise LLC