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Michael Grondahl, Co-founder of Planet Fitness
When Michael and Marc Grondahl opened their first Planet Fitness location in Dover in 1992, Michael had what he called "an unfathomable" dream of perhaps growing to 100 franchises, with a model unique in the industry that tapped into a growing market for a high value but low-cost approach for fitness club franchises.
But the rest, they say, is history. Newington-based Planet Fitness, led by the Grondahls and Chris Rondeau, the chief financial officer, has grown to more than 400 clubs in 40 states, with hundreds more in development. The company's membership of more than 2.5 million has validated the no-frills approach. Planet Fitness has also generated buzz with a witty advertising campaign that targets an unwelcome demographic--fitness and weight-lifting fanatics in love with their own workout regime if not their own bodies. In fact, one of the television ads has gone viral on...