Gold’s Gym not only was active in acquisition talks and rolling out its express model, but it also bid farewell to a key former operator and a longtime executive, both of whom started up their own brands.

Jeff Skeen took his Titan Fitness model and left the Gold’s franchisee fold to develop the Houston-based Fitness Connection brand, which was purchased in July. Skeen converted six Titan Fitness clubs in Raleigh, NC—clubs he had purchased from former Gold’s franchisees John and Kirk Galiani—and converted two Titan Fitness clubs in Reno, NV, to the Fitness Connection brand.

Joel Tallman had served as an executive with Gold’s since 2000 before he was let go in June. But he wasn’t unemployed for long. Tallman joined American Club Systems owners Charlie Lindsey and Tim Goodwin to form FIT Brands, which include Max Fitness clubs in Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana.

Other Gold’s Gym conversions included one by a Nebraska franchisee, who changed his four clubs to Blue Moon Fitness, and another by owners of three Idaho Gold’s Gyms, which were rebranded to Axiom.

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