Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 22

P O W E R

P L A Y E R S

By DeBBie SelinSky

If the Brand Fits…
Fitness industry entrepreneur
seeks diversification

A

s a young man, Army veteran
and athlete Randy Merrill followed his natural interests into
training and coaching at some
of the nation’s top fitness chains. The
Atlanta native became one of the top
producers for American Fitness Centers (later bought out by Bally Total
Fitness) and then helped expand Australian Body Works, now known as
LA Fitness, from five to 12 locations
in the Atlanta market.
“Australian Body Works had a great
product but no one strong in sales,”

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Multi-unit Franchisee iS S ue ii, 2011

Merrill says. “I remedied that, increasing the cash flow from $20,000
to $60,000 a month per store. By the
time I left 18 months later, we had
nine stores up and running in the
Atlanta area.”
After a stint in the Los Angeles
fitness scene, Merrill returned home
at the age of 29 to live in his father’s
basement and reexamine his goals.
“A fellow approached me about buying his tanning salon for very little
money. My younger brother lent me
$5,000 and that was the beginning.

Within a short period, I had three
Super Bodies Tanning stores in the
Atlanta area,” he says.
By 1996, Merrill had joined forces
with Alex Royter, whose strengths include daily operations. The result is
Solar Dimensions, a chain of 14 upscale tanning salons in the Greater
Atlanta area. While the salons were
doing well enough, Merrill saw business fall for the first time, in 2008 during the economic downturn. “It’s not
really a growth business anymore,” he
says, adding that he takes pride in the