CEO Corner: CR Fitness’ Tony Scrimale on Building an HVLP Gym Giant

Ahead of his appearance at the ATN Innovation Summit 2025 next month, Scrimale sat down with Athletech News to discuss how CR Fitness became the world’s biggest operator of Crunch Fitness gyms

Tony Scrimale’s career is proof that hard work does indeed pay off. 

Initially hired as a cleaner at a small club chain back in the ‘90s, Scrimale has ascended to become the CEO of CR Fitness, the top franchise operator in the entire Crunch Fitness system. Under Scrimale’s leadership, CR Fitness has grown from 35 clubs in 2022 to 85 today, with gyms in five states and over 800,000 active members. 

Earlier this month, private equity firm North Castle Partners named Scrimale its “CEO of the Year” for 2025, the second time in four years the fast-growing CR Fitness has been bestowed with the award.

Scrimale sat down with Athletech News to discuss CR Fitness’ impressive growth over the past few years, how the franchise group works with the Crunch corporate team to drive innovation, and what’s coming next for the high-value, low-price (HVLP) gym industry.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Athletech News: Your journey to becoming the CEO of a top fitness operator is quite inspiring. Can you tell us about how you got your start in the industry before creating CR Fitness in 2011? 

Tony Scrimale: My story is unique in that my current partner, Vince Julien, hired me when I was 17 years old. I started under him as a cleaner and worked my way up to management by the time I was 19. In 2005, Vince sold his clubs to our other partner, Geoff Dyer. I was a part of Geoff’s company for around three years as we took Lifestyle Family Fitness from 21 to 56 clubs. 

I then jumped back in with Vince to start CR Fitness. We basically had a handshake agreement – he told me, “I know you didn’t have any equity in my first chain, but if I ever build any clubs again after my non-compete, I’ll make you my partner.” One day he gave me a phone call and I made the leap of faith. That’s how we created CR Fitness – we looked at every brand that was franchising and we liked Crunch the best. Two years later, Geoff’s non-compete was up so we brought him into CR Fitness as a partner. 

ATN: CR Fitness has become the biggest franchisee in the entire Crunch system, and one of the biggest gym operators in North America. What’s been the biggest key to scaling the brand?

TS: It’s probably the same thing we’re critiqued for by any applicant who comes into our organization and doesn’t make it. They say our pace of execution is above and beyond anything they’ve seen before. Our pace is second to none as far as our ability to make decisions and execute them. Our expectations are higher than anyone else, too. We have people in our organization who continue to raise the bar. 

ATN: CR is unique among franchisees in that you’ve played a major role in influencing decisions made at the corporate level in the Crunch system. What’s your relationship like with Crunch corporate?

TS: We’ve absolutely had a major influence on every aspect of Crunch, from turf areas to HIIT classes – we were the first to implement hot yoga, which just happened recently.

But that wouldn’t have happened without Crunch being the right partner. Crunch has continued to evolve every year I’ve been part of the organization. The current executive team, including Jim Rowley, Chequan Lewis, Molly Long and John Tate, is incredible. They’re focused on innovation and what’s next. The other big thing is that they don’t ignore what we’re doing (as franchisees). I’ve seen other parent companies stay ignorant and not embrace what their top operators are doing. All the key Crunch executives want to know what we’re doing well, and they want to embrace it throughout the entire system. And it’s not just us;  they’re embracing all the top operators in efforts to fix any underperformers. That’s building national momentum for the brand.

ATN: CR Fitness is on pace to open 100 Crunch clubs by 2026. What are your expansion goals beyond that, and could CR ever expand beyond its current footprint in the Southeast and Southwest?

TS: You’d probably get different opinions from the different partners. I’m young, I love what I’m doing and I love seeing the growth of our company. We have 275 total licenses sold right now and a lot more white space to fill. If you told me a couple of years ago that we were going to be in Dallas or Phoenix, I’d have laughed at that; those two markets weren’t even on our radar. So if there’s an opportunity that makes sense and doesn’t put our core clubs at risk, I’m willing to look at any territories in the country or even potentially outside the country. 

ATN: What’s the biggest challenge in operating HVLP gyms in 2025?

TS: Finding locations. We as gym owners are all hiking up rents by competing for the same box. Generally, on every lease we’re negotiating, two or three other gym operators are competing for that same space. Post-COVID, HVLP gyms are getting a lot more workouts than they used to, and there are only so many boxes that have an adequate amount of parking. We used to need only 180 parking spots; now we need up to 225 as a minimum.

ATN: Big-box gyms have changed quite a bit over the last few years, including the rise of strength/functional training areas and recovery amenities. What are your predictions for how gyms will continue to evolve over the next few years?

TS: There are a few trends. I think turf areas and power racks will continue to be popular, and “booty equipment” especially. Anything to do with the lower body continues to be a hot item. I’m also seeing a bit less interest in regular group fitness classes, with people steering more toward HIIT-style classes. I’m also starting to see more interest in the boutique-style classes we offer inside our clubs, like hot yoga. 

Recovery is also hot right now, and it continues to evolve. There are more products we can put into our recovery area than ever before. But the cost of building a club and equipping it is at an all-time high.

ATN: What would you most like to see change within the HVLP gym industry?

TS: I think there’s been a big focus over the last couple of years in HVLP on the bodybuilder and Instagram-influencer type of member. I’d like to see gyms get back to the point where they focus more on the beginner – that person who’s never joined a gym before. 

We have one of the best personal training programs in the entire country, undisputedly, so we do a good job at taking that entry-level member, making them comfortable and showing them how they can best utilize the gym. It can be pretty intimidating. 

Want to hear more insights from Tony Scrimale and other executives on the future of the HVLP gym industry? Don’t miss the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, a can’t-miss, two-day event June 17-18 in New York City featuring the biggest names in fitness and wellness. To get your tickets or learn more, click here.