HALO Talks Fast Break: Behind the Numbers-Health Club Multiples and Market Transformations
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Release Date: 07/24/2025
Episode #575: Scaling Planet Fitness-Lessons in Execution and Growth from CJ Bouchard
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
In this episode of HALO Talks, industry veteran CJ Bouchard opens up to host Pete Moore about the realities of entrepreneurship in the fitness industry, sharing candid stories of risk, resilience, and what it really means to build from the ground up. From betting his savings on a fledgling franchise in North Carolina and initially making daily two-hour commutes, to pivoting and learning tough lessons about club size, site selection, and market expansion, CJ reveals how grit, adaptability, and a clear mission have fueled Excel Fitnessās phenomenal growth. Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT) is one of...
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Episode #574: Elevate Fitness Evolution-Real Estate, Recovery, and Community Impact With Tom Muller
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
In this episode of HALO Talks, host Pete Moore sits down with long-time friend and industry veteran Tom Muller, owner of Elevate Fitness in Syracuse, NY. With roots that stretch back to the Gold's Gym days, Tom shares his journey through decades of shifting trends, club expansions, and the pivotal decision to rebrand and tech-enable his business for the modern member experience. From innovative fitness programming and thriving tennis and swim programs to the impact of major local investments like Micron and Amazon, Tom reveals the strategies that have kept Elevate thriving in a stable,...
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HALO Talks Fast Break: Pickleball Consulting, Court Installs, and Industry Trends With Kaitlin Miller from Court Kings
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Excited to share highlights from this weekās HALO Talks FastBreak featuring Kaitlin Miller from Court Kings. A level 5 player herself, Kaitlin and Pete dive deep into the rapid growth of pickleball and how Court Kings innovative court solutions are shaping the industryāespecially for health and fitness facilities. 3 key takeaways: Booming Demand: Pickleball courts in NYC (especially at ) are booked solid from open to closeāsometimes with waitlists to join! If your facility hasnāt added pickleball yet, now is the time. Turnkey Court Solutions: Court Kings was recently named the...
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Episode #573: How LightStim Revolutionized LED Beds and the Med Spa Industry with Steve Marchese
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Welcome to another episode of HALO Talks! In todayās episode, Integrity Square Founder and host Pete Moore sits down with Steve Marchese, the founder of LightStim, to dig into the transformative power of LED light technology and its growing role in med spas and wellness centers across the country. Steve shares the LightStim origin story, which was born out of a personal mission to help his own son combat dangerously high blood pressure when traditional medicine offered no solutions. What started as a family "Hail Mary" turned into years of rigorous innovation, FDA collaboration,...
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Episode #572: Building Hone Fitness-Jim Solomonās Urban Strategy and Lessons from Torontoās Fitness Scene
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Welcome to HALO Talks, where we dive into the entrepreneurial journeys and strategic insights shaping the HALO sector! (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoors.) In this episode, host Pete Moore sits down with longtime friend and industry veteran Jim Solomon, founder of Hone Fitness. Broadcasting on location from Toronto, Jim shares his story of more than 26 years in the fitness space, from his early days as a senior associate at Goldās Gym to building and selling clubs in Torontoās unique urban neighborhoods. They talk candidly about the āpuzzleā that is site selection in metropolitan...
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Episode #571: Why Personalized Menās Health Is the Future-Insights from MNLY's Founder, Luke Hartelust
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Welcome to another episode of HALO Talks! Today, host Pete Moore sits down with Luke Hartelust--a dynamic entrepreneur and now the founder of MNLY--who made the leap from the oil and gas rigs off the coast of Australia to Californiaās innovative health tech scene. Luke shares his journey from the grueling world of offshore drilling to launching and scaling fitness businesses, including his instrumental role in bringing F45 Training to Southern California. The conversation dives deep into his latest venture, a groundbreaking menās health platform that uses AI, cutting-edge blood...
