I found the growth engine inside the hours no one valued

Company: YB Fitness
Sector: Health and wellness
Role: Executive Vice President and General Manager
Years: 2014–2019

The YB Fitness exterior sign — YB Fitness, Short Hills

The 39,000 square foot Can Do Fitness facility in Short Hills was losing members and at risk of closing. The immediate conversation was about decline.

I saw an established asset with fixed costs, community visibility and large blocks of underused capacity.

The main training floor — The main floor

The building's rhythm revealed the opportunity. Adult-focused studios sat underused during off-peak hours while local children and teenagers needed active, social places to exercise and belong.

The YBZone studio seen from the corridor — The YBZone, seen from outside

The business and community needs were usually considered separately. Connecting them could create a new product, a new audience, and a natural referral loop.

Drawing on my Crunch experience, I recruited strategic partners and investors, developed the acquisition business plan, and created the YB Fitness — Your Body Fitness identity.

With the team, I developed youth programming designed specifically for younger customers: energetic, social, and distinct from repackaged adult fitness. Operations, programming, marketing and the customer experience were aligned to make the building work harder without compromising the core business.

The YB Fitness team at a membership desk — The team

Idle hours became productive capacity. A youth participant could bring a friend; that friend introduced another family; and parents entering the facility encountered adult memberships and services.

The model created multiple paths to acquisition, referral, engagement and retention, while changing what the facility meant to the community.

Training equipment in the YBZone — Inside the YBZone

A class under way in the YBZone studio — In use

65% membership growth
55% reduction in churn
70 staff led, with full P&L ownership