Anytime Fitness founder and Purpose Brands board co-chair Chuck Runyon delivered a hopeful message to fitness industry stakeholders during the HFA Show 2025 in Las Vegas.
“What we do matters now more than ever,” Runyon said to the crowd on Thursday in a keynote fireside chat with Health & Fitness Association (HFA) president and CEO Liz Clark, alluding to the importance of exercise and physical activity in combatting national and global health crises.
Athletech News caught up with Runyon and fellow Purpose Brands board co-chair Dave Long after the keynote to get their thoughts on the current state of the fitness industry, and their plans for the future of Purpose Brands entities Anytime Fitness and Orangetheory Fitness
Why the Fitness Industry Must Embrace Advocacy
Runyon’s keynote included a strong call to action: for the betterment of the entire industry, fitness business owners must get involved in state and federal advocacy efforts, whether or not they consider themselves politically active.
Speaking to ATN after the keynote, Runyon praised HFA for its recent advocacy push, but he says the fitness industry still has a ways to go before it secures a permanent seat at the table in Washington, D.C.
“We’re getting better, but we have more work to do to bring the industry together, to get more owners and brands involved in understanding policies, (and) contributing time and money,” Runyon told ATN.
Long, the co-founder and longtime CEO of Orangetheory Fitness (now co-chair of the Purpose Brands board), stressed the importance of small business owners getting involved in the fitness industry’s advocacy efforts.
“Most of the industry – whether it’s a franchise owner or independent – are small business owners,” Long told ATN. “When everybody’s rolling up together, thousands and thousands of owners, I think that’s where the real power is in getting the attention of the government.”
Anytime Fitness, Orangetheory Eye (More) Global Growth
Runyon’s Anytime Fitness and Long’s Orangetheory made headlines last year when they merged to form Purpose Brands, a health and fitness holding company that comprises nearly 8,000 locations worldwide in countries across all seven continents.
Under the Purpose Brands name, Anytime Fitness and Orangetheory see even more room for international growth. Runyon and Long shared some insights into both brands’ plans in the years ahead.
“India just surpassed 150 clubs; there’s some massive market potential there for us,” Runyon said. “Australia, 17 years in, is having the best year they’ve ever had (for) Anytime Fitness.”
Runyon mentioned the entirety of Southeast Asia and Italy as other key growth markets for Anytime Fitness. The Middle East is another market to watch, he said.
As for Orangetheory, Long noted that the demand for boutique fitness is growing in international markets across the world. This bodes well for brands like OTF.
“We’re seeing a continued appetite for the studio sector, which is exciting,” Long said. “We’re growing steadily in Canada and Latin America, and our GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) units are doing incredibly. And Japan’s growing.”
Keys to Expanding the Fitness Industry
As demand for fitness and wellness increases, Runyon and Long point to education, building trust with consumers and personalization as keys to growing the industry.
“It’s going to take repetition and consistent education … so that people make the choice that it’s just too important not to do,” Long says of fitness and physical activity. “That goes for whether they’re just going to start a fitness program at their house, go outside with a podcast and walk or join a gym or studio.”
“We’re winning small battles, but we’ve not won the war at getting most of the U.S. and most of the world active,” Long added. “It’s a long game.”
Runyon agreed, adding that the industry must work to build trust with consumers by being consistent in its messaging.
“On social (media), I can have one person tell me red light (therapy) is great, the other one tells me it’s not. I don’t know who to trust anymore,” he said. “The consumer right now, their head is spinning.”
On the personalization front, Runyon says brands like Anytime Fitness are working to “crack the code” on creating personalized fitness and wellness advice for the masses. If they’re able to, it could be a game-changer in getting more people comfortable enough to attend gyms and studios.
“The 46-year-old mom of three doesn’t need the same thing as a 20-year-old guy,” Runyon notes. “So that’s a challenge for us.”
