Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs Welcomes New Chief Operations Officer Josh Hettiger
Posted: July 19, 2022 in Chains
Fitness Premier 24/7
MANHATTAN, IL – After a successful football career at Saint Xavier University and a short run in the NFL, Josh Hettiger met with Jason Markowicz, CEO of Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, and Rick King, VP of the brand, to discuss life after football. Hettiger saw how the two had transitioned from college athletics to business owners, and he became an owner/operator of Fitness Premier Cedar Lake while also working on franchise development efforts. Through this process, Hettiger received the mentorship and support he needed to learn how to run a business, manage day-to-day tasks and really grow into his role as a franchisee and operator.
“When Jason talked about wanting to expand Fit For You and his ideas for how many different brands we would have, I just loved the idea of growing that much,” Hettiger said. “It was kind of a seamless transition because it was what I originally came to the company for. Instead of working on day-to-day business, I could help 100 other ‘me’s who didn’t really know how to start a business.”
Now, as COO, Hettiger handles franchise development and other growth efforts for the brand. He is generally the first contact a prospective franchisee will have with Fit For You, and he has discussions about entrepreneurial goals and franchisor-franchisee fit leading up to the franchise exploration process.
“From the initial phone call all the way through when they’re opening up their business, I’m here to be a helping hand to get them from inquiry to business ownership,” he explained.
Fitness Premier is unlike other fitness concepts in the market as they are not quite a boutique model but also do not follow the big-box gym model. This, along with the general flexibility of the brand’s leadership, allows franchisees to develop a model that works for them, their goals and available resources.
During the signing and buildout process, Hettiger is available to either answer questions for prospective and newly signed franchisees or connect them to a specialist within the Fitness Premier corporate team.
After moving through this journey as a young entrepreneur, Hettiger has become even more passionate about helping Fitness Premier franchisees achieve their dreams.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the people,” he said. “Jason played a huge role in supporting me through this growth and giving me the tools I needed to run my business smoothly, which allowed me to focus even more of my energy on connecting with, training and helping my clients. I’m excited to step into a similar position and provide that same support.”
