---
title: "Crunch Fitness Franchisee CR Fitness Holdings Welcomes Marketing Veteran Rich Merrill as Senior Vice President of Marketing"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b7c8046d-5e6e-4492-992f-7d72490009d4
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20250103_crunch_fitness_franchisee_cr_fitness_holdings_welcomes_marketing_veteran_ri.html
category: "Gym & HVLP"
industry: "Fitness"
segment: "Gym & HVLP"
topics: ["Marketing","People"]
published: 2025-01-03T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T18:22:01.039Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1534438327276-14e5300c3a48?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Crunch Fitness Franchisee CR Fitness Holdings Welcomes Marketing Veteran Rich Merrill as Senior Vice President of Marketing

**TL;DR:** CR Fitness Holdings, a Crunch Fitness franchisee, has appointed Rich Merrill as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Merrill brings extensive experience in marketing and leadership to the role, which will help elevate Crunch Fitness' brand presence and drive growth.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-01-03. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20250103_crunch_fitness_franchisee_cr_fitness_holdings_welcomes_marketing_veteran_ri.html).*

## Story

A Syracuse, NY native, Merrill holds a degree in Marketing from Syracuse University and an MBA in Leadership from Arizona State University. His career spans multiple fitness and retail industries, where he has consistently led high-performing teams, driven innovative campaigns, and achieved exceptional results. Merrill’s deep understanding of consumer behavior and creative strategy will be pivotal in elevating Crunch Fitness’ brand presence and driving impactful marketing initiatives for CR Fitness Holdings.

“Rich’s extensive experience and leadership qualities will be a great asset to the CR Fitness team,” said Kendall Lanese, CMO of CR Fitness Holdings. “Rich’s expertise will be instrumental in advancing innovative marketing strategies and driving growth in both new and existing markets.”

CR Fitness Holdings LLC is led by industry veterans Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer, Tony Scrimale, and Jeff Dotson, who collectively bring over 150 years of expertise in the fitness sector.

Merrill’s appointment reflects CR Fitness Holdings' dedication to strengthening its leadership team to ensure success in delivering exceptional fitness experiences to Crunch Fitness members nationwide.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Fitness (sector)
- fitness industry (topic)
- Crunch Fitness (company)
- marketing leadership (topic)
- CR Fitness Holdings (company)
- Tony Scrimale (person)
- Vince Julien (person)
- Geoff Dyer (person)
- Jeff Dotson (person)
- franchisee appointment (topic)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20250103_crunch_fitness_franchisee_cr_fitness_holdings_welcomes_marketing_veteran_ri.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b7c8046d-5e6e-4492-992f-7d72490009d4).