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Episode #570: Lessons from Three Decades in Fitness-Rick Dennisās Approach to Member Experience and Club Operations
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Welcome to HALO Talks! In todayās episode, host Pete Moore sits down with Rick Dennis, Co-Founder of Bakersfieldās Body Xchange and a definite "OG" in the HALO sector. With over 30 years of experienceāincluding a storied career at Family Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and launching successful clubs with longtime partner John OvanessianāRick shares insights on evolving gym models, member experience, and responding to changing trends. Rick and Pete chat about how Body Xchange became a place āwhere everybody trains,ā adapting to the post-COVID demand for more strength training, flexible...
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Episode #569: Essence Over Analytics: Duff McDonald Explores Purpose, Presence, and People in Entrepreneurship
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
Welcome to another episode of HALO Talks! Today, host Pete Moore sits down with Duff McDonald, former investment banker and well known business journalist, for a fantastic chat. Duff, whose career has spanned investment banking, business journalism, and bestselling books like āThe Golden Passportā and āTickled,ā shares insights on how numbers and data have come to dominate our understanding of business and lifeābut why they often fail to capture what really matters. In this episode, youāll hear Duff break down the difference between āexpertsā and āspecialists,ā challenge...
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Episode #568: Scaling Physician's Choice From Startup to $250M-Logan Chierotti on Smart Growth and Supplements
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
On this episode of HALO Talks, host Pete Moore sits down with Logan Chierotti, founder of Physicianās Choice supplements, to dig into the in's and out's of building a high-growth company in the HALO space. Logan discusses his journey from working in digital marketing to launching what is now the top probiotic brand on Amazon, with annual revenues approaching $250 million. He opens up about the importance of focusing on value and science-backed products, the challenges of navigating both e-com and retail distribution, and the lessons learned in building a top-tier executive team. Whether...
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Episode #567: The Shift to Turnkey Fitness Tech: Sprenās Evolution in a Demanding Market with Jason Moore
HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness
In todayās episode, host Pete Moore sits down with returning guest Jason Moore, CEO and founder of Spren (formerly Elite HRV.) Jason shares the journey of his companyās cutting-edge technology, which transforms any smartphone into an advanced biomarker and body composition analysis tool. With over a million users and thousands of coaches trained, Sprenās platform is accelerating how gyms, coaches, and fitness enthusiasts track results and stay motivated. Pete and Jason dive into the evolution of Sprenās technology, lessons learned from the pandemic, and how partnerships with industry...
info_outlineIn today's šššš¢ š§š®š¹šøš šššØš©š½š§ššš we're excited to bring you another portion of our panel discussion at the recent Athletech News Innovators Summit held in NYC, July 2025.
Integrity Square Founder Pete Moore had the pleasure of moderating a panel with Mark Federico (CEO of Crunch Fitness CR Fitness Holdings, LLC) and Terry Blachek (Orangetheory Fitness) for a deep dive into the real-world challengesāand strategiesāof scaling fitness franchises.
- M&A Is More Than Just Numbers: At its core, M&A is (also!) about āmultiples and add-backsā šāunderstanding valuation drivers and how projecting future growth (and dealing with the inevitable aftershocks) can make or break a deal.
- The HALO Sector Has Transformed: Once dominated by just a few big players, the space is now segmented with unique opportunities (and risks) for each vertical. Brands like EoS, Vasa, and Fitness Connection may look new, but actually. . . many are evolutions of legacy Gold's clubs.
- Valuations: Investor sentiment is extremely strong right now, with leading brands commanding impressive multiples (EoS at 13x, Crunch corporate at 18x.) A diverse club portfolio across states also usually means higher valuation and more investor interest.
We encourage everyone to work hard to understand the bigger picture that's literally happening right now in health club M&Aābeyond just the financials.š”
Want to learn more? (You should. Otherwise you're playing checkers while the rest of the industry plays chess.)
Give us 10 hours of your time at the next HALO Academy starting Sept 8, 2025. Register at https://www.thehaloacademy.com now for $495 and earn a $100 gift card from our friends at Promotion Vault. Testimonials at https://www.thehaloacademy.com/testimonials
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