Mountainside Fitness announced Friday, March 12 in a statement that founder Tom Hatten handed his CEO title over to Craig Cote, who previously served at the company’s president.
Hatten has been the company’s only CEO since he started the company in 1991. Over the last 30 years, Hatten has grown the business to 18 locations, with several more on the way and has grown into the state’s largest locally owned fitness centers.
“Wow – this has been an incredible journey these last 30 years and I am so thrilled that we continue to expand and do amazing things in our community all while changing lives for the better,” said Hatten in a statement. “Craig has been an incredible leader for our company since he joined Mountainside Fitness six years ago. He has always been a top leader in our company and there is no one else whom I would want to be leading this company. I’m excited to embark on some new opportunities as the Chairman of the Board for Mountainside Fitness.”
Hatten will serve as the Chairman of the Board for Mountainside and will still be majority owner, but is now focused on other duties like running Mountainside’s charitable endeavors.
Cote was originally slated to take the new role in early 2020, but due to the pandemic the transition was put on hold. Cote has been serving as Mountainside’s president since 2015, and officially gained his new title on March 1.
“This is a huge opportunity and exciting time to not only be within the fitness industry in Arizona, but to be leading the state’s largest and only locally owned fitness center,” said Cote in a statement. “Tom and the entire team at Mountainside Fitness have accomplished so many significant milestones over the last 30 years and I am thrilled to now be leading this company into our next 30 years.”
Cote’s promotion also means Mario Arce, the company’s COO, will be moving into an expanded position.
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Taylor Gabhart is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at taylor@peakemedia.com.
