24 Hour Fitness Gets New CEO

Effective immediately, Chris Roussos has stepped down as CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, California, the company announced on Jan. 15. He has been replaced as CEO by Tony Ueber, the former president and CEO of Tennessee-based Results Physiotherapy.

Roussos, who joined 24 Hour Fitness as CEO in May 2017, will stay with the company as a special advisor until March in order to ensure a smooth transition process.

Roland Smith, chairman of 24 Hour Fitness' board of directors, said the executive shake-up was a strategic decision.

"After an extensive strategic review and development of our company's new value proposition, the board came to the conclusion that the company required a different CEO skill set to achieve its transformational objectives," Smith said in a media release. "With 25 years of demonstrated success across a diverse background of experiences in the consumer products, retail and healthcare services industries, Tony has the unique skill set and experience required to execute on the strategic plans we have laid out to transform 24 Hour Fitness into the clear industry leader."

Before joining 24 Hour Fitness, Ueber was president and CEO of Results Physiotherapy, Franklin, Tennessee, a physiotherapy company with 39 locations across nine states. He accepted the Results Physiotherapy job in February 2015 after working for three years as president and CEO of Banfield Pet Hospital, Vancouver Washington, which operates a network of veterinary clinics in North America.

"I am excited to join the 24 Hour Fitness team and fundamentally believe in the vision and mission of the business and the potential for the company to become the definitive leader in the industry," Ueber said in the release. "I am confident that we can build upon the solid foundation that Chris has built to take the company to new heights."

In the release, Smith thanked Roussos for the support he provided during the company's exhaustive search for a new CEO.

"It has been a privilege and honor to be part of the 24 Hour Fitness team for the past two years, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together," Roussos said. "With a solid foundation in place, the time is right to hand the reigns over to Tony and the team to execute on the long-term strategic plan. I look forward to seeing the great success that lies ahead for the company."

24 Hour Fitness ranked No. 3 on Club Industry's Top 100 Health Clubs of 2018 list, with an estimated $1.441 billion in 2017 revenue.

This news marks the second departure of a CEO at a top-earning health club company so far this year. Peter Taunton, the CEO of Snap Fitness and its parent entity Lift Brands, stepped down from his longtime roles on Jan. 1.