Minnesotan To Meet: Chuck Runyon, CEO At Anytime Fitness
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Some of us don't know what we want to do even as a grown up. But one St. Paul native knew right after high school when he jumped into the fitness industry.
He could travel the world while learning the in's and out's of the trade. Now Chuck Runyon is the chief executive officer of Anytime Fitness. The company has nearly 3,000 clubs in 23 countries on five continents with a huge new corporate headquarters being built in Woodbury.
He's not only changing how we work out, but how employees do their jobs. That makes him this week's Minnesotan to Meet.
When you go to interview a CEO of a fitness company, you expect to get your butt kicked. But really, Chuck Runyon may play up the tough guy for the camera.
"We're more about giving hugs then kicking butt," Runyon said.
You see that right at the front desk inside the headquarters of Anytime Fitness in Hastings with a positive message jar.
"How do you stay so positive?" Jamie asked.
"First, I'm a hard-wired optimist," Runyon said. "Second, I think working out improves your mood."
That's why the mini-workout facility for staff also has a ping pong table.
"You play this for a half hour, you go back to your desk and you're in a new gear versus sitting and staring at that monitor," Runyon said.
Anytime Fitness is consistently listed as a best place to work, on Forbes Magazine's fastest-growing list and in 2014, it was named Entrepreneur Magazine's No. 1 franchise.
It all started with deep Minnesota roots.
"Thirteen years ago this month, Anytime Fitness began in Cambridge, Minnesota," Runyon said.
Runyon and his partners originally wanted to bring top-notch workout equipment to underutilized rural areas. Now there are nearly 3,000 franchises around the world.
"It's really fun to fly people in here who have never seen snow before," Runyon said.
Runyon is so committed he tattooed the "Anytime" purple running man on his arm. He also pays for his own membership.
"I try to walk in with my hat backwards and become a typical member," Runyon said.
Runyon swears in the summer he gets outside at his cabin near Pequot Lakes.
"Use your body weight and you can take these outside and wrap them around a tree," Runyon said.
And his four kids get their exercise on the water. It's important to Runyon to have balance.
"I still love food and cocktails and I have the occasional cigar, I'm just very active," Runyon said.
Just don't think he'll ever slow down because just when things get comfortable, Runyon fires back up.
"I don't want people to just think about exercise but every nook and cranny of your life can be improved," Runyon said.
He said he believes the more you do, the more you'll have energy to do more with family and friends.
