In the lobby of the Anytime Fitness corporate headquarters in Woodbury stands a purple signpost emblazoned with four words: People, Purpose, Profits and Play. “They stand for Anytime Fitness’ belief in the importance of the intersection of our people, our purpose, our goals as a company, and having fun along the way,” says national media director Mark Daly.
Bathed in natural light from the building’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking a preserved wetland, it’s clear that the mission outlined by this sign is reflected over and over again in the new headquarters’ design. The several-story building, home to nearly 200 corporate employees, is simultaneously sleek and comfortable. Repurposed barn wood and spotless coffee bars make up the main gathering area, which leads to an open deck area complete with fire pits.
And there’s fun to be had all over the new headquarters. Outside the walls of the building lie miles of hiking and walking trails and an outdoor amphitheater and fire pit. The trails can be used for cross country skiing and snowshoeing, so no need for the outside space to go to waste during chillier months. In addition to the trails, Anytime Fitness offers a set of 60-foot tall climbing walls, topped with a platform. When they’re ready to move on from enjoying the view, climbers can simply zip back to the building on the longest zipline in Minnesota (a total of 1,200 feet).
Anytime Fitness is focused on safeguarding the wetlands around which its headquarters was built. “We are protectors of the wetlands,” Daly says. “We feel so lucky to have this beauty and workplace that we are honored to protect it.”
The fun doesn’t stop with the outdoor activities. Inside the building, conference rooms have wall-to-wall glass (“The glass was so clean we had to add frosted glass stripes because people kept running into it,” laughs Daly), and designated rooms to get work done on a treadmill desk or in a quiet place. There’s also a space that might seem out of place in a typical corporate office: A personal tattoo parlor. The space brings in renowned tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden for company events, so Anytime Fitness employees and franchisees can turn their passion for the brand into an inked work of art. So far, between 3,000 and 4,000 have gotten the Anytime Fitness running man tattoo.
The space also features an in-house Anytime Fitness gym, where employees are encouraged to work out whenever best fits their schedule. “Many of our employees are certified trainers, so they lead small group classes in the middle of the day in our gym or in our studio classroom,” Daly says. “We want our employees to be healthy and work out on their own time. We have a philosophy that our employees are not required to be here at any particular time, you just need to be responsible with your time and get your work done.”
The new headquarters is built to align with this philosophy. “The building was built to be a model for worksite wellness,” Daly says. “We’ll be inviting other businesses to come from all around the country to learn about worksite wellness, so it’s no accident that it’s a great place to work.”
While the new headquarters was constructed to accommodate a growing employee base, it was also built with the company’s large franchisee community in mind. “Our franchisees are required to come and train with the company for two solid weeks,” says Daly. “We want to make sure they’re having fun while they learn.”
