Local franchisee owners of the Anytime Fitness Gym in Destrehan recently announced their Ormond Boulevard location had achieved a number one ranking year-to-date out of over 5,000 Anytime Fitness locations throughout North America.
Co-owners Brandon Hebert and Daniell Nielsen Jenkins were able to achieve this feat after owning the gym less than two years, having just purchased the business in January 2022 from former owner Michelle Oubre.
Anytime Fitness’ corporate headquarters uses a combination of five metrics, known as its “Fab 5,” to rank its various clubs nationwide: topline revenue, members plus, training revenue, attrition and operational execution – which is largely driven from survey scores. Using those rankings, the local gym had initially dropped down amongst its peers around 2022 when they purchased their gym, in large part due to the effect Hurricane Ida first had on the St. Charles Parish economy.
“Our club was ranked number 221 out of approximately 5,300 Anytime Fitness locations in North America after Hurricane Ida, after years of being in the Top 100 prior to the storm,” Hebert explained.
After re-opening the business following Hurricane Ida, new owners Hebert and Nielsen-Jenkins said they experienced the local community rallying around one another, gutting and repairing homes, rebuilding churches, businesses, and friendships.
“Putting an emphasis on Key Performance Indicators and business metrics all of a sudden wasn’t nearly as important as having a real conversation with someone and truly being present for them,” Hebert said. “We dialed back the business mindset and just loved on our members.”
Following Hurricane Ida, membership and their business began to grow and improve after reopening under new ownership, resulting in the Destrehan location achieving number one status in 2023.
Club owners Hebert and Nielsen-Jenkins said their live fitness class offerings are something that has helped them to differentiate their business amongst other local gyms in the region.
“We offer over forty live group fitness classes each week, which complements our eight trainers and Anytime Fitness training service,” Hebert said. “From the day we opened our doors, our Group Fitness classes were a big expense to the business, but the benefits to our community matter much more than our bottom line.”
The local Destrehan location is currently focusing on offering virtual coaching and corporate wellness, looking to partner with local businesses to improve the health of their employees.
“We have a great partnership currently with Valero Refining Company and have previously worked with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office in bringing health and wellness to their employees,” Hebert said of their corporate wellness programs.
Before purchasing the gym, Hebert had worked at the same Destrehan location as a trainer and was one of the gym location’s original employees. His business partner Nielsen-Jenkins was one of his former training clients, who became a trainer herself after being recognized nationally for her training success as an Anytime Fitness member.
Both Nielsen-Jenkins and Hebert believe being on-site owners has been an important component that has allowed them to reach their current number one ranking.
“Being locally owned and operated makes a huge difference,” Hebert said. “We hear stories all the time about people that own five, six or a hundred Anytime locations. What ends up making the difference with us is the presence of the owners and the staff.”
