Inc. magazine has named Zumba® Fitness “Company of the Year.” Founded by Alberto Perlman (CEO), Alberto Aghion (COO) and Beto Perez (CCO), Zumba was launched in 2001, and is now the largest branded fitness program in the world. The company reported more than 14 million weekly class participants, in over 140,000 locations, across more than 150 countries.
“Inc. is known as the magazine for entrepreneurs, and at Zumba we are driven by a global army of entrepreneurs — our Zumba Fitness instructors. This honor belongs to them,” said Perlman. “We are in the business of making people’s lives better and it’s the unwavering passion and commitment of our instructors, employees and partners throughout the world who have helped take us from a start-up in 2001 to the Inc. ‘Company of the Year’ in 2012.”
In addition to live classes, the company boasts a top-selling video game, DVDs, apparel, a Zumba music platform, and its live-class experience has expanded into Fitness Concerts™ and specialty programs that target kids, to active older adults. Zumba has also raised more than $4 million for charities via Zumbathon® charity events.
“A hearty congratulations to Zumba Fitness, Inc.’s 2012 Company of the Year,” said Eric Schurenberg, the editor of Inc. “Zumba is remarkable because it is as good at unleashing what it calls FEJ—freeing, electrifying joy.”
