please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs to be updated . please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . august 2015 this article may require cleanup to meet wikipedia s quality standards . the specific problem is not written in encyclopaedic style and contains ad like and editorialized sections please help improve this article if you can . may 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message pfip llc . a planet fitness location in ypsilanti township michigan in april 2010 . trading name planet fitness type public traded as nyse plnt industry exercising health clubs founded 1992 ; 24 years ago 1992 number of locations 1000 website www.planetfitness.com planet fitness is an american franchise of fitness centers based in newington new hampshire . 1 each gym features exercise equipment and fitness instructors to assist its members . it markets itself as a judgement free zone that caters to novice and casual gym users . planet fitness currently has 1000 club locations across the us with recent expansion into canada and the dominican republic . contents 1 history 2 statistics 3 sponsors 4 controversies 5 references 6 external links history edit a planet fitness location in revere massachusetts in november 2012 . planet fitness locations in the united states . the fitness club was founded in 1992 when michael grondahl acquired a financially struggling gym and dramatically reduced prices to compete against better known brands . this low cost business model focuses on the needs of occasional or first time health club members rather than more experienced members . there are 53 corporate owned gyms with the rest being independently owned and operated . 2 the franchise is concentrated mostly in the northeast but has expanded into a nationwide franchise . 3 the franchise has been added to the inc. 500 list . 4 in 2011 the co founding grondahl brothers were still leading the company along with chris rondeau who started out as the cfo chief financial officer . more specifically as the company continued to grow the roles underwent some changes . currently michael grondahl serves as a board member chris rondeau serves as ceo and mark grondahl serves as cfo . 5 in the fall of 2013 the planet fitness franchise gained a new partnership with tsg consumer partners llc . this partnership was negotiated and completed in just 30 days with the help of richard moore who is currently the general counsel and chief administration officer for planet fitness . 6 statistics edit planet fitness currently has over 1000 locations with an estimated 6 million members across 48 states in the u.s. 6 in december 2014 planet fitness opened their first international location in toronto canada . the second toronto location opened in early 2015 . 7 8 sponsors edit as of january 2012 it is the national gym sponsor of nbc s reality show the biggest loser . the contestants on the show will work out on planet fitness equipment while at the biggest loser ranch in calabasas california and then at planet fitness gyms near their homes working with planet fitness fitness instructors . 9 in march 2013 planet fitness partnered with 50 cent to sell his energy drink street king 10 controversies edit this article s criticism or controversy section may compromise the article s neutral point of view of the subject . please integrate the section s contents into the article as a whole or rewrite the material . january 2015 critics have questioned planet fitness legitimacy as a gym on the basis of the intensity of equipment and classes offered . there is also demand for child care . others claim that planet fitness practice of giving out free food throughout the month is inconsistent with their position as a fitness source . 11 in october 2011 an albuquerque planet fitness refused to let tarainia mcdaniel wear her religious head covering while working out . 12 despite signing a two year contract with the gym she was turned away and was told the head covering didn t meet the company s dress code . the woman sued under the new mexico human rights act and the unfair practices act asserting that planet fitness illegally based the decision to deny her access upon her religion and race she is african american . the suit further claimed the gym had no legitimate or non pretextual reason to deny her entry . planet fitness denied all violations stating that the muslim woman failed to participate in good faith and that the company has legitimate business reasons for its practice as well as measures to prevent discrimination . 13 in march 2015 a michigan woman had her membership at planet fitness revoked after complaining to management that a transgender woman was using the women s locker room at her local gym . the woman said she felt her safety was being violated by the presence of a person with the opposite parts in a woman s locker room . she later went on to sue the company for revoking her membership citing violations of her rights to freedom of speech denial of terms of contract and denial of access to and use of a public facility . 14 references edit business entity . sos.nh.gov . retrieved 2014 06 08 . jeremiah turner 2009 11 08 . fit for franchising from first gym in dover planet fitness building big brand . fosters.com . retrieved 2014 06 08 . find a planet fitness near you . planet fitness health . inc.com . retrieved 2010 11 18 . q & a with michael grondahl co founder of planet fitness . new hampshire business review . 2011 06 03 . retrieved 2014 06 08 . a b lawrence kelli 2013 08 15 . a world of their own . profile magazine . retrieved 2014 06 08 . american gym powerhouse chooses brampton for first suburban canadian location . planet fitness announces company s first international expansion into canada . marc grondahl of planet fitness how a lean business model became a franchise heavyweight open forum . americanexpress.com . retrieved 2014 06 08 . 50 cent and joan rivers kick it at the gym photos . the urban daily . 2012 03 28 . retrieved 2014 06 08 . judith ohikuare feb 3 2013 . the secret of planet fitness s success . inc.com . carol kuruvilla march 22 2014 . planet fitness kicked muslim woman out for wearing head scarf lawsuit . daily news . new york . retrieved march 13 2015 . planet fitness faces suit over muslim head covering . fox news . 20 march 2015 . ben axleson march 26 2015 . woman sues planet fitness after gym bans her for complaint about transgender woman . syracuse.com . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to planet fitness . official website twitter retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title planet fitness & oldid 739562050 categories franchiseshealth clubs in the united statescompanies based in strafford county new hampshirecompanies listed on the new york stock 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