With Cherry Hill Opening, Planet Fitness Grows Amid Pandemic

CHERRY HILL, NJ — On the surface, it may have appeared as though Planet Fitness was beginning to move beyond the coronavirus pandemic when it opened the doors to its new fitness center in Cherry Hill last week.

The event, which honored a select group of EMTs, nurses, doctors, firefighters, and police officers who were nominated by their friends, neighbors and colleagues, came as more vaccines have become available to the public and the state continues to open up.

In reality, though, owner/operator Billy Olson never slowed down during the pandemic, and the 20,000 square foot gym at the Barclay Farms Shopping Center is the third center he’s opened in the last year.

“I have a deep commitment to wellness and health,” said Olson, who has 20 Planet Fitness locations in New Jersey with plans to continue to expand.

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Olson also opened locations in Camden and Moorestown, with plans to open another location in Burlington soon. He invested a lot of money at a time when he wasn’t even sure when gyms would be permitted to open in New Jersey.

“It tested my mettle,” Olson said. “I spent significant amounts of money when we weren’t even open. I’ve been in the business for over 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Gyms closed along with other businesses in New Jersey last March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, even when some other businesses began to reopen, Gov. Phil Murphy was hesitant to reopen gyms, saying the problem is the gyms are indoors, where "you don't have ventilation," there's "sweat," people are within close proximity and sedentary.

They were among the last businesses to begin reopening, late in the summer. Read more here: Gov. Murphy: NJ Gyms, Indoor Amusements Reopen Amid Coronavirus

In fact, Olson believes one of his moves is what helped change Murpy’s mind on the issue. In the summer, Olson opened an outdoor facility free for first responders and healthcare workers in Westmont.

“I think that signaled to the governor that we were good people, and that we could do it safely,” Olson said. “We invested a lot of money and got an overwhelming response. And I think the governor looked at our data, and saw that people needed to move. He saw that we were good for people’s spiritual well-being and their sense of belonging. He saw how we operated, and I think he saw that he can trust us to be good stewards.”

All of Olson’s facilities follow the health and safety protocols as set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This includes touchless check-in, increased and thorough cleaning of equipment, masks, cleaning stations for member and guest use, directional signage for social distancing, and other steps.

Olson’s commitment to safety extends to the cancellation of memberships for anyone who isn’t following the rules. Business has been slow during the pandemic, but Olson said those who do come into the gym “love that we’re adhering to the mask policy.”

“People who are 55-and-up may be more cautious, so they’re coming back slower than others,” Olson said. “But we’re turning the corner. We’re starting to see more usage.”

During the pandemic, Olson did have to lay off some people, but he was able to keep most of his core staff, which includes general managers and assistant managers. Those core staff members stayed in touch with those who were laid off, and were able to bring many of them back when the time was right, Olson said. With the opening of his new facilities, Olson employs about 200 people.

“I didn’t believe in gutting the organization,” Olson said, adding that when people were rehired, they were “ecstatic about coming back.”

Planet Fitness focuses on underserved communities, and Olson also puts a special focus on first responders. All first responders who were honored when the Cherry Hill Planet Fitness opened on April 13 also received a free membership to the gym.

“We need to help those who help the community,” Olson said.