I had a really good conversation and interview with the new CEO of Gold's Gym, James Weaver on Thursday. We'll get more into what we talked about in our next Executive Insights feature, which we have penciled in for the April issue.
Even though we did the interview over the phone, it sounded like Weaver had his sleeves rolled up. Weaver, a 60-something business veteran with tons of energy, has already made an impact on Gold's since he took over for former CEO David Schnabel in November. Weaver said he recently had a 23-hour day, which is surprising, because I thought there were only seven or eight hours in the workday. Weaver spends a lot of his time talking to and reaching out to franchisees, and I think the general focus of Gold's is more toward its franchisee community, whereas the recent past has been centered on its corporate clubs.
Weaver talked openly about taking over for Schnabel, whom he praised during the interview. Weaver also talked about the recent changes at the executive level with just as much candor.
Gold's is set to make a big announcement at the IHRSA show next month. Hopefully, our staff can meet the Gold's staff face to face when we're out there. The last time I had a chance to meet Gold's executives—last fall at Club Industry in Chicago—I wasn't so successful, through no fault of anybody involved. Here's hoping that, like the Gold's corporate office and its franchisees, we can get on the same page.
