JLM Financial Partners and Eagle Merchant Partners Sell United PF Partners to American Securities
Largest, Fastest-Growing Area Developer Within the Planet Fitness System Acquired by New York Private Equity Firm

ATLANTA, Jan. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — American Securities, a leading U.S. private equity firm, has acquired United PF Partners (“United PF”), the largest and fastest-growing area developer within the Planet Fitness system, from JLM Financial Partners and Eagle Merchant Partners.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, United PF serves more than 1 million members across more than 160 locations in 14 states. United PF was founded in November 2016 through the consolidation of five leading Planet Fitness franchisee groups. It has nearly tripled its club count through a successful organic and M&A growth strategy.

“We are very excited to partner with American Securities as we seek to continue to expand our platform through numerous growth avenues,” said Trey Owen, CEO and Founder, United PF. “JLM Financial Partners and Eagle Merchant Partners gave us the support and the space to be the best Planet Fitness operators in the system, while making it possible for us to expand our geographic footprint and introduce more health-conscious members to the Judgement Free Zone®.”

Planet Fitness is one of the largest and most prolific franchisors of fitness centers in the United States. As of Sept. 30, 2019, Planet Fitness had more than 14.1 million members and 1,899 clubs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico. The company’s mission is to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, called the Judgment Free Zone®.

Larry Meyer, Chairman, JLM Financial Partners, added, “As strong proponents of the growing fitness and wellness market, we are extremely proud of United PF’s growth and success during our investment. Trey Owen and his team have been excellent partners, outstanding stewards of the Planet Fitness brand and we wish them continued success.”

“Our partnership had a clear vision to invest in Planet Fitness as the market leader,” said Andrew Hirsekorn, Partner, Eagle Merchant Partners. “In partnership with JLM and under Trey Owen’s strong leadership, we were able to build a top tier management team, acquire additional Planet Fitness markets and build new clubs in attractive whitespace.”

In separate deal, residential and commercial surfacing provider also acquires Speedway Tile

Dalton, Ga. (Dec. 2, 2019) — The Recreational Group, a leading provider of residential and commercial surfacing products, has acquired Swisstrax, the preeminent purveyor of plastic modular tiles used as floor covering in garages, hangars and event spaces.

CEO Randy Nelson started Swisstrax more than 20 years ago, directing the development of the revolutionary modular flooring line in Switzerland. Now based in California, the company is the official supplier of garage flooring for Barrett Jackson Car Auction and installed the flooring in Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage in Burbank, Ca. Hendrick Motorsports, Ferrari and the Ford Motor Company are also among its clients.

“We are thrilled Randy trusted The Recreational Group as his partner to take Swisstrax to the next level,” said Ron Bennett, CEO, The Recreational Group. “Swisstrax has earned its reputation as the world’s finest modular flooring. We have the expertise, the capital and the relationships to continue to grow this remarkable and expanding business.”

“I was impressed with The Recreational Group from the beginning, especially its leadership and capabilities,” said Nelson. “We will continue to focus on our clients and delivering the best flooring solutions for garages, hangars and event spaces, while The Recreational Group will be critical in growing our footprint, improving our marketing and tightening our supply chains. This partnership will help us enhance our overall offering direct to the consumer as well as the flooring industry as a whole.”

In a separate deal, The Recreational Group also acquired Speedway Tile. Developed in 2014 as a high-quality, cost-effective, US-made alternative to the leading brands of interlocking garage floor tile, Speedway Tile features a patented 6-point locking mechanism and innovative Speedgrid Support System. Since the purchase, The Recreational Group reenginnered the surface profile of the tile which now showcases an attractive diamond plate pattern and is the only tile available with Scuff Resistant Technology.

The acquisitions expand The Recreational Group’s product offering in the recreational plastic surfacing market beyond their current VersaCourt and IceCourt product lines. Swisstrax and Speedway Tile are the third and fourth tile acquisitions for The Recreational Group, growing the family of brands to 15.

