Crunch Appoints Chequan Lewis, former COO of Pizza Hut U.S., as President

CEO of Crunch Franchising, Ben Midgley, transitions to Crunch's Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Fitness, a leading high-value, low-price gym, today announces the appointment of Chequan Lewis as President of Crunch. Ben Midgley will transition from CEO of Crunch Franchising to Crunch's Board of Directors as of March 15, 2024, and will be integral in franchisee relations.

Lewis, the former Chief Operating Officer and the first Chief Equity Officer at Pizza Hut U.S., will guide and direct company operations for owned and franchised businesses in his new role. He will work directly with other Crunch executives and franchise owners to develop growth strategies, improve performance, and elevate the brand. Lewis is a Howard University and Harvard Law School graduate, former business litigator, and Presidential Leadership Scholar who is deeply committed to civic engagement.

"We believe Chequan's strategic mindset and proven track record will continue to lift Crunch to new heights," says Jim Rowley, CEO of Crunch Worldwide. "Chequan brings a wealth of experience and has delivered tremendous results in his previous roles. We look forward to working together to build on the strong foundation at Crunch and drive our company's success into the future."

"I'm fired up to join the Crunch team on our journey to deliver legendary experiences for our Members, Gym Teams, and Franchisees," said Chequan Lewis. "As a lifelong fitness enthusiast with a passion for franchising, coming to Crunch feels like a homecoming. I'm excited to grow the Crunch legend alongside a talented team and a committed franchise network."

During Midgley's tenure since 2009, the franchising of Crunch Fitness has achieved remarkable results, setting new standards of excellence in the industry. Midgley has taken the Crunch franchise business from conception to being one of the fast-growing fitness concepts in 41 states and seven countries, with 460+ gyms, more than 2.5 million members, and the #1 Fitness franchise on the Entrepreneur 500® list.

"Ben's unwavering commitment to Crunch, our members, and our franchisees has led us from being a concept to becoming the fastest-growing gym franchise in the country," added Rowley. "With Ben joining the Board, our franchise partners will continue to have a dedicated advocate and liaison to represent their needs across Crunch's business strategies. This is the right move at the right time as we gear up for even greater growth in 2024 and beyond."

These announcements come at a pivotal time as Crunch is gearing up for an unprecedented year. In addition to ranking first in the fitness category, Crunch also came in #29 overall in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500®. The brand is also celebrating its 35th anniversary, pushing towards 3 million members, and is on pace for over 500 club locations in 2024.

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves 2.5 million members with over 450 gyms worldwide in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

SOURCE Crunch Fitness