Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs to Open in Geneseo, Illinois with Clients-Turned-Franchisees

Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs is now expanding its franchise base in the Midwest. Franchisees Luke Wells and Maggie Wells are pursuing the fitness concept’s exciting new opportunities, and after several years at Fitness Premier as members, they come equipped with the insights to make a new franchise succeed. Their Geneseo, Illinois location will provide service to clients just outside the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities.

“I developed a passion for this brand long before signing as a franchisee,” Maggie said. “I lived in Manteno, Illinois for a bit. While I lived there I would go to the Fitness Premier club and work out with a trainer.” Those previous duties were the motivation behind her new investment, and she was inspired by the brand’s commitment to uplift its clients. “It wasn’t just about the body,” Maggie said. “It’s about the whole person plus community.”

Fitness Premier units often serve as the newest or only health clubs in many Midwestern towns, and Maggie believes this model will give people an experience they have always deserved. “You can put a bunch of equipment together, throw it in a room and call it a gym, but there is so much more to it than just piecing that together,” Maggie said. “Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs is able to offer a full experience for a lot of people, and that is where a lot of our excitement for this brand has developed.”

Jason Markowicz, the CEO of Fitness Premier and Fit For You Franchising, said the brand’s expansion is a result of a cohesive team of franchisees and employees that have made brand growth possible. “Most of our current locations are throughout Chicagoland or close to Champaign, Illinois, and our model in those locations has proven success that can be scaled virtually anywhere, including on the other side of the state,” he said. “The next key step in our development is to progress into a new territory. We feel the right team is in order with Luke and Maggie in Geneseo.”

Paired with a full array of fitness equipment, Maggie believes the brand can fulfill all sorts of client needs as a one-stop fitness provider — which can prove essential in a community like Geneseo with fewer than 10,000 people.

Both Maggie and Luke said the franchisee model itself drew them to the brand; franchisees can be heavily involved in operations without a daunting burden of being on-site for extensive hours. “This brand is able to succeed in all sorts of ways,” Maggie said, “and the model itself is geared for franchisees to be successful, too.”

Luke added that the Fitness Premier model has stood out to him because of the brand’s ability to market itself to the communities it serves. The brand has proven success in similar market sizes, while the ownership model itself is geared to give franchisees a strong voice in those communities.

Many Fitness Premier franchisees are former clients. “We can feel good as a brand about making a difference in people’s lives,” said Markowicz. “When clients are eager to take on business duties with our brand, it shows that we’re building something special here.”

Both Maggie and Luke plan to first establish their new unit in Geneseo, and then assess the possibility for further expansion. The scalability of the brand is what attracted them in the first place, and the opportunities across a diverse range of markets has shown serious opportunity for prospective franchisees.

*Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs is a fast-growing, 15-location, group-workout gym concept that creates a community with its staff and guests. Backed by franchise executive, Jason Markowicz and his franchisee-focused corporate team, Fitness Premier differentiates itself with great people, culture, and systems compounded by a growth focus in strategic yet smaller markets where some fitness brands would not think to grow. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit