Gold's Gym International, Inc. is a network of international co-ed fitness centers (usually called gyms) started by Joe Gold in Venice Beach, California. Each gym offers a range of cardio exercise equipment and strength as well as group exercise programs. Its headquarters has since moved to Dallas.
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Company history
Joe Gold opened the first Gold's Gym in August 1965, in Venice Beach, California, long before a modern health club was present. Featuring homemade equipment and nicknamed "Mecca of bodybuilding", it is frequented by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dave Draper and featured in the docudrama Pumping Iron (1977), which brings attention not only to the gym itself but also to bodybuilding and physical in general. To this day, Gold's Gym is considered a landmark in the bodybuilding culture and has achieved cult status.
In 1970, Gold sold a non-functional gym to Bud Danits, an antique dealer, and Dave Saxe, a jeweler. They run the gym for almost two years, and when they realize it's not worth it to them, they'll close it and reopen it as an antiques store. They offered it to a gym member, Ken Sprague, who bought it in late 1971, and Gold's was kept as a gym. Sprague is the first owner of Gold to actually sponsor and organize bodybuilding competitions, and his film industry's promotional and contacting skills help build a profile of the establishment.
Pumping Iron
In 1975, when George Butler would film Pumping Iron, it was Sprague's intelligence, told Butler that he would paint a window to minimize the back light, and let Butler install a lighting grid to the inner ceiling. which makes Gold's Gym the prime location for filming Pumping Iron. After the film was released in 1977, and along with the contest of Mr. America 1977 and the American Day parade held in Santa Monica, sponsored and contained by Sprague, Gold's gym profile grew larger. The United States that year had more press requests than the 1977 Academy Awards. In 1979, when Sprague sold Gold's Gym, it was the world's most famous gym.
From 1979 to 1999, Gold's Gym was owned by Peter Grymkowski (a world-leading body champion) and his colleagues. After two years of ownership, they moved from a 5500 square foot facility to a 60,000 square foot building over a six-year period. Brother Grymkowski became the licensing director, who helped carry the name Gym Gold from one location to over 534 across the US and the world. The company was one of the first in the health and fitness industry for franchising, starting in 1980.
The company licenses its name to products such as fitness equipment and clothing. The original Gold Gym logo, weightlifting bald barbeller, was designed in 1973 by professional wrestler Ric Drasin, who was Schwarzenegger's training partner for four years. Gold's Gym's leading users have included celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Dwayne Johnson, Jim Morrison, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, and Tiger Woods, among many others. The original Gold's Gym at Venice Beach is considered a sports landmark by ESPN and is named in the list of 100 most important sports venues.
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Company information
Gold's Gym is privately owned. It was obtained from previous owners, private equity firm Brockway Moran & amp; Partners, by TRT Robert Rowling Holdings in 2004 for approximately $ 158 million. Brockway Moran acquired the company in 1999 for more than $ 50 million. The company's headquarters are in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Since Gold's Gym opened its first international location in Canada in 1985, the company has expanded its global franchise program to include nearly 180 international fitness centers including operations in Russia, India, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, Arab Saudi, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia, Spain, Poland, Venezuela, Mongolia and the Philippines.
In 2017, the company opened its first location in Amman, Jordan.
There are 58 Gold's Gyms newly developed worldwide in 2016. Chef Robert Irvine also became a Gold's Gym franchisee in 2016 and opened Gold's Gym Largo, Florida.
Company sales and health program
Gold's Gym operates a national corporate health program with more than 3000 corporate partners including Home Depot, Bank of America, Whataburger, and Union Pacific. The company's sales and health program offers specific health and fitness plans for nationally employed employees including membership, nutrition and health programs.
Gold's is one of AARP's two official health clubs, where it offers month-to-month membership, and is the official health club of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Gold has begun offering online registration.
Current operation
Gold's Gym has over 700 locations serving over 2 million people on six continents. In 2015 and 2016, Gold's Gym topped the JD Health Center and Fitness Center Satisfaction report.
In 2017, Gold's Gym launches GOLD'S AMP, a fitness app intended to function as a personal digital trainer for people to use anytime and anywhere. This includes a large selection of customization exercises led by Gold Gym trainers and thousands of music mixes.
Gold Gym Challenge
Every year, Gold's Gym holds a Gold's Gym Challenge, a 12-week body transformation contest available to members. In January, participants begin their Challenge journey with initial measurements and photographs. Twelve weeks later, the last measurements and photographs were taken to document the results. Each participating Gold's Gym chooses a local winner who then qualifies for a national prize.
The winners of the Gold Gym Challenge have been featured in many publications including PopSugar, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Women's Health.
Criticism
Many customers have reported Gold's Gym franchises acting in dishonest and unscrupulous ways. They have reported the advertised transactions are not respected, billing irregularities, terms of contract 'that are fraudulently changed by the sales staff after signing, and issues canceling the account or moving. A Gold Gym in Provo, Utah was successfully sued for fraud in 2006, to change the contract after it was signed in 1999.
Allegations of similar fraud behavior reappear in 2017: on February 10, 2017, the billing processor for fitness center, Paramount Reception, and 26 companies with the name VASA Fitness (including a new gym since 2014) are presented with consumer class action lawsuits with various causes of action including misleading misconceptions, violations of the Phone Consumer Protection Act, and violations of the Utah Consumer Sales Practice Act. Plaintiffs publish all complaints.
References
External links
- Official website
- AMP GOLD'S
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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