The Recreational Group continues to actively look for add-on acquisitions across a range of verticals within the recreational surfacing industry, including artificial turf and modular flooring. Because the company is vertically integrated, it will seek to add installation companies, dealerships, manufacturing entities and brand names to its organization.
The Recreational Group will bring a majority of Swisstrax’s production in-house, yielding manufacturing-related synergies.

About Swisstrax:
Swisstrax, Inc. offers a practical and modern alternative to standard concrete and epoxy garage flooring. Randy Nelson, CEO, directed the development of the revolutionary Swisstrax product line in Switzerland over 20 years ago. Randy brought the product to the USA and located the Swisstrax manufacturing and distribution center in Southern California. Swisstrax is proud of being named the official flooring supplier for world-renowned and respected enterprises. Hendrick Motorsports, Ferrari, Grand Am, American Le Mans, Mini USA, Ford Motor Company, AVIS, Honda, Shelby Automobiles and most recently, Jay Leno are just some of the clients the Swisstrax team is proud to serve. To receive a free sample of Swisstrax floor tile, call toll free at 1-866-748-7940.

About The Recreational Group
The Recreational Group is a leading provider of recreational surfacing products including artificial turf used for playground, golf and landscaping needs, outdoor and indoor sport tile, garage tile, wood flooring, and safety foam for use underneath synthetic turf. Learn more by visiting www.recreationalgroup.com.

Largest Planet Fitness Franchisee Continues to Accelerate Growth Expanding Footprint to 152 Clubs Spanning the West, Southwest, Midwest, South and Mid-Atlantic Regions

AUSTIN, Texas, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — United PF Partners (United PF), the largest Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT) franchisee, has acquired 26 Planet Fitness locations and certain development rights in the Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, and Illinois markets from PF Arkansas, LLC. This acquisition increases United PF’s operating club count to 152 clubs across 14 states, spanning the West, Southwest, Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions.

This acquisition supports United PF’s overall goal of accelerating growth and further providing access to non-intimidating fitness environments where members can build active lifestyles for an affordable price.

“The addition of these clubs is an incredible opportunity for United PF to continue our growth momentum and expand our footprint throughout our target development areas,” said Trey Owen, CEO United PF. “This expansion serves as another example of our continued commitment to help the Planet Fitness brand bring affordable, high-quality fitness to more people across the country. We are excited to see what the future holds.”

United PF’s team, resources, and scale continue to provide the opportunity for high quality clubs, rapid organic growth, new club expansion, and a premium, judgement free experience for its members.

United PF was formed by JLM Financial Partners and Eagle Merchant Partners in November 2016 with the merger of several leading Planet Fitness franchisees. United PF is a growth-oriented franchisee with significant room for new club expansion under its area development agreements.

Financing for the acquisition by United PF was jointly led by Jefferies and Fifth Third Bank.

For more information on Planet Fitness, please visit www.PlanetFitness.com or follow the Planet Fitness Facebook (www.facebook.com/PlanetFitness) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/PlanetFitness)

About United PF Partners
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, United PF Partners is the largest Planet Fitness franchise group serving 1.1 million members across 152 locations in 14 states. United PF has development rights to build new clubs across the West, Southwest, Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions. 

About Planet Fitness
Founded in 1992 in Dover, New Hampshire, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2019, Planet Fitness had more than 13.6 million members and 1,806 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico. The Company’s mission is to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone®. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

About JLM Financial Partners
JLM Financial Partners (JLM) is a private investment firm based in Austin, Texas. JLM focuses on multi-unit and scalable businesses with strong management teams and has a primary focus on companies in health and wellness, beauty, lifestyle/entertainment, as well as recreation. For more information, visit http://www.jlmfinancialpartners.com.

About Eagle Merchant Partners
Eagle Merchant Partners is an Atlanta, Georgia based private equity firm focused on lower middle market companies in the multi-unit consumer, logistics and industrial sectors in the Southeastern United States. The partnership is one of the most experienced private equity investors in the region, investing in seventeen companies with more than $1.5 billion in revenues. For more information, visit: www.eaglemerchantpartners.com.